The Hunt Continues

The Hunt Continues
Iris POV

"Other bloodlines?" I stared at Mom. "You mean there are more families like ours?"

"Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds. Scattered across the world, hiding their gifts just like we did."

"Then why are they coming after us now?"

Mom's face was grim. "Because someone told them about you. About the Kane triplets who are stronger together than any gifted family in history."

"Who told them?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out for twenty years."

Alex pulled against his ropes. "This doesn't make sense. If other bloodlines exist, why haven't we heard about them?"

"Because they're better at hiding than we are. Better at pretending to be normal. They've survived by staying invisible."

"Until now," Ian said quietly.

"Until now."

Mom stood up and walked to a window. "Three months ago, I started getting reports. Gifted individuals disappearing. Whole families vanishing overnight. At first, I thought it was random attacks."

"But it wasn't."

"No. It was systematic. Someone was hunting down every known bloodline and eliminating them."

My stomach twisted. "How many people have died?"

"At least two hundred that we know of. Probably more."

Dad, who'd been silent until now, spoke up. "Why didn't you warn us?"

"I tried. But you were too busy hunting me to listen."

"We were hunting you because you're a criminal!"

"I'm a survivor!" Mom's voice rose. "I did what I had to do to protect our children from what's coming!"

"By turning them into weapons?"

"By making them strong enough to fight!"

The argument was building toward an explosion when Marcus interrupted.

"Fighting each other won't help. If what Victoria says is true, we have bigger problems."

"If it's true," Dad said. "She could be lying to manipulate us."

"I'm not lying." Mom pulled out a tablet and showed us photos. "These are crime scenes from the last three months. Paris. Tokyo. Rio. Moscow. All of them gifted families. All of them slaughtered."

The photos were horrible. I looked away after the first one.

"Who's doing this?" I asked.

"We don't know. They leave no evidence. No witnesses. Just bodies."

"And you think they're coming for us next."

"I know they are. Because two days ago, I intercepted a message." She swiped to show us text on the screen. "It was encrypted, but my people broke the code."

I read the message and felt ice in my veins.

"The Kane bloodline ends in Chicago. Find the children. Kill them all."

"When was this sent?" Alex asked.

"Forty-eight hours ago. Which means they're probably already here."

Ian pulled harder against his ropes. "Then why are we tied up? We should be preparing to defend ourselves!"

"We are preparing. But first, I need to know you won't run. Won't try to escape. Won't refuse to fight when the time comes."

"You want us to trust you," I said.

"I want us to survive. Together."

Dad shook his head. "Victoria, even if everything you're saying is true, how do we know you're not part of the threat? How do we know you didn't send that message yourself?"

"Because I'm still alive, Robert. If I was working with them, they wouldn't need to hunt me."

It was twisted logic, but it made sense.

"So what's your plan?" Alex asked.

"We fortify. We gather allies. We prepare for war."

"Where?"

"The Torrino mansion. It's the most defensible location in Chicago."

Alex's eyes went wide. "My father will never agree to that."

"Your father already agreed. I spoke with him an hour ago."

"That's impossible. He hates you."

"He hates losing more. And right now, the Torrino family is on the same hit list as the Kanes."

The room went silent as we processed this.

"You're saying the other bloodlines are coming after crime families too?" Marcus asked.

"They're coming after anyone with gifts. Criminal or legal doesn't matter to them."

"Then we need to warn everyone," Elena said.

"I already have. Sent messages to every family I know. Most ignored me. Some laughed. A few believed me and are preparing."

"How many is a few?"

"Six families. Plus ours. That's seven bloodlines against whoever's hunting us."

"That's not enough," Dad said.

"It's what we have."

Mom walked over and started untying our ropes. "So here's what happens next. We go to the Torrino mansion. We turn it into a fortress. And we wait for them to come."

"And if they don't come?"

"They will. They always do."

An hour later, we were driving through Chicago toward Alex's family mansion. The sun was rising, painting the sky red and orange.

"Red sky in morning, sailors take warning," Ian muttered beside me.

"What?"

"Something Grandma used to say. Means bad weather coming."

"Bad weather is an understatement."

We pulled up to the mansion and I gasped. It looked different than when I'd been here before.

Men with guns patrolled the walls. Steel shutters covered every window. The beautiful garden had been torn up to create defensive positions.

"Welcome to Fort Torrino," Alex said grimly.

Enzo was waiting at the front door. He looked older than I remembered. Tired.

"Alessandro. You brought the whole family."

"We didn't have much choice."

Enzo's eyes found me. "So you're the girl who's caused all this trouble."

"I didn't cause anything."

"You exist. That's enough."

It stung, but he wasn't wrong. If I'd never been born, none of this would be happening.

"Father," Alex said in a warning voice.

"I'm just stating facts. But facts don't matter now. What matters is survival." He looked at Mom. "Victoria. You look well for a dead woman."

"You look old for a crime lord."

They stared at each other for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, Enzo smiled.

