But Reese had hit him exactly where it hurt. A widower, Dr. Watson's daughter was his entire world. Pinned by the bodyguards, his defiance faltered.
Right at that agonizing moment of hesitation—
*CRASH!*
The heavy, solid oak bedroom doors were violently kicked open from the outside.
Splinters flew as the heavy wood slammed against the walls with an ear-splitting bang, vibrating through the floorboards.
Everyone in the room froze in terror, whipping their heads toward the doorway.
Silhouetted against the hallway lights, two figures stood like avenging angels stepping out of the abyss.
The man in front was tall and imposing. Though his face was bruised and his clothes were battered, his eyes were lethal, sweeping over the scene like a hawk locking onto its prey. Right behind him was a slender woman, looking equally worse for wear. Her sharp gaze immediately landed on the unconscious Dante on the bed, and her expression morphed into pure horror.
"C-Callahan? Leilani?"
Reese was the first to scream, her voice cracking into a high-pitched shriek of absolute terror. She looked as though she had seen a ghost, all the blood draining from her face as she stumbled backward, nearly collapsing onto the carpet.
Talbot looked like he had been struck by lightning. The teacup in his hand slipped, shattering into a dozen porcelain shards against the floor.
He stared at the doorway, his lips moving, but not a single sound came out. His mind completely short-circuited, entirely consumed by a tidal wave of dread and disbelief.
How was this possible?
Weren't they supposed to have died in that explosion in Northern Myanor?
Dr. Watson was equally stunned. Seeing people who had been declared dead on the national news suddenly appear in the flesh was enough to give anyone a heart attack.

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