The weight of the past clung to them like a shadow, but the future was just as treacherous. In the aftermath of devastation, secrets long buried began to surface—some willingly, others clawing their way out of the dark.

Kai was never one to sit still. The world expected him to be reckless, impulsive, living off adrenaline—but behind that carefree façade was a mind sharper than most realized. He and Haelyn had started piecing together loose threads, and now, standing in a dimly lit parking lot outside a Sinclair-owned warehouse, their search had led them to something—or rather, someone—they never expected.

Haelyn's breath was visible in the cold night air as she hugged her coat tighter around her body. "Tell me again why we couldn't just send this to Ayzel or Zaiden?"

"Because we need proof," Kai muttered, glancing down at his phone. "And if we're right about this, sending it to them without context might get us all killed."

Their informant, a lower-level enforcer who owed Kai a favor from an illegal race, had whispered a name that neither of them had expected: Victor Carter—one of the most trusted Sinclair associates, someone who had been with the family for over a decade. A man who had sat beside their parents, shared drinks with them, and yet had betrayed them to the rival mafia.

Kai clenched his fists as the reality sank in. If Victor was involved, then this wasn't just an attack—it was a calculated dismantling of their families from within.

Haelyn touched his arm, grounding him. "We should go," she said softly. "If someone sees us here—"

A loud noise cut through the silence. A metal door slammed open.

Kai's instincts kicked in immediately, his body shifting in front of Haelyn protectively as a figure stepped out. The streetlight above flickered, illuminating the face of the man they had been looking for.

Victor Carter.

His surprise was quickly masked by a cold smirk. "Well, well. The little Harper and Rosewood," he mused. "What brings you to this part of town?"

Kai's jaw tightened. "Cut the act, Victor. We know what you did."

Victor merely chuckled. "That's a dangerous accusation."

Haelyn pulled out her phone, tapping the screen. "We have recordings, messages, transactions. You didn't cover your tracks as well as you thought."

For the first time, Victor's expression faltered, but only for a second. "And what do you plan to do with that information?"

Kai's gaze hardened. "Oh, don't worry. We have plans."

And just like that, the game shifted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where is the next attack coming from?"

Ayzel's voice was steady, but the fire behind her eyes made the dimly lit room feel like an inferno. She stood opposite Victor, who was bound to a chair, blood dripping from his lip.

Zaiden stood beside her, arms crossed, his presence exuding the quiet danger he was known for. "I'd talk if I were you," he said coolly. "We're not known for being patient."

Victor spat blood onto the floor, glaring up at them. "You think you scare me?"

Ayzel leaned in, her tone dropping to something lethal. "You should be terrified."

The betrayal was personal. She had trusted this man, had seen him at family gatherings, had watched him laugh with their parents. And now, he had sat at the table with the very people who had taken them away.

Zaiden cracked his knuckles, his voice deceptively calm. "We'll find out eventually. But the difference is whether you leave this room in one piece or not."

Victor's gaze flickered between them before he exhaled sharply. "They're coming for you. Soon."

Ayzel narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"The Salvatores."

Silence fell over the room. The name alone sent a shiver down her spine.

Zaiden's expression darkened. "They were supposed to be out of the picture."

Victor chuckled, the sound bitter. "That's what you thought."

Ayzel exchanged a glance with Zaiden. The Salvatores weren't just a rival mafia; they were the kind of enemy that never left survivors. And now, they were coming back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi stared at the email on his phone, fingers tapping restlessly against the table. It was a lead a possible connection between the mafia world and the sports industry.

He shouldn't be doing this. He had promised himself that when he walked away, he walked away.

And yet, here he was, still tangled in the mess, still unable to let go of the weight of his own guilt.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't told anyone—hadn't told Haelyn, hadn't told Ayzel, hadn't even told Zaiden. But the more he uncovered, the more he realized that leaving wasn't as simple as he had thought.

Maybe it never would be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Runa had never been one to beg for attention. She didn't demand to be seen—she simply existed in people's lives, bright and unshakable.

But Zaiden... Zaiden was making it hard.

She had tried—again and again—to break through his walls, to be there the way she had always been. But he kept shutting her out, kept pushing her away as if she were just another burden.

And Runa was tired.

So, this time, she did something different.

She walked away.

And Zaiden felt it more than he expected.

Flashback: Amsterdam, A Night of Confessions

The streets of Amsterdam were alive with color, music, and the kind of reckless joy that only came from being young and untethered.

Ayzel was laughing—really laughing—as Kai spun her in a half-drunken dance on the sidewalk.

Haelyn clutched her stomach, shaking her head. "You two are ridiculous."

Runa grinned, leaning against Zaiden. "And you love them for it."

Zaiden smirked, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "That's debatable."

Levi, already more than a little tipsy, threw an arm around Haelyn's shoulder. "You know what we should do?" he slurred. "We should all make a pact. That no matter what happens, we'll always find our way back to each other."

The suggestion made the group pause.

Kai, uncharacteristically serious, looked at Levi. "You mean that?"

Levi nodded. "Yeah. Because you guys are my family."

Ayzel, already warm from the alcohol, nudged him. "You're getting sentimental, Sinclair."

Zaiden clinked his glass against Levi's. "For once, I agree with him."

Runa grinned. "Fine. Then it's a deal. We always come back."

And in that moment, under the Amsterdam lights, none of them thought for a second that there would ever be a time when they wouldn't.

Present

The world had changed since that night. The promise they had made felt like a distant memory, buried under grief, betrayal, and unspoken wounds.

But if there was one thing they had learned, it was that the past always had a way of catching up.

And this time, it wasn't going to let them go so easily.