Hunter and the Hunted

The sun had barely risen over Santorini when Alexander woke to the sound of Victor's urgent voice.

"Alexander, we have a problem."

Alexander was out of bed in an instant, careful not to wake Mia. She stirred slightly but remained asleep, her exhaustion evident. He grabbed his gun and followed Victor to the villa's security room.

Victor tapped the monitor, bringing up a live feed from one of the outer cameras. "Someone's watching us."

Alexander narrowed his eyes at the screen. A dark figure stood on a distant hilltop, barely visible in the early morning light. The person wasn't moving, just observing.

"Could be one of Marco's men," Langston muttered from the corner, already loading his gun.

"Or worse," Victor added grimly.

Alexander's jaw tightened. "I want them gone. Now."

Langston nodded. "I'll take care of it."

Alexander placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Alive, if possible."

Langston smirked. "No promises."

As he slipped out of the villa, Alexander turned back to Victor. "Anything on the communication breach?"

Victor exhaled. "Whoever betrayed us covered their tracks well. But I've narrowed it down to someone within our inner circle."

Alexander's blood ran cold. "You're sure?"

Victor nodded. "One of our encrypted messages was intercepted before we left. Someone tipped off Marco that we were coming here."

Alexander clenched his fists. Someone close to them—someone they trusted—had put Mia and their unborn child in danger.

And he would find out who.

Meanwhile…

Mia woke with a start, her heart pounding. Something felt… off.

She sat up and instinctively reached for Alexander, but the bed beside her was empty. The faint hum of voices outside the room sent a chill down her spine.

Pulling on a robe, she stepped out of the bedroom and followed the voices. As she reached the security room, she saw Alexander staring at a screen, his expression dark.

"Mia," he said, his voice softer now. "You should be resting."

She ignored the concern in his eyes. "What's going on?"

Victor hesitated, but Alexander sighed. "Someone betrayed us."

Mia's stomach twisted. "Who?"

"We don't know yet," Victor admitted. "But we will."

Before Mia could respond, a gunshot rang out in the distance.

Alexander and Victor snapped into action, weapons drawn.

Mia's breath caught. "Langston—"

Alexander grabbed her hand, his grip reassuring. "Stay here."

But as he moved toward the door, Mia knew one thing for sure—whoever was out there, whoever had betrayed them, wasn't done yet.

And neither was Marco.