His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.

Chapter 798 Kill them

Leo’s lip split and blood dripped down his chin, warm and metallic, staining his shirt collar. He touched the wound with his fingers, looked at the red on his fingertips, then back at Samuel.

Samuel laughed, a wild, desperate sound that echoed through the warehouse. "You’re not so tough now, are you?"

Leo wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, his gray eyes cold as winter steel. Then he lunged.

His fist connected with Samuel’s stomach, driving the air from his lungs and sending him doubling over, gasping, his face contorted in pain. Leo drove his knee into Samuel’s face, and Samuel’s head snapped back with a sickening crack. Leo grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall, where Samuel’s head hit the plaster with a dull thud before he slumped, unconscious, crumpled against the wall like a discarded doll.

Leo stepped back, his breathing heavy, his knuckles bleeding, his lip split, his ribs aching with every inhale. He looked down at Samuel’s limp body, his gray eyes still and cold and empty.

Across the room, Bella stood frozen, her hand pressed to her temple where the gun had been, her fingers trembling against her skin. She should have felt relieved. Leo had won. Samuel was unconscious. Mira was safe.

But she didn’t feel relieved.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The dust motes floating in the air, caught in the dim light like tiny stars. The flickering bulb overhead, casting dancing shadows on the walls. Leo’s slow, heavy breathing, each exhale visible in the cold air. The distant sound of waves crashing against the shore outside, muffled and distant.

She felt irritated, and she didn’t know why. She couldn’t explain it. But the feeling was building in her chest, hot and restless like something trapped and desperate to escape, like a pressure that needed to be released.

"Hey," a voice whispered in her ear. "You don’t like this, right? Kill them. Kill them all."

Bella’s eyes widened. She looked around, but no one was there. Leo was across the room, his back to her. Jace was helping Mira. Jay was securing the guards. The voice came from inside her head.

"Kill them," the voice said again. "Kill them, and it will stop. Kill them, and you’ll feel better. You’ll finally feel better."

"Stop," Bella whispered. "Stop."

"Kill them."

"Kill them."

"Kill them right now. Pull the trigger. Watch them fall."

"Argh! Stop!"

The words burst out of her, loud and ragged, tearing through the silence like a knife and echoing off the walls.

Leo’s head snapped toward her. His eyes softened, his jaw loosened, the coldness in his face melting away and replaced by concern.

"Bella?" he said.

But she didn’t see him. Her vision was blurring, the room spinning and tilting, the walls closing in around her. She pressed her hands to her head, trying to push the voice out, but it wouldn’t leave.

"Bella!"

Leo crossed the room in three strides and caught her before she collapsed, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her against his chest. He winced as his ribs protested, but he didn’t let go. His split lip was still bleeding, dripping onto her hair.

"I’ve got you," Leo said, his voice low and steady. "I’ve got you."

Bella’s expression finally eased. Her trembling slowed. The voice in her head faded to a whisper, then to nothing.

Around them, Leo’s guards moved with practiced efficiency, securing Samuel’s men, disarming them, forcing them to their knees. The sound of handcuffs clicking shut echoed through the abandoned building. Samuel’s guards were led out one by one, their heads down, their faces pale.

Jay grabbed Samuel by the collar, dragging him to his feet. Samuel’s head lolled, blood dripping from his split lip and broken nose but his eyes were still half-open, still burning with hatred. His lips moved, forming words that no one heard.

"Don’t worry, bro," Jay said, his voice tight, his jaw clenched. "Take sister-in-law and Mira to the hospital with Jace. I’ll take care of the rest here."

Leo looked at him, his gray eyes tired and shadowed, but he nodded.

"Keep him alive," Leo said.

Jay’s jaw tightened. "I know."

Leo turned away and guided Bella toward the door. Jace appeared beside them, his arm still around Mira, her body slumped against him. Her face was pale, her lips blue, her breathing shallow and ragged, and one of her arms hung limply at her side.

"Let’s go," Leo said.

They walked out of the building. The night air hit them, cold and sharp, carrying the scent of salt and the distant sound of waves. Jace helped Mira into the back seat of one of the black SUVs, carefully lifting her legs and buckling her in. Leo guided Bella into the same car, climbing in beside her.

Jay’s voice echoed behind them, giving orders, securing the scene.

The car pulled away.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

The hospital was close, a small emergency clinic on the outskirts of the city. They arrived within minutes. Jace carried Mira inside, her body limp in his arms, shouting for help. Nurses rushed forward, their faces grim, their movements quick and efficient. A gurney appeared and Mira was lifted onto it and wheeled through the double doors.

Leo and Bella sat in the waiting room.

The chairs were hard, the plastic cold against their legs. The lights were too bright, fluorescent and harsh, casting shadows under their eyes. The smell of antiseptic burned Bella’s nostrils, sharp and sterile.

She stared at the doors where Mira had disappeared.

Leo sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders. His split lip was still bleeding, a thin trail of red running down his chin. His knuckles were raw and bruised. His ribs ached with every breath but he didn’t leave her side.

"I’ve got you," he said again. "I’ve got you."

She nodded, her eyes still fixed on the doors.

They waited.

Minutes passed into an hour. The clock on the wall ticked, each second an eternity. Nurses walked past, their shoes squeaking on the polished floor. Patients came and went, some limping, some crying, some silent.

Finally, a doctor emerged.

His face was tired, his expression grim. He was middle-aged, with gray at his temples and dark circles under his eyes. He looked at Bella, then at Leo.

"Are you family?" he asked.

"Yes," Bella said, her voice hoarse. "She’s my friend."

The doctor nodded. "She’s stable, but she’s not out of danger yet. She was badly beaten. She has multiple fractures. Ribs, arm, cheekbone. And she was injected with a dangerous drug, something we haven’t fully identified yet. We’re treating her, but she’ll need time to recover. A lot of time."

Bella’s blood ran cold. "Injected?"