The weight of the email settled over the room like a thick fog. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I stared at the screen, my fingers curling into fists at my sides.
Did you really think you won?
Richard was alive.
Not only that—he had been watching us.
Clara stepped closer, her hand gripping my wrist, but her eyes never left the image on Evelyn’s screen. The picture was clear. Taken from across the street. Someone had been there, lurking in the shadows, tracking our every move.
Marcelo’s jaw tightened as he exhaled through his nose. “We were careful. We changed locations, used burner phones—how the hell is he still tracking us?”
Evelyn was already working on it, typing furiously, scanning through possible IP traces. “This wasn’t sent through a normal server. It’s encrypted. He wanted us to know he’s out there, but he’s making damn sure we can’t find him.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “He’s playing with us.”
Leo, who had been leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, finally spoke. “No, he’s hunting you.”
A heavy silence fell.
Clara’s grip on me tightened. “So what do we do now?”
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to think past the fear. “We don’t run.”
Marcelo raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”
I met his gaze. “If we run, he wins. He wants us scared, reckless. We can’t let him dictate our moves.”
Evelyn nodded. “Then we lure him out.”
Clara frowned. “How?”
Leo’s smirk was almost cruel. “By giving him exactly what he wants.”
The idea was risky. Stupid, even. But we were out of options.
Richard thrived in the shadows, manipulating from a distance. If we wanted to end this, we had to force him into the open.
Evelyn had already begun setting the trap—using an untraceable signal to spread false intel. The rumor would make its way through Richard’s network, feeding him just enough bait to believe we were vulnerable.
The problem? It meant one of us had to be the bait.
And I already knew who it had to be.
Clara wasn’t happy about it.
“Absolutely not,” she snapped, crossing her arms as she paced the room. “There has to be another way.”
I reached for her hand, but she pulled away.
“Clara,” I said gently.
“No.” She turned to me, her brown eyes blazing. “You can’t just put yourself in his line of fire and expect me to be okay with it.”
I stepped closer. “I have to do this.”
Her jaw clenched. “You always think you have to do everything alone.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “This isn’t just about me. It’s about all of us. If we keep running, he’s going to pick us off one by one. I won’t let that happen.”
Her lips parted, but she didn’t speak right away. When she finally did, her voice was quieter. “You can’t ask me to watch you walk into his hands.”
I took her face in my hands, tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to look at me. “I’m not asking. I’m telling you that I’m coming back. I’m telling you that this ends with us winning.”
She exhaled shakily, leaning into my touch. “You promise?”
I pressed my forehead to hers. “Always.”
She didn’t argue after that. But the fear in her eyes didn’t fade.
The plan was set.
Leo would spread the false intel through back channels, ensuring it would reach Richard’s ears. Evelyn and Marcelo would act as backup, watching from a distance. Clara—against her better judgment—would stay hidden, monitoring through the communication line.
And me?
I was walking straight into the lion’s den.
The meeting point was an abandoned train station on the outskirts of the city. The kind of place where bad things happened in the dead of night.
I arrived alone, the weight of my gun resting against my hip. The only sound was the distant hum of traffic from the freeway, too far to be of any help.
Then, footsteps.
Slow, deliberate.
I turned, my heart hammering as a familiar silhouette emerged from the darkness.
Richard.
He looked untouched, like he hadn’t just survived an explosion meant to kill him. He wore that same infuriating smirk, as if he had been waiting for this moment all along.
“I was wondering when you’d stop hiding,” he mused, tucking his hands into his pockets. “But I have to say, I didn’t expect you to make it this easy.”
I forced a smirk. “I figured it was time we stopped playing games.”
His dark eyes flickered with amusement. “Oh, Bela. This has never been a game.”
I clenched my jaw. “Then let’s end it.”
Richard sighed, shaking his head. “You still don’t get it, do you? You think this is about winning and losing. But you? You were never meant to win.”
My fingers twitched toward my gun, but I didn’t move yet.
Richard took a slow step closer. “You think your little group of misfits can outsmart me?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ve been three steps ahead of you this entire time.”
I refused to let his words shake me. “Then why am I still standing here?”
He tilted his head. “Because I let you.”
Before I could react, he moved.
A sharp pain exploded in my ribs as something hard slammed into my side. I stumbled back, gasping as my vision blurred for a second.
Damn it.
Richard had always been fast. Faster than I remembered.
“You see,” he continued, his voice almost casual, “I was going to kill you. Quickly. But now? Now, I think I’ll make you watch as I tear apart everything you care about.”
A shot rang out.
Richard barely dodged in time, the bullet grazing past his shoulder. He hissed, spinning toward the source of the shot.
Clara.
She stood at the edge of the platform, gun raised, her hands steady despite the rage burning in her eyes.
Richard let out a dark laugh. “Of course.”
I used his distraction to move.
With a sharp intake of breath, I lunged. My fist connected with his jaw, and the impact sent him staggering back. But he recovered fast.
Too fast.
He grabbed me by the collar, slamming me against the rusted metal of an old train car. Stars burst in my vision, but I didn’t let go.
I twisted, using the momentum to shove him off me.
He stumbled, but his smirk never faded.
“This isn’t over,” he muttered, wiping the blood from his lip.
Clara fired again. This time, he was forced to dive for cover.
“Bela, move!” she shouted.
I didn’t hesitate.
I ran.
And for the first time, Richard was the one left behind.
Back at the safe house, my ribs ached, my mind racing.
Clara paced the room, hands on her hips. “That was reckless.”
“I got out, didn’t I?”
She whirled around, eyes flashing. “He almost killed you.”
I stepped closer. “But he didn’t.”
She exhaled sharply. “We’re not running anymore, Bela.”
I cupped her face, my thumb tracing her cheek. “I know.”
Then Evelyn burst through the door.
“We have a problem.”
She turned her screen toward us, and my blood ran cold.
The words on the screen were simple.
Nowhere is safe.
And attached?
A picture of Clara and me.
Taken minutes ago.
From outside our safe house.