“Who’s there?”
James hadn’t even had the chance to signal Tyler before a guard spotted him. A sharp shout rang out, and James bolted.
Bang!
A gunshot cracked behind him. With no way back the way he came<b>, </b>James ducked into cover, weapon raised, ready to retum fire.
Outside, Tyler was still stalling the gatekeeper when the muffled shot echoed from within the estate. Both men froze. Tyler instantly realized James was in danger. Before the guard <b>could </b>shut <b>the </b>gate, Tyler struck. taking him down..
Inside, the two brothers quickly discovered there were only about eight to ten guards in total. Fighting side by side, they dispatched them swiftly.
“You okay?” Tyler asked as he reached James.
James, weapon steady <b>and </b>eyes sharp, shook his head. “I’m fine. We have to get inside. I’m certain our mother is here.”
“Shouldn’t we call Sebastian and the others?”
“Not yet. Let’s confirm first. If it’s not her…” <b>James </b>didn’t <b>finish</b>. He couldn’t bear the thought of raising. everyone’s hopes only to crush them.
“Alright. Let’s move.”
They kicked open the castle’s heavy doors and stormed inside.
The entry hall was cavernous and dim, two long corridors branching off into opposite wings.
“You take <b>that </b>side, I’ll take this <b>one</b>!” James ordered.
They split up.
The interior gleamed with wealth–ornate chandeliers, tapestries, polished floors–but the air was heavy, damp, as though shut away for too long.
Tyler took a <b>staircase </b>upward. James did the same on the other side, his boots thudding quietly against marble steps. At the <bnding</b>, he <b>came </b>face–to–face with an elderly maid in <b>a </b>white apron carrying a tray.
She gasped at the sight of his weapon, dropped the tray, and turned to flee.
“Stop!” James barked, seizing her arm and pressing the barrel of his gun to her temple. “Tell me who lives
here.”
The woman trembled violently, her lips moving but only guttural sounds escaping
“<b>You </b>can’t talk? You’re mute?”
<b>She </b>nodded frantically.
Cursing under his <b>breath</b>, James released her and pressed on.
At the end of the hall he found avish room. A vase of fresh
rsat on the table, their fragrance mingling with a faint, almost cloying perfume that seemed to seep from the oil paintings lining the walls.
James froze before one canvas. The face was familiar–too familiar. It was her. His mother.
Painting after painting showed the same woman. The same gentle eyes. The same face he had memorized from old photographs.
His chest tightened, eyes blurring with tears. She was here. She had to be.
FR
Driven by a surge of hope, he pushed on until he reached the highest floor. There, a gilded door loomed–the same balcony he had glimpsed earlier from below.
She must be inside.
James steadied his breath, forced himself to move slowly, and eased the handle down.
The door swung open. Light spilled into a grand chamber. White drapes billowed in the sea breeze, jewels glittered on every surface, and rare artifacts crowded the shelves.
And then–he <b>saw </b>her.
Behind <b>a </b><b>veil </b>of white gauze sat a woman <b>at </b>an <b>easel</b>, painting quietly. Her long hair fell like silk down her back, her figure draped in pale robes. Her skin <b>was </b>unnaturally pale, theplexion of someone who rarely <b>saw </b>sunlight.
James stood frozen, lungs tight, afraid even his breath might shatter the moment. He was about to step forward when a blur sliced past him.
<b>Pain </b>exploded across <b>his </b>shoulder. He spun, but the attacker was gone. His shirt was ripped, blood seeping from the fresh cut.
The strike had been impossibly fast–his nerves screamed with tension.
In turning, he jostled the chandelier overhead, crystals clinking together.
The sound made the woman at the easel pause. She slowly turned her head.
Their eyes met.
James felt time <b>itself </b>grind to a <b>halt</b>.
Her <b>face</b><b>—</b>it was her face. The face from the portraits. From the memories burned into his heart.
16:08 Tue<b>, </b>Sep 9 B…
“Harrison,” the woman whispered, voice trembling. “Is it really you, my son?”
Tears burst from James’s eyes. “Mom… I found you.”
“My <b>son</b>. My son.”
Her brush ttered to the floor as she rose unsteadily, tears sparkling in her eyes. Jarnes surged forward, desperate to embrace her-
But the shadow struck again, kicking him hard and sending him crashing across the room.
“Don’t hurt my son!” Kelly cried out, her voice sharp with terror.
James staggered back to his feet, ignoring the throbbing in his shoulder. He charged the ck–d figure, the two of them shing fiercely.
They spilled out of the room and onto thending, James managed to kick the attacker off the railing, but the man clung to the sheer wall like a bat, his movements unnaturally agile. With an astonishing leap, he bounded back up and struck <b>again</b>.
James fought with everything he had, but the man’s speed and strength were overwhelming. A flurry of blows sent James crashing to the floor, blood spraying from his lips.
The assant drew a short de and drove it down toward James’s chest
James rolled aside, the knife biting deep into the <b>floor</b>. Trapped against the wall, he caught the next strike with his bare hands, the de cutting deep <b>into </b>his palms. Blood streamed between his fingers, but with a roar he kicked the man back.
The shadow lunged again–only for gunfire to crack through the air.
Tyler.
Bullets whistled past. The assassin dodged with inhuman speed, bounding along the banister like it was solid ground. But speed wasn’t enough. One round tore into his arm, sending him tumbling.
Tyler vaulted over the railing<b>, </b>sliding down to meet him. They shed violently, steel against steel, fist <b>against </b>flesh.
But wounded, the shadow couldn’t keep up. Tyler’s de drove deep into his gut, and with a final brutal kick, he sent the man plummeting to the marble floor below.
The body hit with a sickening thud. It didn’t move again.
Breathing hard, Tyler raced back up to James.
James was on his feet, but blood covered his shoulder and hands.
“James!” Tyler shouted.
<b>16:08 </b>Tue, Sep 9 B