Sarah’s POV
The car door slams shut, and I’m wedged between two sentinels, their hands gripping my arms with unyielding force. Sally sits in the front beside Ryan, a smug grin plastered across her face as the car jerks forward. My heart races, but I refuse to show them an ounce of fear.
Sally turns slightly, a chilling gleam in her eyes. “Sarah,” she drawls, her tone almost mocking. “It’s time you learned what real pain feels like.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes as I shift in the tight space. “You really think Stephanie is going to help you?” I sneer, refusing to let her see the tremor of anxiety in my chest. “You’re dumber than I thought if you believe that.”
Sally’s laughter fills the car, cold and sharp. She gives me a look filled with pity, as if I were a child who didn’t understand the world. “Oh, Sarah,” she says, shaking her head. “Stephanie doesn’t have a choice. She has to help us.”
I scoff louder, my laugh dripping with contempt. “You don’t know her like I do. Stephanie doesn’t play by anyone’s rules, especially yours. She’ll turn on you, Sally. And you’re going to learn that the hard way.”
Sally’s expression hardens, her confidence faltering just slightly. For a moment, the car is filled with tense silence, each of us steeling ourselves for whatever’s coming. Then, the shrill ring of Ryan’s phone cuts through, breaking the tension.
Ryan snatches the phone, pressing it to his ear. “Yeah? Report.”
I can’t hear the voice on the other end, but Ryan’s face contorts with frustration, his jaw clenched as he listens. “What do you mean they’re ready?” His tone turns harsh, biting. “How would John know about us coming?”
Sally twists around, her eyes narrowing as she watches Ryan’s face grow darker. “What’s happening?”
Ryan grits his teeth, ending the call with a click. He slams his fist into the steering wheel, a sharp crack echoing through the car. “The guards at the border said John and his pack are already prepared for us. Every single one of them is on high alert.”
I can’t help it-a laugh bursts out of me, loud and defiant. My whole body shakes with it, a mix of relief and satisfaction as I see their plan unraveling. “I told you,” I say through gasps of laughter. “I know Stephanie better than any of you. She wouldn’t betray us like that, no matter what you threaten her with.”
Sally’s face contorts with anger, her hand curling into a fist as she turns fully to face me. “You really think this is funny?” she snaps, her voice dripping with venom. “You think that we don’t have contingencies? That we’re just going to give up because of a little setback?”
I smirk, my confidence rekindled by their frustration. “Keep telling yourself that, Sally. But it’s only a matter of time before Stephanie turns on you, and when she does, you’ll have nothing left.”
Sally’s gaze flickers, just for a split second, as doubt crosses her face. I can see the wheels turning in her mind, but she quickly regains her composure, her expression hardening once again. “That’s enough out of you, Sarah,” she snaps, dismissing me with a wave of her hand. She glances at Ryan, her voice low and tense. “We need to change plans. If John’s pack is ready, we can’t go in blindly.”
Ryan nods, his jaw tight, but his irritation is clear. The plan is crumbling, and they’re struggling to adapt. I take a small, bitter satisfaction in knowing I’ve thrown them off course.
We sit in silence for a few moments, the tension in the car thick and oppressive. My mind races, piecing together bits of what I’ve overheard. If John’s pack is ready, then there’s hope. I just need to find a way out of this-some chance to slip away and warn the others.
Finally, Ryan breaks the silence. “We’ll have to regroup. I’ll notify the others.”
Sally nods, a grim determination settling on her face. “Fine. But we’re not letting her out of our sight.” She casts a dark glance in my direction, her gaze icy. “Sarah, if you think you’re getting out of this unscathed, you’re sorely mistaken.”
I glare back, refusing to show any fear. “Do your worst, Sally. But just remember-you’re not invincible, and neither is your little plan. You’ll fall, just like everyone who thought they could control us.”
Sally’s eyes narrow, but she says nothing, turning back to face the front of the car. As we drive into the unknown, I can’t shake the feeling that this might be my last chance. One wrong move, one slip, and I’ll be lost to whatever dark fate they have in store.
