SPIDERWEBS

3rd Person’s POV

Declan lounged on the couch in his hotel suite, his phone in hand as he arrogantly chewed his gum. The guards outside were at his disposal, but he felt he didn't need their protection. His dangerous presence filled the room, establishing him as a formidable figure he wasn't really giving much thought to the preparations for the huge party that would be thrown in his honor. He decided to leave all of that in Chloe's capable hands. He had complete faith that his little sister would make everything turn out great.

A knock sounded on the door,

“Yeah?” He asked sitting up and then grabbed the leather that held his knives. Declan watched as Ace approached the couch that was placed beside him.

"Just finished talking to Romano. The truck carrying the bombs for Italy got hijacked. Four men killed, two seriously injured. They couldn't identify the attackers, but one mentioned seeing a spider tattoo on one of their palms.”

"Volkov," Declan chuckled, gazing at his knives and chewing his gum with a menacing air.

"Yeah," he continued. "And I have a feeling the truck is headed to..."

"America."

"Exactly. What's the plan? Should our guys chase after the truck or go after Volkov?"

For the first time since Ace stepped into the room, Declan's gaze fell upon him, sending a shiver down Ace's spine.

"No," Declan growled.

"No?" Ace challenged, staring fiercely back at Declan.

"Need me to take you to the hospital to get your ears checked?" Declan sneered.

"What's your plan to handle the situation?" Ace locked eyes with his best friend, fully aware that just being in his presence was enough to make most people tremble.

"Once this crappy birthday party Chloe's planning is over, I'll pay him a visit," Ace laughed uncontrollably.

"I need a list of everyone who's gonna be at the party tomorrow."

"Moretti will send it to you. Catch you later," Declan nodded in response. Ace stood up and left. When dealing with Declan, there are two rules to stay alive: 1) Respect your boundaries, and 2) Do whatever he says. That way, you won't end up leaking blood out of your body uncontrollably.

He entered the bedroom of his fancy suite, swiftly removing his sleek black suit and shirt. Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, he pondered the potential allies of Volkov and how close they might be to him. Though he was the leader, he couldn't identify the trusted few among his men that are allied to volkov . With a sly smirk, he undressed and headed straight to the bathroom for a refreshing shower.

AMELIA ADAMS POV

Pain.

Just that one word. My skin feels so sore. It feels like tiny sharp glasses pinching my back. Closing my eyes I try to breathe deeply.

I'm not sure about my location, but that strong antiseptic smell makes it clear that I'm in a hospital. It feels like I might be in a hospital room, and the dim yellow light keeps the room from being too dark.

I struggle to recall the events, but all I can remember is him restraining me and applying that scorching iron. Everything after that becomes hazy. I'm terrified to move my shoulders, fearing further damage to my skin. Tears flow down my cheeks as I lie on my stomach, desperately trying to understand what I did to go through all this. Why I'm enduring this. I hear voices from across the room, but the pain is too intense for me to turn my head and see what's happening.

Molly's voice, filled with tears and stress, called out, "Amelia?" it felt like she was right beside me. I used my eyes to search for her and saw her lying face down on the bed, just like me. I asked her in a small voice,

"Why are you lying like that?"

Molly replied, "I have the same mark on my back as you."

I felt a pang of guilt and said, "I'm so sorry."

Molly reassured me, "It's not your fault, Amelia. Trust me, it's not. Are you okay?"

I couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle and replied, "Honestly, I feel like jumping off the highest mountain." Molly responded, "But you won't, because you are a strong, beautiful girl."

I smiled at her, appreciating her presence and the love she showed me. "Thank you, Mo," I said, trying to mask the pain. It's hard to mistake the pain I feel for happiness.

Molly smiled as tears rolled down her eyes. You would be okay Mo, you would.

“We are going to be fine, Amelia. We are.” I smile in pain sadly not wanting to tell her I lost all hope.

Just after she made the statement, another voice which I recognized as the doctor’s says.

“Thank god you both are wake. I’d inject something that would help with the pain and also help you both sleep throughout the flight.” He walked around for a moment and came back to stand next to Molly as he uncapped the syringe.

“What f-flight?” Molly asked

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that, but this won’t hurt much I promise” after that he injected Molly and walked to me and gave me this sympathetic look. I opened my mouth to say something and he stood waiting for me to form the words.

“A-are we going to go together? To the place?” I stammered

“Yes.” With that he injected me. While he did I turned my eyes to Molly but her eyes where already shut. I felt a pinch of fear, but it didn’t last long cause my eyes shut involuntarily.