Chapter 25 Hunting the traitor
Ralton was good at pretending he was clean—but not good enough to fool Lucas.
The Bravata surveillance van idled two blocks from the police station.
Lucy sat beside Lucas, reviewing the intel Scott had sent over. Ralton’s schedule. His known contacts. His favorite bars. His bank records. All of them clean.
Too clean.
“He wiped his tracks,” Lucy said quietly.
Lucas snorted. “Only amateurs wipe everything. Professionals leave just enough noise to look normal.”
Lucy shot him a look. “And where does Ralton fall?”
Lucas smirked. “Somewhere between idiot and overconfident.”
She felt a reluctant smile tug at her lips.
Inside the van, Bravata techs monitored several screens showing the city from various angles.
One showed Ralton leaving the station, walking calmly to his car.
“There he is,” one of the techs muttered.
Lucas straightened, all business. “Follow him. Don’t get too close.”
Lucy leaned forward, heart hammering in her chest.
Ralton got into a gray sedan and drove off.
The van started rolling.
Ralton drove casually at first—too casually.
Lucy leaned in, watching every subtle movement on the monitors.
“He’s checking for a tail,” she whispered.
Lucas nodded. “He suspects something.”
Ralton made three unnecessary turns.
Drove around a block twice.
Slowed near windows to check reflections.
But the Bravata team was better.
They hung back, using two decoy cars and traffic to mask their presence.
“He’s heading downtown,” Lucy said.
“Toward the docks.”
Lucas’s expression sharpened. “Of course he is.”
The docks were one of the last places Mercer’s network had unofficial control.
A perfect place to hide a kidnapped girl.
A perfect place for Ralton to disappear.
“Prepare for a ground approach,” Lucas ordered the team.
Lucy tightened her grip on her seatbelt.
This was happening.
Again.
But she wasn’t afraid—she was angry.
Marina was out there, terrified, alone.
And one of their own had betrayed them.
Lucas’s hand slid over hers, his thumb brushing lightly across her skin.
“You ready?”
Lucy met his eyes.
“Always.”
By the time Ralton parked near an abandoned warehouse, the sun had dipped low behind the horizon, casting long shadows across the rusted structures and cracked concrete.
He got out of the car and looked around.
“Zoom in,” Lucas said sharply.
A close-up of Ralton appeared on the monitor.
He checked his phone, then nodded to himself and slipped inside the warehouse.
Lucas turned to Lucy. “We go together.”
She nodded. “And the team?”
“Two will circle the back. Two on the roof. No one moves until I signal.”
Lucy pulled her hood up, adrenaline humming through her body.
Lucas stepped close, cupping her jaw for a brief, grounding moment.
“No running off alone,” he murmured.
She smirked. “Same to you.”
He huffed a short laugh. “Let’s move.”
The warehouse was cold and smelled of rust.
Distant dripping echoed through the massive space.
Lucas moved like a shadow beside her, silent and deadly.
Voices whispered from deeper inside.
Lucy strained to hear.
“—boss wants her moved—”
“—can’t leave her here long—”
“There,” she whispered.
Lucas nodded, pulling her behind a stack of crates.
He peeked around the edge and froze.
Ralton was standing with two armed men.
And behind them…
Lucy’s breath hitched.
Marina.
She was tied to a chair, bruised, terrified, her eyes red from crying.
Lucy’s heart squeezed painfully.
Rage flared through Lucas’s eyes.
His hand tightened on his gun.
“We need a plan,” Lucy whispered.
Lucas looked at her, expression dark and certain.
“We take them down fast and clean.”
Lucy nodded, mind already calculating angles and movements.
Lucas touched her shoulder gently.
“You go for the girl. I’ll handle Ralton.”
“Lucas—”
“No arguments. I need you safe.”
She swallowed, then leaned close enough that her forehead brushed his.
“Just come back to me.”
His breath hitched.
“Always.”
Lucas made the signal.
Everything happened at once.
The Bravata team stormed the rear entrance.
Lucas burst from cover, firing a warning shot that ricocheted off a metal beam, sending the armed men scrambling.
Ralton froze, panic flashing across his face.
“Drop your weapon!” Lucas barked.
Ralton fired instead.
Lucas ducked behind a crate as the bullet whizzed past.
Lucy sprinted toward Marina.
Shots blasted through the warehouse.
Shouts filled the air.
A gun flew from a guard’s hand as a Bravata agent tackled him.
Lucy reached Marina, cutting her bindings with trembling hands.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’ve got you.”
Marina sobbed, clinging to her.
Behind Lucy, the fight raged.
Ralton took cover behind a metal pillar.
Lucas moved steadily toward him, relentless.
“Ralton!” Lucas shouted. “It’s over.”
Ralton fired again, screaming, “You don’t get it! They’ll kill me if I don’t deliver!”
Lucas stepped out from behind a crate.
“Then you should’ve run,” he said coldly.
A final shot rang out—Lucas’s.
Ralton collapsed.
Silence settled slowly over the warehouse.
Lucy held Marina close, heart pounding.
Lucas approached them, gun lowered. His face softened the moment he saw Lucy unharmed.
“You okay?” he whispered.
Lucy nodded, tears stinging her eyes.
“She’s safe.”
He exhaled, relief flooding his features.
And then he wrapped one arm around Lucy, the other helping Marina to her feet.
“Let’s take her home,” he said softly.
Lucy leaned into him, overwhelmed with emotion, exhaustion, and something fierce and warm building in her chest.
With Lucas beside her, she finally felt like they were winning.