Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Conner gave the order: find Maja, no matter what.

In the wild tangle of an abandoned building, New Year's Eve fireworks exploded overhead, lighting up Maja's world for a heartbeat before darkness swallowed her up again. She ran, ducking into a corner, fighting to steady her breath.

She looked a mess-hair tangled, clothes dirty-but she didn't care. She glanced back, checking for anyone chasing her.

At Kon's old base, one of his men had barely managed to escape during Andre's raid. Just one slip was enough to set everything in motion.

Kon's place was wired with hidden cameras. If anyone wanted proof she'd killed him, it wouldn't be hard to find.

Leaning against the cold, crumbling wall, Maja forced herself to breathe and calm down. She knew the Dark Web was after her.

She'd seen this coming from the start.

She'd killed the head of their local branch-no way they'd let her walk away. And their last deal, that hundred tons of product, made her even more valuable to them. She knew they'd never let that go.

Since her escape, the Dark Web had been on her tail.

Maja wanted so badly to call her family, just to hear their voices. But her phone was a liability, and good luck finding a payphone these days.

She tipped her head back against the wall, looking out through a broken window at the fireworks bursting above the city. They were beautiful. If only she could watch them with her family, with the person she loved-now that would be happiness.

The winter wind bit at her skin, and she realized her cheeks were wet with tears.

She wiped her face quickly, retreating deeper into the shadows, trying to shield herself from the cold and from her pursuers.

Downstairs, three men regrouped after searching the place. "No sign of Maja," one said. "Let's report back and wait for orders."

The Dark Web's headquarters sat hidden deep in a mountain range, surrounded by dead trees and leafless branches.

Inside a vast bunker carved into the rock, thick cables snaked across the floor. Around a long table, a dozen people sat, the air thick with tension.

Several chairs were empty: Kon's, Greg's, and the seat at the head of the table.

The Dark Web had safehouses everywhere, ready to respond as soon as headquarters got word from any corner of the world.

Things had always run smoothly—until they tangled with Andre.

"Everyone knows Andre is pushing back against us now," one man said, his voice

grim. "If we sit still, we're just letting him steal the show."

Another man, code-named Qian, leaned forward. "I'm not as soft as my brother-wasting days on that 'widow.' Maja killed our people. She's going to pay. And whatever she took? It's ours."

Others chimed in. "We can't just go head-to-head with Andre. Kon's screw-ups already burned our bridges with the Eldorianoveldrama

police especially after Greg's\

escape and those injured officers.

It's harder than ever to get someone inside now."

"If we don't take out Asher, Andre and Conner will always have a fallback," someone said. "But to get Asher, we'd have to take down both Andre and Conner first. Right now, we have no way to split them up from the inside. My advice? Wait and watch."