"I missed your sharp tongue."

"I missed your terrible coffee."

"It's not terrible. It's strong."

"It's both."

Were they... flirting? After everything that had happened?

"Can we focus?" Dad interrupted. "We need to set up defenses."

"Already done," Enzo said. "Come inside. I'll show you what we're working with."

The inside of the mansion had been transformed into a military command center. Maps covered the walls. Weapons were stacked everywhere. Computer screens showed security feeds from all over the city.

"This is impressive," Marcus admitted.

"This is necessary," Enzo corrected. "If Victoria's intelligence is correct, we have maybe forty-eight hours before they strike."

"How many are we expecting?"

"Unknown. But I'm preparing for at least a hundred attackers."

"A hundred?" Elena looked sick. "How can we fight that many?"

"By being smarter, not stronger. By using our gifts strategically. By making them come to us on our terms."

For the next several hours, we planned. Who would defend which part of the mansion. How we'd use our psychic abilities together. What weapons we'd need.

I'd never felt more out of my depth. A week ago, I was worried about college finals. Now I was planning to fight in a war.

"You okay?" Alex asked quietly.

"No. But I don't think any of us are."

"You don't have to fight. You could hide in the bunker downstairs."

"And let everyone else die protecting me? No thanks."

"Iris, you're twenty-one years old. You shouldn't have to—"

"I'm a Kane. This is my fight too."

He looked at me with something like pride. "You're braver than you know."

"Or stupider."

"Maybe both."

Despite everything, I smiled.

That's when the first explosion hit.

The east wing of the mansion erupted in fire and smoke. The blast knocked me off my feet. My ears rang so loudly I couldn't hear anything else.

Through the smoke, I saw people running and screaming.

Alex grabbed my arm and pulled me up. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear what he was saying.

Then I saw them.

Figures in black armor pouring through the hole the bomb had created. At least twenty of them. Maybe more.

They moved like soldiers. Professional. Trained.

And they were all wearing helmets that blocked psychic abilities.

"They're here!" someone shouted.

Gunfire erupted. People scattered.

Alex pushed me behind a pillar just as bullets chewed up the wall where I'd been standing.

"Stay down!" he yelled.

But I couldn't stay down. Not when people were dying.

I reached out with my mind, trying to touch the attackers' thoughts.

Nothing. The helmets worked perfectly.

"We can't use our gifts!" I shouted to Alex.

"Then we fight the old-fashioned way!"

He grabbed a gun from a nearby table and started firing back.

I'd never seen him like this. Not the smooth businessman. Not the protective captor. This was Alessandro Torrino the underboss. Dangerous and deadly.

But even he couldn't stop all of them.

One of the armored figures broke through our defenses. Raised a gun toward Alex's back.

"Alex!"

I threw myself at him, knocking him sideways just as the shot rang out.

Pain exploded in my shoulder. Hot and sharp.

I'd been hit.

"Iris!" Alex caught me as I fell.

Blood poured between my fingers where I pressed my hand against the wound.

"I'm okay," I gasped, even though I definitely wasn't.

Alex's face went dark with rage. He turned toward the shooter and did something I'd never seen before.

He didn't use a gun.

He used his gift.

Even though the attacker wore a helmet, even though it should have been impossible, Alex pushed into the man's mind with such force that the helmet cracked.

The attacker screamed and dropped his weapon.

"Nobody touches her," Alex said, his voice cold as death.

Then he turned that terrible power on every attacker in the room.

One by one, their helmets shattered. One by one, they fell to their knees, clutching their heads.

"Alex, stop!" Dad yelled. "You'll kill yourself using that much power!"

But Alex didn't stop. He pushed harder, his face twisted with effort and fury.

Blood started dripping from his nose.

"Alex, please!" I begged.

Finally, the last attacker collapsed.

Alex swayed on his feet. I caught him before he fell, even though my shoulder screamed in protest.

"You're insane," I whispered.

"You jumped in front of a bullet for me. Who's the insane one?"

We held each other as the smoke cleared and people started counting the wounded and dead.

The first wave was over.

But this was just the beginning.

"How many more are coming?" Ian asked, appearing beside us with blood on his face.

"Victoria?" Dad called out.

No answer.

"Victoria!"

We found her in the destroyed east wing, kneeling beside someone.

It was Enzo.

He'd been caught in the explosion. His breathing was shallow and weak.

"Father," Alex whispered, dropping to his knees beside him.

Enzo's eyes opened. "Alessandro. You're alive."

"Save your strength."

"No time. Listen." He grabbed Alex's hand. "The girl. Iris. Protect her."

"I will."

"No. I mean really protect her." He coughed blood. "She's the key to everything. To stopping what's coming."

"What do you mean?"

"The prophecy. The old bloodlines have a prophecy. About three who are one. About—"

Another explosion rocked the mansion.

Bigger than the first.

The ceiling started coming down.

Alex threw himself over his father.

I threw myself over Alex.

And the world came crashing down on all of us.