Page 71 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

They moved swiftly through the concrete labyrinth, Darius taking point while Ronan stayed close to Serenity. She felt the subtle pressure of his hand at the small of her back, not quite touching, but close enough that she could feel his body heat.

"Someone tried to kill me," she whispered, the reality finally sinking in. "They blew up an entire floor of apartments just to get to me."

"Welcome to the big leagues," Ronan murmured. "Your father's world isn't for the faint of heart."

"I'm not faint of heart," she snapped, even as her hands trembled slightly. "I'm pissed off."

Darius glanced back at her, something like approval flickering in his eyes. "Good. Anger keeps you sharp."

The north exit revealed the promised vehicle, engine running. Darius circled it once, checking for anything suspicious before nodding to them.

"Where are we going?" Serenity asked as they climbed in, Darius taking the wheel while Ronan sprawled in the back.

"My hunting cabin," Ronan said. "About two hours upstate. Completely off any books connected to my business. Only three people know it exists, and two of them are in this car."

"And the third?" Darius asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Dead," Ronan replied flatly. "For unrelated reasons."

Serenity fought the urge to laugh hysterically. "Great. So we're trusting a man who films people without permission and casually mentions murder."

"As opposed to the crime family heir or the daughter of the biggest criminal enterprise in the northeast?" Ronan countered.

She fell silent, watching the city lights begin to thin as they headed north.

"We stay off-grid for seventy-two hours," Darius decided, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. "No contact with our usual networks. Then we reassess."

"I can have my tech team run a security audit from there," Ronan offered. "Find the leak."

Serenity turned in her seat to look at him. "Why are you helping us, Ronan? Really?"

He held her gaze, the playfulness momentarily absent from his green eyes. "Because someone's trying to destabilize the power balance. And chaos only benefits outsiders trying to move in."

"Self-preservation, then," she murmured.

"That," he agreed, "and I've become rather fond of watching you, Vale. Not ready for that show to end."

Despite everything, heat crept up her neck. Darius made a sound that might have been amusement or annoyance.

"When we get there," Serenity said, her voice steadier now, "we plan our counterattack. I won't be hunted. Not by anyone."

Darius reached across the console, his large hand enveloping hers. "No one touches what's mine."

"Or mine," Ronan added, leaning forward between the seats.

Serenity looked between the two alphas, these dangerous men who had somehow become her protectors. The realization hit her with startling clarity: in the space of a few days, her world had shrunk to this—this car, these men, this strange new alliance.

"Then we're agreed," she said, squeezing Darius's hand while holding Ronan's gaze. "We find who's behind this, and we end them."

The city disappeared behind them as they drove deeper into the darkness, three predators bound by a common purpose. Whatever waited for them at the end of this road, Serenity knew with absolute certainty: they would face it together.

14

SAFE NO MORE

~SERENITY~

Debris scattered across the pavement as smoke billowed toward the night sky.

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