RAGNAR
It feels like someone plugged me into a live socket and keeps electrocuting me at random. Ever since Sun and I closed the Bond yesterday… the way I feel him, even from a distance, is unreal. Like we’re short-circuited, wired directly into each other.
I know Sun is in pain. And I can’t do a damn thing about it.
Circling the garden, I pretend to work, but really I’m just hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But he doesn’t show.
Summer doesn’t either. And my nerves are strung so tight, they buzz like an over-tuned string on an old instrument.
In the afternoon, I spot Mauro leaving the passageway. I follow him, managing to catch up before he steps into the kitchen.
When he sees me, he glances left and right, nervous. Not like him.
His face is tense, his eyes dart all over the place.
I pull out my phone and type:
"Is everything okay? I know something big is coming."
He replies: "I’m not part of it."
"Do you know what’s going on with Sun and Summer?"
Mauro just shakes his head, barely, and says, "I just know he took them to a room where there are no cameras that I can access."
"Can you find out? I’ve got a really bad feeling."
He hesitates, scratches his chin, then takes my phone. He types something with quick, impatient moves.
"You need to get out of here! I knew you came here to help your brothers. So I convinced Roberto to hire you. I wanted to give you a chance. But things are getting worse, you’re in danger.
I’m not the only one watching you. Someone else is monitoring the surveillance feeds.
Things are about to get really wild. You might end up a prime suspect. "
I stare at the message for a second, and suddenly it all makes sense. That’s why I got the job at mafia estates, even though I never should’ve been cleared for it, not with my foggy background!
So it was Mauro… And now I know I need to take his warning seriously.
I type back:
"I appreciate it. And know this: I didn’t come here to hurt your family, or fight the mafia, or rat you out to the FBI. I only want to get my brothers and Sun out!"
He studies the screen for a moment, then types back:
"I don’t care if you want to hurt them. I wouldn’t stop you."
"Really? What about Luca? Eliano?"
"They’ll be safe. But Rocco’s a psychopath.
And Anzo’s a lost cause. He forgot how to be human because no one ever treated him like one.
I’m telling you this to warn you, someone is watching the camera feeds very closely.
There are strange logs. You need to get out now. Very soon, it might be too late."
"Very soon?"
"Yep. It’ll be ugly. You shouldn’t be here. I warned you."
"I can’t disappear for at least four more days."
Mauro shrugs, steps back, then turns and, as usual, abruptly walks off.
For some time now, I've known that Mauro is not at all loyal to Anzo. And Luca is the same case. But Eliano? What about Ennio? Are either of them in any way connected to Anzo's operation?
If the attack succeeds, Anzo might be in a good mood. But if it fails… it could be a disaster. Maybe also for these three brothers?
Why does Mauro seem sure it’ll be the second, dangerous outcome? What does he know? What has he done?
Or if it’s not him, does he know someone else who’s planning to sabotage it?
I don’t want to keep guessing. My brain’s already boiling over. I head back to my garden work, fully aware that if Anzo is watching me for any reason, my time here might be running out fast!
The more I think about it, the more seriously I take Mauro’s warning. Damn it. Maybe I just need to disappear for a few days and come back on the day Snow said would be safe?
Yep, seems like a good idea. So I head to the gazebo and sit down to check a few things online. Then I make the call to my parents.
My dad picks up, and I go straight in:
"Pack your bags and get to the airport. There’s a flight to Oslo tonight at 8 pm. Then you can catch one to Reykjavík. You need to be on it. It’s starting."
"Are you going to be safe? Have you thought this through?" Dad’s voice trembles slightly.
"If they want to kill me, they’ll have to work for it. I’m not going down easy, Dad."
Dad gets quiet. I know it’s hard for him to know that in a few days we'll all be in great danger, but he also understands that there's no other way.
"Okay, son. We’ve had our bags packed for a week now. We’ve been waiting for your signal."
"From now on, only the code I gave you matters. Anything I send has to include the agreed phrase. If my phone gets compromised, someone could pretend to be me. If there’s no code, it’s not me. No exceptions, Dad."
"Got it."
"I’ll only contact you from a burner phone. I’ll send the number to the email address I gave you."
"Understood, son. We’ll switch phones when we land. Good luck! Bring Summer to safety!"
For a second, I think about telling him I found my True Mate, but that information would only make things harder. Knowing that if someone kills Sun, they kill me too… that’s not something they need to carry.
