Chapter 10: The Final Move

The world erupted in chaos. One moment, everything was still. The next, there was a sharp crack, a sound that split the silence like thunder. James's instincts kicked in before his brain could fully process what had happened. The man had raised the gun. But James had already taken a step to the side, his body reacting on pure adrenaline.

The bullet whizzed past him, grazing the edge of his jacket. He didn't feel the heat of the bullet—he only felt the rush of his heartbeat thundering in his chest. It was too close. Too damn close.

"Lily!" he shouted.

She was already moving, her gun drawn, eyes narrowed, focused. But James was the one closest to the man. If anyone was going to take him down, it was him. His hand gripped the hilt of his knife, his fingers tightening around the cold steel as he stepped forward, angling himself for the kill. This was their moment. The man's hesitation had given them an opening—an opening they had to take.

Lily moved swiftly, taking up a position behind a stack of crates, her gun aimed. She wasn't firing yet. She was waiting for James to act.

James's eyes never left the man. The man's expression had changed in that split second. From cold calculation to something almost human—a flicker of fear. He hadn't expected James to dodge the bullet. He hadn't expected him to survive.

The man tried to raise his gun again, but this time, James was too fast. He moved in, his knife flashing in the dim light. A quick swipe—too quick to register fully.

The man's hand jerked back as blood sprayed from the wound, his gun falling to the ground with a dull thud. The look on his face was a mixture of surprise and disbelief, as if he couldn't quite understand what had just happened.

James wasn't waiting around for him to process it. He grabbed the man by the collar, pulling him forward. "Who sent you?" James growled, his voice low and deadly.

The man's eyes fluttered, his breath coming in sharp gasps. But James wasn't giving him a chance to recover. "Talk, or I'll make sure you don't get another breath."

The man spat blood, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You think you're in control here? You have no idea who you're dealing with."

James tightened his grip, his fingers digging into the man's throat. "Don't play games with me. I've already been through hell. I'm not about to let you take me down now."

But before the man could respond, a shadow moved behind him, and in an instant, Lily was there, her gun trained on the man's head.

"Let him go, James," she said, her voice calm, yet full of authority. "We need him alive."

James's grip loosened just enough for the man to take a shuddering breath. He was still alive, but only just. His eyes shifted between James and Lily, and for a brief moment, it seemed like he was contemplating something. Whether he was thinking of a way to escape or weighing his chances of survival, James couldn't tell.

But he wasn't about to give him the chance to turn the tables.

"Who is Sinclair?" James asked again, his voice hard. "Where do we find him?"

The man's eyes flickered, and James could see the internal struggle warring behind those eyes. He knew he had to get the answer, and he had to get it now.

"You won't survive him," the man muttered, his voice a strained whisper. "He's untouchable. No one knows where he is. Not even me."

Lily stepped closer, her gaze never leaving the man's face. "Then why did you even come after us?" she demanded. "You clearly know something."

The man's lips twitched, a small, almost sadistic smile playing on his face. "You're so naive," he sneered. "It's not about what you know. It's about what you don't know. The bigger picture. Sinclair... He's got people everywhere. No one is safe."

James narrowed his eyes. This was the man they were after—the one who ran things from the shadows, the one who had built this entire web of chaos. And yet, they were still no closer to finding him. But the more the man spoke, the clearer it became—Sinclair was not just a name. He was the ghost, the thing that no one could touch. The mastermind behind everything they had fought against. The one pulling the strings from a distance.

"If you think we're backing down now, you're wrong," James said, his voice cold. "Tell us where we can find him."

The man's gaze hardened, his mouth twisting into something dark. "You really want to find him? You think you can take him down? You're just a pawn in his game, just like everyone else. You think you're special, but you're not."

James's patience wore thin. He was done with this. He grabbed the man by the shirt and shoved him back into the crates, knocking him off balance. "You talk, or I end it now."

The man's eyes flickered to the gun Lily was holding. It was a cold stare, one that spoke volumes. But then something shifted in his expression. His shoulders sagged, as if he had given up, as if he had decided that his fate was sealed either way.

"Fine," the man spat. "I'll tell you. But it won't do you any good."

Lily's eyes never left him as he spoke. "Go on," she said, her voice quiet but firm.

"The Black Lotus... it's not just a cartel. It's a network. Sinclair built it from the ground up, and he made sure that every piece, every move, was part of his grand plan. But no one knows where he is. No one has seen him for years. The people who work for him? They're loyal because they fear him."

James clenched his fists. The more he learned, the more he realized how deep this went, how far Sinclair's reach stretched. He wasn't just dealing with a criminal empire. He was dealing with a man who was untouchable, a man who had set up a system so complex, so well-hidden, that it would take a miracle to bring him down.

The man gave a strained chuckle, his eyes gleaming with something dark. "You really think you can break through all that? You think you'll survive long enough to even find him?"

James didn't answer. There was nothing to say. They didn't have time to waste on a madman's words.

With a single motion, he turned and nodded to Lily. They didn't need to waste any more time on him. He had given them all he could.

The man's body crumpled to the floor, lifeless. And James and Lily were already moving—moving toward their next objective. They still had one more chance to stop this, but Sinclair was the one who held all the cards. They couldn't afford to be naïve anymore.

It was time to take the fight to him.