But as long as there’s still a sliver of hope, I’ll keep fighting.
____
Marcus POV
Marcus sat at his desk, fingers steepled together as he eyed Jacob standing by the window. Jacob, Reyna’s father, wore a smug expression, his gaze fixed somewhere distant as if he could already see the impending victory. The two of them had spent the past hour laying out every detail of the raid, discussing the tactics, the entry points, and how tonight would be the turning point they needed. Sally had paved the way, and soon, John and Jake’s pack would crumble.
“All thanks to Sally,” Marcus muttered, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. “She’s more useful than I expected.”
Jacob chuckled, a dark gleam in his eyes as he turned to face Marcus. “It’s about time those two realize they’re not untouchable. We’ve waited long enough.”
Before Marcus could respond, his phone buzzed on the desk, interrupting the moment. He glanced at the screen, seeing Ryan’s name flash across it. He picked it up, pressing it to his ear. “Ryan. Are you ready?”
A tense pause on the other end. “Marcus… we’ve got a problem,” Ryan’s voice was low, but Marcus could sense the underlying urgency. “John and Jake-they’re prepared. Somehow, they know we’re coming.”
Marcus’s face darkened instantly, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the phone. “What did you just say?” he hissed, his tone dripping with barely contained fury.
“They’re ready, Marcus,” Ryan repeated, a note of dread in his voice. “It’s like they were tipped off. They have sentinels all over the place. If we move forward, we’ll be walking into a bloodbath.”
Marcus felt his pulse pound in his ears, the veins in his neck throbbing with a mix of rage and disbelief. Without another word, he flung the phone across the room, watching it crash against the wall with a loud thud, pieces scattering onto the floor.
Jacob, startled by the sudden outburst, turned from the window, his eyes narrowing. “What’s going on, Marcus?” he asked, striding over, his tone laced with irritation.
Marcus clenched his fists, jaw tight. “John and Jake-somehow they know we’re coming tonight. Ryan says they’re armed and ready, like they were warned.”
Jacob’s face twisted in anger, his lips pressed into a thin line as he processed the news. “Who could have told them? Our plan was solid. No one knew except us and our closest people.”
Marcus shook his head, frustration evident in his clenched jaw. “I don’t know. But someone must have tipped them off.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm the fury simmering inside him. “Ryan said if we go forward, it’s suicide. They’ll be expecting us.”
Jacob cursed under his breath, his hands curling into fists. He paced the room, clearly rattled, his face etched with anger. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was supposed to be our victory, our chance to finally put them in their place.”
“Victory?” Marcus scoffed, his voice laced with bitterness. “It’s nothing but a failure now. We can’t afford this kind of mistake.”
Jacob nodded, his face hardening. “Then we have no choice but to pull back. Call Ryan and the others. Tell them the operation is off.”
Marcus nodded reluctantly, his gaze steely. “Agreed. We’ll cancel tonight, but we won’t let this go unanswered.” He retrieved another phone from his desk drawer and dialed Ryan’s number, pressing it to his ear with a heavy sigh.
Ryan picked up on the first ring, his voice filled with tension. “Marcus?”
“Jacob wants you to call it off. We can’t risk it if they’re prepared. Gather the team and pull back immediately,” Marcus ordered, his tone leaving no room for debate.
Ryan sighed, clearly relieved but also frustrated. “Understood, Marcus. I’ll relay the message to everyone. We’ll retreat for now.”
Marcus hung up, slamming the phone down with a scowl. The room filled with tense silence as he and Jacob stood, each consumed by their anger and disappointment. This was supposed to be their night, the turning point in their quest to finally dismantle John and Jake’s pack, and now it had all unraveled in an instant.
“We’ll have to rethink our strategy,” Jacob muttered, his gaze dark as he stared out the window again. “Whoever tipped them off… I’ll make sure they regret it.”
Marcus nodded, his eyes narrowing. “Whoever it was, they just made a powerful enemy. We won’t rest until we find them-and when we do, they’ll pay.”