The air in the estate felt different. Charged.
Ariella could feel it in the way her team moved, in the way Leo's jaw clenched tighter each day, in the way Carter's gaze was constantly scanning for unseen threats. The war they had been preparing for was no longer something on the horizon.
It was here.
And they were ready.
A Message in Blood
The morning had started as expected—plans, strategy, finalizing every move they were about to make.
Then a call had come in.
Ariella stood in the dim light of her study, her fingers wrapped tightly around the burner phone in her hand. The voice on the other end was distorted, calm, and chilling.
"You should have never taken the child, Isabelle."
Ariella's grip tightened. "Say that name again, and I'll put a bullet in your throat."
A low chuckle.
"Brave. But tell me, how brave will you be when you see what we've left for you?"
The line clicked dead.
