Emma’s POV

The tension in the apartment was thick, heavy like a storm cloud that refused to break. The air buzzed with an almost tangible electricity as Jeff and his team methodically prepared for the mission.

Guns were checked, magazines were loaded, and communication devices were tested. Tactical vests were strapped on, each movement precise, rehearsed.

No one spoke unless it was necessary, their focus absolute. This wasn’t just a simple operation, it was a mission to bring the kids home and every man in the room understood the weight of that responsibility.

I stood on the sidelines, watching them move like a well-oiled machine, but unlike them, my thoughts were restless.

My instincts, sharp and insistent, screamed that something was wrong.

I couldn’t pinpoint why but there was an undeniable sense of unease curling in my gut, growing stronger with each passing second.

It wasn’t just nerves or anxiety about the danger. No, this was different. It felt like a warning, a whisper of impending disaster that I couldn’t shake.

I shifted my gaze to Jeff.

He was speaking with one of his men, his expression unreadable, his movements controlled and precise. Even with everything happening, he radiated authority, the kind that made people trust him without question.

But I knew him too well, his mind was racing, calculating every possible risk, every outcome. He wasn’t just leading this mission, he was carrying the weight of it.

And I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself, and stepped forward, “I’m coming with you.”

Jeff’s head snapped up immediately, his entire posture stiffened as his sharp eyes locked onto mine. The room, already quiet, fell into complete silence. Every pair of eyes shifted to me.

Jeff exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening, “No, you’re not.”

I crossed my arms, refusing to be dismissed so easily, “The kids will need me when we get them back. They need a familiar face, someone who’ll comfort them.”

“Emma, this isn’t up for debate.” Jeff said, his voice low but firm, “It’s too dangerous.”

“I understand the risk,” I countered, my voice unwavering, “But I can’t sit here and wait, hoping everything goes well. What if something happens? What if they need me? What if….”

Jeff stepped closer, his towering frame almost intimidating, but I refused to back down, “Emma.”

His voice was softer now, but no less resolute, “I need you to stay here. This isn’t like before, this is a high-risk operation and I don’t want to be worrying about you while I’m out there. I need my head in the game.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, frustrated but knowing he had a point.

Still, I wasn’t ready to give up, “But Jeff… ”

“No,” he said firmly, “You’re not coming.”

We stared at each other, the weight of our silent battle filling the space between us. Finally, I exhaled sharply and took a step back, “Fine,” I muttered, “I’ll stay.”

Jeff’s gaze softened slightly, as if he knew how much I hated this. He reached out, his fingers briefly grazing mine before he pulled away, “We’ll bring them home.” He promised.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat, “Be careful.”

And then, just like that, he was gone.

The apartment felt suffocatingly empty the second the door shut behind them. I stood in the living room, staring at the space where Jeff had just been, my heart pounding painfully in my chest.

A part of me wanted to believe everything would go smoothly, that in a few hours, Jeff would walk through that door with Jason and Anna in his arms but the unease in my stomach refused to settle.

Something was wrong, I could feel it.

Fifteen minutes passed.

The silence was unbearable. Every tick of the clock felt like a countdown to something terrible, I paced the room, my nerves fraying with each passing second.

Then my phone rang.

I snatched it up instantly, praying it was Jeff or someone from the team but when I saw the caller ID, my breath caught in my throat.

Sam.

For a moment, I froze.

My fingers hovered over the screen, my mind racing. Why was he calling now? What did he want? I forced myself to take a steadying breath before answering.

“What do you want?” I said, keeping my voice as even as possible.

Sam chuckled on the other end, “Oh Emma, you sound tense. Are you worried?”

I clenched my jaw, “You have the kids. What do you think?”

“I meant about Jeff,” he said smoothly, “Because you should be worried about him too.”

Something in the way he said it made my blood turn cold. My grip tightened around the phone, “What do you mean?”

Sam sighed, as if amused by my ignorance, “Come on Emma. Did you and your little team really think I wouldn’t know what you were planning? Did you honestly believe I wouldn’t find out?”

I felt my breath hitch, my worst fear was coming true.

“How do you know that?” I whispered.