"I’ll do everything I can, Dad. Stay strong. Ragnar out."
I hang up.
Then I make my next call, to Hunter.
He sounds a little buzzed, as usual, but not enough to not recognize who's calling.
"How’s your end coming along?" he asks, dragging his words a little.
"I’m getting ready to get Summer out of here in a few days," I say.
"What about Sun?"
He asks about Sun again? Maybe the guilt’s catching up to him?
"I’m taking Sun with me too."
There’s a pause. "Ragnar, are you sure that’s a good idea? The mafia could start picking off all my cousins."
"Your own cousin, Snow, believes that in a few days there’ll be a safe window to get them out. And I have to stick to that plan, for one very specific reason that changed everything for me. Sun and I, we're True Mates."
I know what kind of reaction that usually gets. Shock, congratulations, envy. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. But Hunter takes it with an odd kind of calm.
"Congrats, then. That’s really joyful news. I guess that makes us family now?"
I know what he means. True Mates are automatically treated like spouses, even legally, by the government. By claiming Sun as my True Mate, I’ve technically become part of the Nolan family.
"You’re not surprised?"
Hunter huffs. "I am, but I’m just too drunk to show it," he mumbles. "Once I sober up, I’ll probably call back and properly say congrats."
I snort. "Hold off on that until I actually get Sun out of the compound alive. If anything goes wrong, if I die or he does, we both will perish."
A sharp inhale on the other end.
"Right. Damn, I forgot about that," Hunter mutters, but I can tell most of this is going in one ear and out the other. He really seems so lost in the world and I need him to focus.
"Hunter, listen to me carefully. If something happens to me, but Summer survives, I need you to report it to every agency you can. Push until someone listens. My parents are flying to Europe tonight. Without me and Sun in the picture, Anzo loses all his leverage. That would be your chance to help Summer escape without risking anything. Please, promise me you’ll try. "
There’s a long silence. Then he says, "Look, I still hope both you and my cousin make it out. But if you don’t, I promise I’ll do what I can to give Summer another shot."
And then I hear the sound of him drinking. A big gulp. He’s definitely drunk. Too drunk. Does he even know what he’s saying?
I’m not so sure he'll remember this promise tomorrow. Or if he’ll wake up with a hangover and think it was all a dream. Fuck.
This man needs help, needs something, maybe to meet someone who’ll pull him out of this spiral.
Though right now, the chance for that feels pretty far off. Hunter’s holed up in his house, and I doubt he’s signed up for any dating apps. I swear to myself I’ll fix this for him once my own life isn’t on fire anymore.
Then Hunter suddenly breaks the silence.
"Listen… Good luck, Ragnar. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you the way you probably deserved. I really hope you can help them, and Fate will deal you a better hand than it dealt me." Another sip. I can hear it clearly, and then immediately he hangs up.
I let out a heavy breath.
God, I hope he’s right.
When I step out of the gazebo, something feels off. A tightness in my gut. A growing sense of unease. Technically, I’m still on the clock, but I decide it’s time to get out of here.
The guard booth is empty, which throws me off a bit. I walk inside the passageway. My car’s parked in a row of others inside the garage on the left side of the path.
I approach it slowly, scanning the area. It’s weird. I’ve never seen this place unmanned before. There’s always someone in one of the booths.
Who’s supposed to open the gate for me now? That’s the guard’s job.
I hesitate near the trunk of my car, and then…
Pain. Under my jaw. Sharp.
My hand shoots up to the side of my neck and—what the hell is that?
I grab something embedded in my skin. Yank it out. It’s some kind of dart. A slim needle with a tiny ampoule attached.
A tranquilizer.
And in the split second before everything starts to go dark, I know whoever shot me with this wasn’t playing around. The dose is strong enough to take down a guy my size.
Then darkness swallows me whole.
***
Waking up is hell.
Everything aches, and my throat burns like I’ve been throwing up while unconscious. I feel poisoned, as if something’s rotting inside me.
I try to move, but I realize my limbs are completely restrained.
I’m slumped against a wall, my head hanging down over my chest, and thick metal clamps lock down my biceps, forearms, wrists… even my legs, stretched out in front of me, are shackled at the ankles.
Whoever did this took it seriously. This isn’t just about immobilizing me, it’s about neutralizing a threat. These restraints are solid steel, and I’ve got a gut feeling they knew exactly what kind of strength a purple alpha can have. No one would go to these extremes for a regular guy.