Chapter 102: Blood Debt

**Somewhere on the outskirts of Chicago.**
Snow was falling, covering the ground with a white blanket that contrasted with the darkness of the isolated cabin. The cold seemed to penetrate the thin walls, but inside the atmosphere was different — heavy, tense, full of expectation. Johnny Iverson was leaning against the windowsill, with a glass of whiskey in his hands. His eyes, previously cold and calculating, now carried a strange shadow… a living memory. “Rebecca is dead, sir.” Taylor entered without beating around the bush, panting. “And the boy… Theo. He survived. He’s recovering in the hospital.” Johnny didn’t answer right away. His gaze was fixed on the snowflakes. After a long silence, he murmured: “It can’t be easy for her to lose another child.” The blond sighed loudly, and Taylor frowned in surprise. “Sir?” “She lost a girl… in the third year of our marriage,” Johnny said almost in a whisper. “She was our baby. The only pure thing we had.” He sighed, his eyes filling briefly. Taylor, stunned by the break in posture, approached hesitantly.

“With all due respect, sir... what’s going on? Are you going to abandon everything now? Are you going to stay in hiding?”

Johnny slowly raised his head. His expression changed. His eyes now burned with the intensity that made him feared.

“Even though I still love my bitch of an ex-wife,” he said through gritted teeth, “I can’t let it go. Either I kill... or I die. And the second option is definitely NOT going to happen.”

He turned to Taylor, firmly.

“We have the advantage of knowing where they are. But it’s only a matter of time before they track us too. Now it’s all or nothing.”

Taylor nodded.

“I’m going to gather the allies.” He walked out with firm steps, determined.

The end was approaching, and he was ready to fight his last war.

A few weeks had passed.

Theo had already recovered, his body had bravely withstood the impact of the shot. There were still machines connected to his chest, monitoring his breathing and heart rate, but now he was awake, laughing even at DK's silly jokes.

In the waiting room next door, Bella was talking to Dylan and the other allies. Her tone was serious.

"You know you can't go back to your apartment, right?" DK said, crossing his arms.

"I know." Bella replied. "We've been monitored since we entered this hospital. Debby confirmed it. They change the henchmen constantly, but we still managed to identify the pattern. The circle is closing in."

Mackenzie, sitting next to him, frowned.

“But why hasn’t Johnny done anything yet? He had the perfect chance. If he killed Theo, he would have won. It would be a final blow.

Miller, with his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall, added:

“Lose the chance for an epic duel with Bella? I don’t think so.

Bella, who had been silent until then, let out a deep sigh. Her eyes were lost for a second in the emptiness of the room before looking at everyone.

“That was his way of paying an old debt to me.”

DK turned to her, intrigued.

“What do you mean?”

Bella leaned back in her chair and began:

“When we were married for three years, I got pregnant. It was a girl... And for a while, I thought I could be happy with Johnny. But at a party at Chloe’s house — who, by the way, was my best friend — he cheated on me with her. He was drunk, irresponsible... When I found out, I fought with him right there. Chloe pushed me, kicked me in the stomach... and Johnny just watched. Only after I started bleeding did he react, took me to the hospital, when I got there my placenta had detached and my baby ended up dying a few hours later.

She paused. The room went silent.
“It was the only time I saw Johnny cry. But after that... everything went back to being a facade. I never forgave him, but I think that, somehow, he never forgave himself either.”

DK hugs her.

“I’m sorry, Morena…”

“Today I see that it wasn’t meant to be. Imagining a child with that scoundrel’s blood sickens me.”

She stood up, her shoulders straight, but her eyes tired.

“What matters now is getting Theo out of here safely.”

Miller approached.

“We know that there are four of Johnny’s subordinates in the vicinity. We can neutralize them to ensure a safe route.”

“Exactly.” Bella stated. “When the hospital releases Theo, Susan will take him. She and two of our best agent. They’ll go to the island where my mother is. It’s time to make peace with her. After all, she’s the only family I have left.”

DK turned around, surprised.

“Aren’t you going with them?”

Bella looked into his eyes.

“Not yet. I need to stay. I owe the family a debt.”

Dylan clenched his jaw.

“So your plan is... revenge?”

“Not only that. Justice. Everything Johnny destroyed... will be collected with interest.”

4:32 AM

The hospital corridor was silent, except for the soft beep of the monitors and the occasional creak of a medication cart. Bella, next to her son's bed, stroked Théo's hair, who slept peacefully, no longer with the breathing tubes, but still with bandages on his chest. Susan entered with light steps, wearing dark civilian clothes and her face firm, despite the look of guilt. "Everything is ready. The helicopter leaves in 30 minutes from the rooftop helipad," she said in a low voice. Bella nodded. "I swear on everything I have left, boy... that I will protect you with my life." She watched Susan for a moment and, for the first time since the attack, put her hand on her subordinate's shoulder. "I'm trusting you again, Susan. Don't make me regret it." Susan swallowed hard, determined. "You won't regret it, ma'am." A few minutes later, Théo was placed on a folding stretcher with wheels, covered and wearing a fake oxygen mask to disguise himself. Two other subordinates, Zion and Helena, were dressed as paramedics. The group got out perfectly.

While the elevator was going up, Miller and Oliver executed the second part of the plan. Three henchmen were strategically positioned — two in the parking lot, one in the hallway, disguised as a nurse. This was the first to fall.

Miller entered as any other patient, feigning pain, and as he approached, he hit him with a sharp blow to the back of the head, confiscating his devices. He calmly left with a bag of clothes and the enemy's communicator in his pocket.

In the parking lot, the last two were in separate vehicles. Miller threw a distraction — a small explosive in the opposite corner — causing one of the henchmen to come out armed but distracted. Oliver approached from behind, silently, disarming him with a Krav Maga strike and finishing with a punch to the temple.

Everyone was out of action in less than 15 minutes.

In the meantime, Bella and DK watched the helicopter disappear into the sky.

“Now we can start what we came to finish.”

“Time to make Jhonny pay.”