Sam laughed, “Because sweetheart, I have a little friend in your inner circle. A spy. Someone who’s been keeping me updated on every move you and Jeff make.”

I felt the blood drain from my face, “You’re lying.”

“Am I?” His voice was filled with amusement, “Then go ahead, call Jeff. Call anyone from his team, see if you can reach them.”

Panic clawed at my throat as I pulled the phone away from my ear and dialed Jeff’s number.

No response.

I tried again. Nothing.

I called another member of his team. No answer.

“They won’t pick up,” Sam said lazily, “My spy is jamming their network. No calls, no messages, nothing gets through and they don't even know that. Which means, my dear Emma, your husband is walking right into a trap and there’s nothing you can do to warn him.”

My entire body went cold.

A trap.

Jeff and his team were walking straight into a setup and they had no idea.

I couldn’t just sit here, I couldn’t wait and hope for the best.

I had to do something.

I ended the call without another word, my hands trembling as I grabbed the car keys and ran to the garage. There was no time to hesitate, no time to second-guess myself.

Jeff needed me.

I tore out of the driveway, my hands gripping the wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. My heart pounded in my chest as I sped down the empty roads, pushing the car faster than I ever had before.

I kept trying to call Jeff, desperately hoping the signal would somehow go through.

Nothing.

“Come on Jeff,” I whispered, “Pick up.”

The closer I got to the location, the stronger the unease in my stomach grew. It felt like I was racing against time, like every second counted more than I knew.

And then, I saw it.

The location Jeff had given me, the place where Sam was supposedly keeping the kids.

A small, run-down house at the end of the street, in the outter part of the city, right in the middle of nowhere basically. 

For a split second, I thought I had made it in time. That maybe, just maybe, I could stop whatever was about to happen.

But as I turned onto the street…. 

The house exploded.

A deafening roar filled the air, the force of the blast so strong it rattled my car. Flames erupted into the night sky, the fire consuming everything in its path.

I slammed on the brakes, my entire body frozen in horror as I watched the inferno rage before me.

No.

No, no, no.

My hands trembled violently as I gripped the steering wheel.

Jeff.

The team.

The kids.

Were they inside? Had they….

I barely registered the sound of sirens in the distance, my mind racing with fear and devastation.

This wasn’t just a trap.

It was a massacre and I had no idea if Jeff was still alive.

“No!” I screamed as my feet pounded against the pavement, my breath coming out in short gasps.

The fire in front of me roared to life, consuming the house with violent flames that reached up into the night sky. My chest tightened as panic gripped me, my mind racing with terrifying possibilities.

Jeff. The kids. The team.

I didn’t stop to think, I didn’t slow down. I ran toward the fire, my body acting on pure instinct, my heart screaming at me to move faster.

But before I could get any closer, a heavy force slammed into me from the side, knocking me off my feet. A hard body pinned me to the ground, my lungs struggling to catch air as I fought against the weight pressing me down.

“No! Let me go!” I thrashed wildly, my arms pushing and clawing at the person holding me back, “Jeff is in there! Jason! Anna…. ”

“Emma!”

The deep voice cut through my panic like a blade. My body stiffened, my movements halting as recognition set in.

That voice.

The arms around me loosened slightly and I sucked in a sharp breath as I lifted my head.

Jeff.

He was here, right in front of me.

His face was illuminated by the flickering glow of the flames, his hair messy and damp with sweat. His jaw was tense, his eyes searching mine with an urgency that made my chest ache.

A sob broke from my throat as I reached for him, my hands cupping his face, “Oh my God. You’re okay.” I whispered, my voice cracking. My fingers trembled as they ran over his cheeks, his jaw, his shoulders, searching, checking, “Are you hurt? Tell me you’re not hurt.”

Jeff caught my wrists in his hands, squeezing them gently, “I’m fine.” He assured me, his voice steady despite the chaos around us, “Emma breathe.”

But I couldn’t breathe, not yet.

I swallowed back the lump in my throat, my hands fisting the fabric of his shirt, “The kids?” I choked out. “Jason? Anna?”

His expression darkened and my stomach dropped.

“They weren’t inside.” He said.

Relief and dread crashed over me at the same time. They weren’t in the fire, but that meant Sam still had them.

