Ava's POV The castle seemed to have been built long ago by a king; the outside was covered in ivy and the inside was full of grand rooms and towering staircases. William led me through the castle then stopped in front of a door and knocked twice. After a few moments, the door was opened by a tall, pale man with piercing eyes. "William, my dear friend!" he exclaimed, leaning forward to hug him. He then turned his gaze to me. "And who might this be?” "Oh, forgive me," William clicked his tongue. "This is Ava, a friend of mine. Ava, meet Christopher, one of my oldest and dearest friends." I smiled and shook Christopher's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. William has told me so much about you." Christopher returned the smile and led us into the room. "And it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ava. William speaks very highly of you as well.” We entered a large room filled with people and music. “William, this place is really big; I don’t know what to do here,” I complained but befor

William's POV The merchant cleared her throat and began, "I have heard great things about you from a mutual contact of ours in Morocco. You see, they mentioned that you were a trusted business partner and someone I could rely on for advice. Is it safe to discuss this in front of Mia?" I was taken aback by her question. “Who could our mutual contact be?” My mind raced as I wondered. “It’s clear that she’s interested in more than just my spices. I wonder what kind of information she had heard about me.” With a deep breath, I nodded, "Of course. Mia is a trusted partner of mine and can be present in any business discussions we'll have." The merchant took a sip of wine and spoke in a low, serious voice, "I understand that you have moved a lot of illicit cargo for Mallam Abu, including humans." She looked at Mia, who was in shock. "Yes," I replied as I poured myself some wine. "But let me assure you, I hate people who talk too much, whatever we discuss dies in our meetings." "I unde

Mia's POV I watched as the ship pulled into port at Casablanca, the bustling city of Morocco. With a sigh of relief, I took a deep breath. “I'm so glad to be back on solid ground!” I said to myself audibly. I could see Ava and William eagerly hopping off the ship, immediately venturing into the colorful city. “I really just want to take a stroll, see what the day has in store for me here.” As I stepped off the ship, I felt a sense of freedom coursing through my veins. “I can't wait to explore the city—to discover its secrets and hidden gems.” I wandered through the streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city. The smells of street food and exotic spices. The architecture and design. It was all exciting. As I walked through the crowded streets, I stumbled into a tiny café. “Hmm…” I tried to understand the sign written above the door but it was in a language I couldn't read. The interior was dark, only a few small tables covered in plastic tablecloths. “Smells

Thomas' POV "William, Ava, you have to come with me," I said. “It's really urgent. An important… issue has come up." William and Ava exchanged a worried look before quickly breaking their embrace. “Let's go," William said, his voice equally serious. We met Mia at the other end of the deck of the ship. “Mia, what's wrong?” Ava asked. “Well…” She glanced at me. “Well, I was walking through the bustling streets of Casablanca, taking in the sights and sounds of the city, when I noticed a man following me. At first, I thought he was just another tourist, but as I made my way into an alley, he was still behind me." Mia paused to look at me with uncertainty and I nudged her with my eyes. “Go on.” "Well, you see, I stopped in my tracks and turned around, facing him directly to confront him but he held out his hand, offering me a business card. ‘My boss would like to meet you,’’ he said and I hesitated, trying to assess the situation. But I just couldn't follow him. I mean, I was in a fo

Jim's POV At Johnson's house, we positioned ourselves as we had done earlier to listen and watch his every move. "Alright, let's go over this one more time," Tom whispered. "We are going to stay here and watch Johnson's every move. If he contacts anyone, or leaves the house, we need to know about it. And we can't take any chances. We have to be as quiet as possible." I nodded in agreement as I took position. "Let's do this.” For the next few hours, we stayed hidden, observing Johnson from afar. We watched him eat, sleep, and even interact with his associates. “I hope you're taking note of everything—who he talks to, what he says, and even what he eats—I’ll go check the other side,” I told Tom. “Sure,” he responded. As we continued to watch, a lot more began unfolding in front of us. "This man is definitely more than he led us to believe," Tom whispered as we watched Johnson. "Good thing, Alpha asked us to return." "We will just have to be careful," I replied. "We have come thi