The storm outside had grown heavier by dawn, thunder rolling low across the skyline. Inside the safehouse, the hum of activity never slowed—maps, intel, and whispers filled the corridors. Lily stood at the observation window overlooking the courtyard, her fingers absently tracing the glass as her thoughts ran miles ahead.William’s voice came from behind her, calm but with that familiar edge of exhaustion.“You’ve been standing there a long time.”She didn’t turn immediately. “Thinking,” she said softly. “Leonard won’t stop. You know that.”“I do,” William replied, stepping up beside her. His reflection in the glass looked as tense as she felt. “Which is why we move before he does.”She studied him, the man who always seemed untouchable—cold, calculated, unshakable. But now, in the faint morning light, there was something else in his eyes: a glimmer of worry, tightly controlled but undeniable.“William,” she said quietly, “I don’t want you to underestimate Natasha. You told me yoursel
Back at the safehouse, the rain had finally eased, leaving the night air heavy and cool. The SUV screeched to a stop inside the courtyard. William was out first, pulling open the rear door for Lily, his hand steadying her as if he couldn’t bear to let go yet.Adrian stayed behind long enough to sweep the perimeter with his weapon before following them inside. Sofia strode ahead, already speaking into her comms, her sharp eyes scanning the shadows.Inside the operations room, the tech team scrambled to clear the table as William spread out the crumpled paper Lily had recovered. Under bright lights, the messy handwriting and coded notations came alive.Adrian whistled low. “Sir, this is… this is everything. Routes, offshore contacts, even bribe accounts.”Lily sat in the corner, wrapping her bruised wrists in gauze. Her face was pale, but her chin was high. She caught William’s gaze briefly and managed a small smile. “Told you I wouldn’t come back empty‑handed.”William stepped closer,
The hours crawled by in the dim, windowless room. Lily sat hunched on the cold floor now, her wrists raw from working against the ropes. Every sound outside the door made her heart race, but not with fear—with calculation. She studied the rhythm of footsteps, the way voices drifted in and out. Leonard’s men were organized, but they weren’t expecting resistance from their captive.Her mind replayed the images from the papers she’d managed to steal. There were shipment codes, a schedule, even a sketched diagram of a secondary route—Leonard’s contingency plan. If I can get this out, she thought fiercely, William will have exactly what he needs.The door scraped open suddenly, flooding the room with harsh light. Two men entered, one carrying a tray of food, the other standing guard with a rifle slung over his chest.“You should eat,” the man with the tray said, smirking. “You’ll need your strength when Leonard decides what to do with you.”Lily’s gaze didn’t waver. “Tell him I said hello,
The hours crawled by in the dim, windowless room. Lily sat hunched on the cold floor now, her wrists raw from working against the ropes. Every sound outside the door made her heart race, but not with fear—with calculation. She studied the rhythm of footsteps, the way voices drifted in and out. Leonard’s men were organized, but they weren’t expecting resistance from their captive.Her mind replayed the images from the papers she’d managed to steal. There were shipment codes, a schedule, even a sketched diagram of a secondary route—Leonard’s contingency plan. If I can get this out, she thought fiercely, William will have exactly what he needs.The door scraped open suddenly, flooding the room with harsh light. Two men entered, one carrying a tray of food, the other standing guard with a rifle slung over his chest.“You should eat,” the man with the tray said, smirking. “You’ll need your strength when Leonard decides what to do with you.”Lily’s gaze didn’t waver. “Tell him I said hello,
Night had fallen thick over the city, the streets slick with rain and shimmering under scattered neon signs. William’s convoy had returned to the safehouse after the chaos at the docks. The proof Lily had grabbed was already being scanned by the tech team, and the others were catching their breath.Lily sat at the corner of the briefing table, rolling her shoulders, trying to ease the tension that never seemed to leave her anymore. Across from her, William stood in quiet command, arms folded as he studied the latest feed from Adrian’s recon unit.“Sir,” Adrian’s voice crackled through comms from the van parked a few blocks away, “South corridor shows increased patrols. Leonard’s moving pieces. He’s baiting us.”William’s jaw tightened. “Maintain distance. Watch, don’t engage.”Lily’s eyes narrowed as she leaned closer to the screen. “Look at that.” She pointed to a figure in the grainy footage, a man slipping through a side entrance with a familiar insignia on his jacket. “That’s one
The warehouse on the outskirts of the city loomed like a fortress of rust and shadows. William stood with Adrian near a dimly lit table strewn with surveillance photos, maps, and scribbled notes. The air smelled faintly of oil and rainwater seeping through the cracked roof.Sofia entered quietly, a slim tablet in her hand, her dark hair pulled back tight. “Sir,” she said softly, coming to William’s side. “We just intercepted another coded message from Leonard’s men. They’re accelerating their schedule. Whatever they’re planning, it’s happening within twenty‑four hours.”William’s jaw clenched. “Show me.”She handed him the tablet. Adrian stepped closer, scanning the scrambled text and the highlighted locations Sofia had marked. His brows drew together. “They’re shifting their assets toward the southern docks,” Adrian muttered. “That’s where the containers disappear without a trace.”Lily, leaning against a support beam, had been listening quietly. She crossed her arms, her expression