Chapter two—Meeting

Lexi left her apartment and arrived at her team's special unit, a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of town. She employed a team of skilled hackers and assassin's, each with their own unique skills and motivation.

Vincent, her second-in-command greeted her with a nod. "Lexi we received Intel that Antonio's men are moving tonight".

Lexi's expression turned icy. "What's the target?"

Vincent handed her a folder containing surveillance photos and Intel. "We're not entirely sure, but we think it's connected to Antonio's new business venture."

Lexi's eyes scanned the documents, her mind racing with possibilities. She looked up at Vincent, her voice low and deadly. "Assemble the team. We'll take out Antonio's men tonight and get to the bottom of this."

"But we can't expose ourselves yet-"

"He knows already Vince and that's why I want to show him what extent I can go to stop him" she said cutting him off.

He stared at her for a moment his gaze filled with admiration. "You are the boss,Lexi"

Lexi's team began to assemble. As they prepared Lexi's phone buzzed with an incoming message. She goes to the screen her eyes narrowing.

"What is it?" Vincent asked noticing her expression. "It's Knife,he has been recruited into the clan". The team exchanged uneasy glances. Knife was a wild card unpredictable and treacherous.

"We need to be careful. Knife could be a liability" she said. Vincent nodded "I will keep an eye on him"

Antonio's Mansion ~

Antonio sat in his dimly lit study, sipping a glass of scotch as he stared at the photograph of Lexi, his eyes narrowing as he studied every outline of her face. This was a ritual he'd repeated for years, and he had no intention of stopping. She was his bloody obsession, his raison d'être.

A knock sounded on the door, but Antonio's attention didn't waver. "Enter," he commanded, his voice low and authoritative.

The door opened, and Victor, a mobster, stepped inside. "Sir, we've received word that Lexi is planning to take out our men tonight."

Antonio's expression remained calm, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. "What do you propose we do about it?"

Victor hesitated. "We could-"

"I want you to let her think she has the upper hand," Antonio interrupted, his voice dripping with malice. "Let her think she's winning, but in reality, we'll be one step ahead of her, always."

Victor nodded, his expression a mask of obedience. "I understand, sir."

Antonio's gaze lingered on Victor, his eyes glinting with a sinister light. "And, Victor?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Make sure Knife is ready. I want him to be the one to take out Lexi."

Victor's expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Yes, sir."

7:00 pm~

The abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town was shrouded in darkness. This was where Antonio's men and the Spanish clients were going to exchange goods, and Lexi had plans to stop it. She had a gun attached to her trousers and a bud in her ear for communicating with her team.

The bud in her ear beeped, and she spoke, "Everyone, get into position."

"Yes, boss," they chorused.

Just then, Marcus noticed something. "It's 10 past 7, and there's no sign of the clients yet."

"Everyone, take cover!" Vincent shouted, and the team quickly followed his order.

A gunshot echoed from afar, and they knew the fight had begun.

An assassin dressed in complete black with diamond crystals attached to his hands aimed at Lexi but missed, hitting Merlin in the chest instead. She groaned loudly as she vomited blood.

Lexi rushed to Merlin's side, her voice cracked as she spoke. "Selene, get Merlin out of here NOW!"

Selene immediately sprang into action, rushing to evacuate Merlin to safety. The rest of the team started shooting at the assassins who came into view.

The one who had aimed at Lexi but missed turned and ran away into the forest. Lexi gave chase, sprinting after him with reckless abandon. They ran for almost ten minutes, the only sound been heard was the pounding of their footsteps on the moist ground.

Finally, Lexi pulled out her gun and aimed, hitting the assassin perfectly on the waist bone. He crashed to the ground, and as his veil fell away, Lexi caught up to him, her gun trained on his head.

"Who sent you?" she demanded.

The assassin remained silent, his eyes glinting with defiance. Lexi's finger tightened on the trigger, and she shot him in the leg. 

"Who sent you?" she repeated.

He groaned in pain but instead of responding, the assassin pulled out a hidden knife and sliced his own throat, dying on the spot. Lexi's eyes froze on the lifeless body, her face pale.

Lexi stood frozen, her gun still trained on the lifeless body. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Her eyes narrowed as her mind reeled with implications.

'Why would someone be willing to die to keep their bosses identity a secret'

Lexi's eyes dropped to the ground, her jaw clenched in an effort to calm her racing heart. She knew she had to get back to her team and assess the situation.

She ran back to the warehouse and was surprised to have found no one just dead bodies scattered everywhere . She went closer and examined the bodies and was relieved that none of them were her men.

 She quickly pulled out her comms device and tried to raise them, but there was only silence. "Vincent, Selene, Marcus, respond!" she shouted into the device, but there was no answer. Her mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

'what if they were taken?'

'what if they are hurt?'

,she quickly scanned the area,her heart pounding in her chest . She had to find her team before it was too late. She started to search the area. As she moved through the warehouse, she noticed that the bodies on the ground were all wearing black tactical gear, similar to the assassin that killed himself. Suddenly, she heard a faint noise coming from the back of the warehouse. It sounded like footsteps, light and cautious. Lexi's hand instinctively went to her gun,her fingers wrapped around the grip as she moved stealthily towards the sound.

She was shocked to see an assassin ,he came really fast, and before she could react, he swung a knife at her arm.

Lexi's face contorted in agony as the knife sliced through her sleeve and into her arm. She stumbled backward, clutching at the wound as blood began to seep through her fingers.

The attacker lunged at her again, knife raised, but Lexi dodged to the side, avoiding the blade by mere inches.

With a swift kick, she sent the attacker crashing to the ground. As he struggled to get back to his feet, Lexi pinned him down, her gun pressed to his temple.

"Who sent you?" she demanded, her voice cold and deadly.

The attacker's eyes darted wildly, his lips pressed into a tight line. Lexi's grip on her gun tightened, her finger hovering over the trigger...

He remained silent, and a pained groan escaped Lexi's lips. The knife the assassin had used was poisoned, its potent venom paralyzing her. Unable to move, leaving her helpless. The assassin seized the opportunity, flipping her onto her back. Her body thudded against the ground, and another groan tore from her throat.

As he raised his knife to deliver his final blow, a sudden kick sent it flying from his grasp.