Twice Taken: 9. Edge of Truth

Elena's POV

The night air was thick with tension, a low hum of distant traffic barely masking the pounding of my own heartbeat. The guesthouse felt smaller now, walls closing in as the threat outside pressed harder, relentless and invisible. Julian sat on the edge of the bed, phone in hand, eyes scanning the screen with sharp precision. Every vibration, every alert made him tense, and I felt my own nerves fray in mirrored anxiety.

“I’ve traced it,” he said finally, voice low and steady, though I could see the subtle twitch in his jaw. “The blackmailer isn’t just local—they’re connected. Multiple layers of proxies. It’s messy, but… we’re close.”

I swallowed hard, feeling a mix of dread and anticipation. Close meant exposure. Close meant danger. Close meant confrontation. And somehow, even with the fear knotting my stomach, my pulse betrayed me with an unfamiliar rush of excitement. Julian’s presence always made danger seem… inevitable, thrilling, an