Chapter 20:The Syndicate Strikes Back

The drive through Istanbul was a blur of narrow streets, screeching tires and the eternal thrum of tension. The team's escape from the warehouse had been messy, but successful at least for now. But James couldn't rid himself of the suspicion that the syndicate was regrouping, readying retaliation. The information was a victory, but it had come at a cost: They were now targets in the sights of one of the most dangerous organizations on the planet.

There was a potent mix of exhaustion and adrenaline in the van. Hassan had taken the passenger seat and gripped his rifle in his hand, surveying the streets in front of them for the danger he was sure lay ahead. Sarah sat in the back, her sniper rifle cradled in her lap. Pale and drained, Lina was bent over her laptop, fingers flying. The Broker, handcuffed to a rail in the van, regarded them all with an inscrutable expression.

"We have a problem," Lina said, shattering the silence. Her voice was strained and she didn't look up from her screen.

James looked at her in the rearview mirror. "What kind of problem?"

"They know we hit the hub," said the syndicate. They have put their global alert system on alert. Every agent they have in their network is going to be looking for us." And I mean every operative."

Hassan muttered an epithet. "How quick can we dig down?

Lina shook her head. "Not fast enough. They're tracking each point of departure from Istanbul airports, ports, crossing the border even. It's a trap," Eugene said. "If we try to leave the city now, we're walking straight into a trap."

James gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Then we stay. "Not at least until we have a plan."

"Stay?" The Broker was incredulous. "You've just stolen the most valuable data of the syndicate, and your plan is to stay inside the lion's den? Bold, but stupid."

James shot them a cold look. "Unless you have a better idea, sit there and shut up."

The Broker smiled but didn't say anything more.

Lina had arranged a small, nondescript safe house in a quiet neighborhood on the Asian side of the city. It wasn't much two rooms and a bathroom but it was safe, and that was what mattered.

The moment they arrived, Lina arranged her equipment on the kitchen table, plugging in her laptop to the encrypted server she'd brought with her. "I have a lot of data we pulled, and I need time to sort through it all," she told reporters. "There's a lot here financial records, blackmail files, operative lists. If we can find a way to use this, we could destroy the syndicate."

James nodded. "How much time?"

"A day, maybe two," Lina said.

"We don't have two days," Sarah said, pressing against the wall. "The syndicate is already on the hunt for us. It's just a matter of time before they discover this place."

"We'll buy time," James said. He latched his gaze to Hassan and Sarah. "We need to set up defenses. "This place isn't exactly designed to be defended from an attack, but we'll make do."

"And the Broker?" Hassan asked, pointing his thumb toward their prisoner.

James looked at the Broker, still sitting on the floor with their hands in cuffs. "They stay here. Lina, keep an eye on them. If they try anything

"Don't fret," Lina cut in, yanking a small pistol from her bag. "I've got it covered."

With nightfall, the team began reinforcing the safe house. Tripwire alarms set up around the perimeter by Hassan, and Sarah took to the rooftop with her rifle, her keen amber eyes sharp and piercing like an eagle, searching the streets beneath them. James remained in our quarters with Lina, analyzing the data and creating a response.

"There's a pattern here," Lina said, as she gestured toward her screen. "The syndicate works in cells, each led by a chief. But they are all answerable to someone above them a central individual who orchestrates it all. If we can kill them, the whole network collapses."

"Who is it?" James asked.

Lina hesitated. "I don't know yet. They're known on the files as 'The Architect,' but no name, no location. Just a codename."

James frowned. "Then we find them. Begin with the cell leaders if we can decapitate enough of them, we'll flush out the Architect."

"We know, easier said than done," Lina said. "The syndicate is not playing fair. They're going to come after us with everything they have."

"Let 'em come," James said, sounding cold. "We'll be ready."

The first strike occurred in the early morning hours.

Sarah saw the black SUVs racing toward her from her perch on the rooftop. "We have company," she said over the comms. Four vehicles, heavily armed."

James picked up his rifle and went to the window, peeking through the curtains. "How far out?"

"Two blocks and closing fast," Sarah said.

James turned to Lina. "Shut everything down. We can't risk them accessing the data."

Lina nodded as she unplugged her laptop and locked down the server.

The Broker, still shackled on the floor, raised his head with a grin. "Told you they'd find you."

James turned away from them to Hassan. "Get to your position. Sarah, eliminate the drivers as soon as they're in range."

"I'm on it," Sarah said, her voice steady and calm.

The assault was quick and savage. SUVs came to a screeching halt before the building, heavily armed operatives pouring out in precise formation.

Sarah took the first shot, her sniper rifle cracking the night. The lead driver has the holes and the vehicle swerves and hits a lamppost. Hassan fired from the second-floor window, dousing the advancing operatives with bullets from his rifle.

James walked around the apartment, calling the defense. Lina remained huddled behind the bathroom door with the server, a small pistol gripped tightly in her hands.

The Broker watched the cacophony unfold almost with amusement. "You're put up a good fight, but it's just a matter of time before they overwhelm you. "The syndicate is not that easy.

"We'll see if that happens," James said, his tone steely.

The battle continued; the safe house trembled with the assault. Yet the group stood their ground, their resolve unfaltering.

Eventually, after what seemed like forever, the last operative went down. The street outside was strewn with bodies and spent shell casings, the SUVs punctured with bullet holes.

"Is everyone okay?" James asked over the comms.

"I'm good," Sarah said from the rooftop.

"Still breathing," Hassan said, where he stood.

Lina stepped out of the bathroom, her face gaunt but resolute. "We made it."

For a moment, there was silence as the group regrouped. But everyone here knew this was just the start. The syndicate wouldn't rest until they were all dead.

James glanced at his uniformed team, steel in his spine. "We've got what we need to take them out. It's time to end this."