The night pressed heavy over the industrial district. Rusted hulks of abandoned machines loomed like forgotten giants, the wind carrying the acrid scent of oil and dust. From their vantage point atop a crumbling overpass, William studied the road below through a scope.“Convoy in two minutes,” Adrian murmured beside him, his tone calm but sharp with focus. He adjusted the comm in his ear. “Sir, four trucks. Two lead security jeeps. Tail vehicle looks armored.”Lily crouched on the other side, the glow of a tablet lighting her determined features. “Look here,” she whispered, pointing at a digital map. “The road dips by that silo—guard visibility drops for six seconds there. If you move then, they won’t see until you’re already on them.”William glanced at her, a flicker of approval passing through his eyes. “Good work.”Adrian smirked faintly. “She’s learning fast, Sir.”“She’s always been fast,” William replied, his voice low.Headlights appeared in the distance—a line of moving shado
Natasha’s finger tightened on the trigger. Her wild eyes flicked between William and Lily, her breathing ragged in the shadows of the containers.“You don’t get it,” Natasha whispered, her voice trembling. “He saved me. He gave me hope. And then you showed up—”Lily straightened from behind William, stepping slightly forward despite the gun aimed at her. Her own voice was steady, raw.“And you lied,” she said. “That night at his house—you looked me in the eye and told me I was nothing to him. That he was yours. I left my college, my future, because I believed you.”Natasha’s jaw clenched, tears streaking down her face as rage flared. “Because it’s true! It was supposed to be me!”William’s voice cut through, low and sharp. “Natasha, stop. Whatever happened, this isn’t the way.”But Lily didn’t stop. She took another step. “You can’t keep blaming me for what William chose. He never loved you.”The words struck like a blade. Natasha let out a strangled cry and lunged, knocking the pisto
The night seemed to hold its breath. Beyond the warehouse’s shadow, the pier bustled with covert activity—men unloading heavy crates with silent efficiency, their movements rehearsed. The distant churn of the ship’s engine rumbled like a predator beneath the surface.William crouched low behind a concrete barrier, scanning the scene through a compact scope. “Three guards at the far end,” he murmured into the comm. “Two more on patrol, circling clockwise. Adrian?”Adrian’s voice answered softly in his earpiece, “I’m at the north side. One straggler broke off the patrol—he’s heading your way.”William tensed. “Handle it. Quietly.”Lily crouched beside William, clutching her camera. Her eyes flicked to a crate being rolled off a truck—a faded insignia on its side made her pulse quicken. “William,” she whispered, pointing. “That mark—it’s in the ledger. Page fourteen.”He followed her finger, eyes narrowing. “Adrian, keep watch. We’re going closer.”Lily didn’t hesitate as she moved with
The safehouse lights burned through the early hours, a stark contrast to the black windows beyond. Rain ticked softly against the glass as Lily scrolled through the photos she had taken in the container yard, her fingers steady despite the storm in her chest.“These,” she said, turning the tablet toward William and Adrian, “show exact shipment IDs. Some match up with the missing person cases I pulled from the news last month.”Adrian leaned closer, jaw tightening as he scanned the images. “Trafficking routes… blood storage… he’s been running this for years.” He exhaled through his teeth. “Sir, this is enough to bury Leonard if we play it right.”William’s cold, calculated gaze lingered on the photos. “Not yet,” he said softly. “Evidence alone won’t bring him down. We need to know when he moves next. Where he’ll feel untouchable.”Lily looked up from the tablet, her voice quiet but firm. “And then?”“Then,” William said, eyes locking with hers, “we strike hard enough that he doesn’t ge
The SUV’s headlights cut through the night as Adrian eased it to a stop near a row of rusting shipping containers. The yard was silent except for the distant hum of the city, the air heavy with the smell of rain and oil.William stepped out first, scanning the perimeter with practiced precision. “Adrian,” he murmured, “sweep east.”Adrian nodded and moved off with his silenced sidearm drawn, checking every shadow. Lily followed William, her own flashlight covered with red film to avoid drawing attention.The containers loomed like hulking beasts, their metal sides streaked with rust. Lily pointed to one marked with faded symbols. “This one… these codes match the ledger.”William approached and tested the lock. “Adrian,” he called softly over the comm, “bring the tools.”Adrian returned within minutes, crouched, and worked the lock with silent efficiency. The door groaned open, the interior pitch dark. A cold draft carried the sterile smell of plastic and something faintly metallic.Li
Rain drummed steadily on the roof of the safehouse as the team spread out across the operations room. The ledger sat open in the center of the table, its yellowed pages filled with scrawled notes and codes.Lily leaned over it, brows furrowed as she traced one of the entries with her finger. “These are account numbers… offshore, in someone else’s name.”Adrian crouched beside her, cross‑referencing with a digital spreadsheet. “Here—see this pattern? It matches the shipments we intercepted last month.”William stood behind them, arms crossed, silent but focused. The storm outside reflected the storm in his mind.Adrian looked up. “Sir, this is enough to start pulling threads. We could leak a page to the authorities anonymously.”“No.” William’s voice was firm, cutting through the room. “If Leonard catches even a whiff that we have this, he’ll burn everything before we can move.”Lily glanced at him, her eyes steady. “So what do we do? Just sit on it?”“We study it,” William said. “We u