The Trap

Outside the VIP hall, Team T fanned out, hidden among the luxurious halls of Avelaine Resort.

"Stefan, update?" Leah whispered into her concealed mic.

"South wing secured. Chris and David are holding the corridors. Kessa's moving to the balcony for sniper backup. Elara's hacking the resort security as we speak," Stefan replied crisply.

"Good. Be ready," Leah said.

"If things go sideways, we storm the room and pull out."

From a hidden server room, Elara's fingers flew across the keyboard.

"I'm almost into the guest records," she muttered.

"And guess what? Avelaine Resort officially belongs to... a fake shell company tied to Markov's offshore accounts."

David snorted.

"Let's make this rat regret crawling out of his hole."

---

Back inside the VIP Room:

Markov's laughter boomed as he threw back a shot of dark liquor, but his eyes never left Leah.

Daniel leaned closer, speaking softly against Leah's ear:

"When I tell you to move, don't hesitate."

Leah arched a brow.

"I don't take orders from you."

Daniel only smirked.

Across the room, one of Markov's men subtly reached into his jacket.

Warning bells blared in Leah's mind.

Markov raised his glass again, but this time, the air shifted — thick with hidden violence.

"To new alliances," Markov said silkily, eyes glinting with ill intent.

Leah's fingers brushed the small dagger hidden under her sleeve.

Ready

The tension snapped in an instant.

A shot rang out — but not from Leah's side.

Team T moved first.

Chris tackled two guards near the side door, disarming them with brutal efficiency.

David unleashed precise, swift strikes, incapacitating another man.

Kessa's cover fire from the balcony window shattered the glass, sowing chaos.

Markov's guests screamed and scattered — the facade of elegance shattering like broken glass.

Leah spun from Daniel's lap, kicking the approaching thug square in the jaw.

Daniel, still calm, caught another man's wrist mid-punch, twisting it until a sickening crack echoed.

"You always knew how to pick a party, Davies," he said dryly.

"Save the flirting for later," Leah snapped.

As Leah chased after a fleeing Markov, her earpiece crackled.

"Leah," Elara said, breathless, "there's something you need to see — now."

"Later," Leah muttered, heart pounding as she raced into the darker hallways of the resort.

But in the shadows, that unknown figure — the one that had been watching her even before — moved silently.

Their face still hidden.

Tracking Leah's every move

Just as Leah cornered a man near the service elevators, thinking it might be Markov — the lights flickered and died.

Plunging the corridor into complete darkness.

And in the pitch black, a voice — smooth, unfamiliar — whispered near her ear:

"Found you, little fox."

Leah growled under her breath, shoving Daniel's hand away from her arm.

"What the heck are you doing here? Always getting in my way. Get lost."

She tried to storm past him, but he stepped forward, effortlessly blocking her path. His voice was calm, soothing—unnervingly so, considering the tension in the air.

"I can help you in this."

Leah snapped her head toward him. "What made you think I'd take your help, huh? And why should I believe you? For all I know, you might be his accomplice."

There was a pause, a charged silence between them. Her eyes narrowed.

"Listen, don't get in my way. I'm warning you."

Without another word, she moved past him, disappearing into the dim corridor. She wasn't acting on impulse—Leah had sensed something. A shadow had shifted just beyond the doorway, someone watching.

Her tone earlier had been deliberately loud, each word laced with an act she played for the unseen eyes.

When she saw the flicker of movement again, her instincts kicked in. With precise agility, she leapt toward the source of the shadow, her steps silent but swift, tailing the figure through the service corridors of the resort.

She moved like a ghost in the dark, her heart steady, her body poised. Whoever this man was, he wasn't just any bystander. And Leah Davies was going to find out exactly what his connection was to Markov—and how deep this rabbit hole went.