I felt my legs go weak beneath me, but Jeff’s grip tightened, steadying me before I could collapse.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, “Why did the house explode?”

Jeff exhaled, running a hand through his hair, “It was empty when we got here,” he started, his voice tinged with frustration, “We searched every room, looking for any clue about where Sam could be keeping Jason and Anna. Then one of the guys, Hale, noticed a smell. It was fuel.”

My breath caught, “Fuel?”

Jeff nodded grimly, “Yeah. So we spread out, checked the place, and sure enough, the entire house was soaked in gasoline. The floors, the walls, even the damn ceilings. The second we realized what was happening, we knew we had to get out.”

My fingers dug into his arm, “How did you escape?”

Jeff exhaled sharply, shaking his head, “Barely. We ran for the door and just as the last guy stepped outside…” He turned, gesturing to the flames now consuming what was left of the building, “The whole place went up.”

My stomach churned, “Jesus.”

“No one died,” Jeff assured me quickly, his hand squeezing mine, “But a few guys got minor burns and injuries from the blast.” His eyes locked onto mine, their intensity sending a shiver down my spine, “Emma, this was a trap.”

I swallowed hard, “I know.”

Jeff frowned, “What do you mean?”

I took a shaky breath, gripping his arm tighter, “Sam called me.”

Jeff’s expression darkened instantly, his entire body tensing, “When?”

“Fifteen minutes after you left,” I said, my voice urgent, “I didn’t say anything that would tip him off, but it didn’t matter, he already knew. He told me straight up that he had a spy in your team.”

Jeff’s jaw clenched, his muscles tightening with barely restrained fury, “A spy?”

I nodded, “That’s how he knew about the mission. That’s why he set the trap. He’s been one step ahead this whole time because someone in your team is feeding him information.”

Jeff’s fists curled at his sides, his breathing heavy, “I should’ve seen this coming.”

I reached up, touching his face lightly, “Jeff, what do we do now?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a deep breath and straightened, his expression unreadable, “Come with me.”

I followed him back toward the team, my pulse still racing.

They were gathered near the vehicles, some tending to injuries while others stood in tense silence. The air was thick with exhaustion, frustration, and something darker, distrust.

As we approached, all eyes turned to Jeff.

Jeff’s gaze swept over the group, his expression like steel. Then, he spoke.

“I want to start by saying thank you,” he began, his voice carrying over the group, “Thank you for your bravery, thank you for your commitment to this mission. You followed me into something dangerous and I don’t take that lightly.”

There was a slight shift among the men, some nodding, others standing silently.

“But,” Jeff continued, his voice dropping, “this team is done.”

A murmur of confusion spread through the group.

“What?” Hale frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Jeff said, his tone sharp, “I’m disbanding this team. Effective immediately.”

The murmurs grew louder. Some of the men stiffened, while others looked outright shocked.

“But sir… ” one of the men started.

“There’s a traitor among us,” Jeff cut him off coldly, “Someone in this team has been feeding Sam information. Someone set us up.”

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Jeff’s eyes swept over them again, “I don’t have time to figure out who it is. I don’t have time to play detective when my children’s lives are at stake, so I’m ending this now.”

More silence. Some of the men exchanged wary glances, tension crackling in the air like an unlit fuse.

Jeff took a step forward, his eyes like fire, “Whoever you are, I want you to deliver a message to Sam.” His voice was calm, but there was lethal promise in his words.

The group stood frozen.

Jeff’s jaw tightened, “Tell him that I’m coming for him. Tell him that when I find him, he will suffer, just like he made my family suffer.” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, “And tell him that he just made the biggest mistake of his life.”

The silence stretched thick and heavy.

Then, one by one, the men started to disperse. Some lingered, whispering amongst themselves, while others walked away without a word.

I turned to Jeff, “Do you really think the spy will pass the message to Sam?”

Jeff’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile, “Absolutely.” His voice was quiet but deadly, “And that’s exactly what I want.”

I swallowed hard, my heartbeat still erratic, “What now?”

Jeff exhaled, his hand finding mine, “Now? Now we make our next move.”

As I looked into his eyes, I realized one thing.

Jeff Anderson wasn’t just going to fight back, he was going to win.