Alyssa’s POV
“You don’t have a choice.”
My voice was low, sharp as a blade, cutting through the thick tension in the dimly lit study. Across from me, Councilman Victor Hastings-a man who prided himself on control-sat frozen, his jaw tight, his hands clasped together on the polished wooden desk. The lamp beside him flickered, casting shifting shadows across his face.
He knew I had him.
I leaned forward, pressing my advantage. “I have enough evidence to ruin you, Victor. Enough to burn down everything you’ve built within the Circle. You’re going to help me, or I make sure the mastermind knows exactly where your real loyalties have been all these years.”
His gaze flickered to the thin folder I had placed between us, filled with damning records, coded transactions, and quiet betrayals.
“You wouldn’t,” he said, but his voice lacked conviction.
I smiled, slow and ruthless. “Try me.”
Ethan stood behind me, silent but present, his very existence a threat. He didn’t need to say anything-his reputation did the talking for him.
Victor exhaled sharply, tapping his fingers against the desk. “If I do this, if I betray him… he’ll kill me.”
I shrugged. “Then don’t get caught.”
For a long moment, silence stretched between us. Then Victor reached into his drawer, pulling out a sleek, encrypted phone. His fingers hesitated over the keys, then he typed something before sliding the phone toward me.
“Access codes,” he muttered. “To the lower levels of his stronghold. You’ll need them to get inside.”
I picked up the phone, examining the screen. This was it. The leverage we needed.
“You made the right choice,” I told him as I rose to my feet. “Don’t let me regret sparing you.”
Victor swallowed hard, nodding as I turned and walked away, Ethan at my side.
The second we stepped into the corridor, Isabella was waiting for us, arms crossed. “Did he crack?”
I held up the phone. “We’ve got a way in.”
She smirked. “Then it’s time to bring hell to their doorstep.”
The warehouse was filled with the scent of metal and gunpowder, the air thick with tension. Maps were spread out over a table, glowing under a single overhead light. Isabella pointed at the blueprint of the enemy’s stronghold.
“We hit them hard and fast,” she said. “The stronghold is layered with defenses, but Victor’s codes will get us into the underground tunnels. From there, we split into two teams-one to secure the entrance, the other to infiltrate the command center.”
“How heavily armed are they?” Ethan asked, studying the map.
“Enough to make this a suicide mission if we hesitate.” Isabella’s eyes flicked to me. “But hesitation isn’t in our vocabulary, is it?”
I exhaled. “Not when everything is on the line.”
Leon stood at the edge of the table, his face unreadable. “What about reinforcements? We’re not the only ones moving pieces in this game.”
I met his gaze, searching for something-anything-that would tell me I could trust him. After everything, after all his past betrayals, I wanted to believe he was finally on our side.
But trust was a fragile thing, and right now, I couldn’t afford to be wrong.
“We move before they expect us to,” I said. “No more waiting. No more reacting. We take the fight to them, and we end this before they have a chance to counter.”
A chorus of agreement followed. It was time.
The underground tunnels smelled of damp earth and rust, the air thick with tension as we moved in silence, our steps careful, our weapons drawn. The only sound was the distant hum of security generators, the occasional drip of water echoing through the darkness.
Isabella took the lead, her body tense, eyes sharp as she motioned for us to stop.
“Checkpoint ahead,” she whispered.
Up ahead, two guards stood at a steel door, their post casual, unaware of the storm about to hit them.
Ethan moved first, fast and silent, striking one before he could make a sound. I took the other, a swift strike to the throat, cutting off his air before he could alert anyone. Within seconds, both were down, their bodies dragged into the shadows.
“Clear,” Ethan murmured.
Leon moved forward, inputting Victor’s access codes. The lock beeped, then released with a soft click.
We were in.
The corridor beyond was lined with metal doors, flickering fluorescent lights casting eerie shadows. I gripped my gun tighter, scanning every movement, every sound. We were walking into the lion’s den, and we all knew it.
Then, as we turned the corner, the ambush struck.
A deafening boom echoed through the tunnel, followed by the sharp staccato of gunfire.
“Cover!” Isabella shouted as bullets rained down.
We ducked behind metal crates, the air thick with gunpowder and smoke. I returned fire, taking down two of them before I heard it-Leon’s voice, sharp and commanding.
“Stand down.”
My stomach dropped.
I turned, my blood turning to ice as I saw him-standing in the open, his gun raised… but not at the enemy.
At us.
“Leon?” My voice barely came out.
He didn’t look at me. His eyes were locked onto Isabella and Ethan, his face unreadable.
“This was never your fight, Alyssa,” he said, his voice calm, controlled. “You should have stayed out of it.”
Rage ignited in my chest. “You sold us out again?”
His expression darkened. “It was never about you. It was never about the Circle. This is bigger than that. Bigger than you understand.”
Betrayal clawed at my throat. I had trusted him. I had let him in, let him fight beside us.
And now, he was the knife in my back.
The enemy soldiers behind him raised their weapons. We were surrounded. Outnumbered.
Ethan’s hand clenched around his gun. “You’re making a mistake, Leon.”
Leon’s gaze flickered, but only for a second. “No. You are.”
Then, with a simple nod, he gave the order.
“Kill them.”
Gunfire exploded around us.
And everything went to hell.
Pain ripped through my shoulder as a bullet grazed me, the force sending me crashing to the ground.
Ethan was beside me in an instant, returning fire as chaos erupted. Isabella took down one enemy, but more swarmed in. We were losing ground, boxed in, fighting against impossible odds.
Leon stood there, watching it all unfold.
Watching me.
For the first time, I saw something in his eyes. Regret. Hesitation. But it was gone just as quickly as it appeared.
He had made his choice.
And now, we were paying the price.
A sharp burst of pain shot through my side as another bullet struck, and my vision blurred.
I struggled to stay upright, to fight back, but my body was giving in.
The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was Leon, turning away.
And then-nothing.