Page 70 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

"That was military-grade," Ronan muttered, his voice unnervingly calm as he watched the inferno. "They weren't taking chances."

People were streaming out of neighboring buildings, some screaming, others with phones raised to capture the destruction. Sirens wailed in the distance.

"My contingency plans," Serenity whispered, her mind racing. "Everything I had hidden there—the money, the passports, the data drives." Her hands trembled in her lap, but her voice remained steady. "They knew exactly where to hit."

Darius was already pulling away from the curb, his movements controlled despite the tension radiating from him. "They're watching your known locations. This isn't random."

"I've been compromised," she said, the realization sinking in like ice water in her veins. "Someone close to me sold me out."

Ronan's dark eyes caught hers in the rearview mirror. "Or they've had eyes on you longer than you realized. Vale's daughter doesn't go unnoticed forever."

The sirens grew louder as Darius navigated away from the chaos, taking a series of rapid turns to ensure they weren't followed.

"I had a gun in that apartment," Serenity said, almost to herself. "Cash. Clean identities." She clenched her fists until hernails bit into her palms, using the small pain to focus. "That was my only safe house that wasn't connected to Vale holdings."

"Not so safe after all," Ronan observed, earning a glare from both her and Darius.

"They're cleaning house," Darius said as he accelerated through a yellow light. "First the attempt at the club, now this. They're eliminating all possible hideouts."

Serenity closed her eyes briefly, recalibrating. When she opened them, the initial shock had hardened into something colder and more calculating. "The timing is too perfect. They knew we were coming."

"We need to go dark," Darius decided. "Completely off-grid."

"I know a place," Ronan offered, surprising both of them. "No connections to either of our operations. Secure."

Serenity studied him, weighing her dwindling options. "Why would you help me?"

A dangerous smile played across Ronan's lips. "Maybe I'm not done watching you yet, little omega."

Darius growled low in his throat but kept his eyes on the road. "We need to ditch this car first. They could be tracking it."

"There's a garage three blocks ahead," Serenity said, her business mind already sorting through problems and solutions. "We switch vehicles, disable our phones, and disappear." She looked back once at the column of smoke now visible only in the distance. "Whoever's hunting me just showed their hand. They're desperate enough to cause a scene."

"That makes them predictable," Darius noted.

"And predictable enemies," Serenity finished, her golden eyes flashing with the reflected glow of passing streetlights, "don't live very long in my father's world."

Serenity braced herself against the dashboard as Darius took a sharp turn into the garage, tires squealing against concrete.Her heart hammered in her chest, adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

"Second level," she directed. "There's a blind spot in their security cameras."

Ronan leaned forward from the back seat, his shoulder brushing against hers. "You know the security weaknesses of a random parking garage?"

"I know the weaknesses of everything I own," she replied without looking at him. "Including this garage. Vale Enterprises acquired it last year."

The car pulled into a dimly lit corner. Darius cut the engine, plunging them into silence broken only by their breathing.

"I need to make a call," Serenity said, reaching for her phone.

Darius's hand covered hers, stopping her. "No phones. You said it yourself."

"We need transportation," she argued.

"I already handled it," Ronan interjected, holding up a burner phone. "Car will be waiting on the north exit. Black SUV, tinted windows."

Serenity raised an eyebrow. "You just happen to have escape vehicles on standby?"

"Sweetheart," he said with a wolfish grin, "I don't survive in this business by accident."

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