CHAPTER 12

 Smoke and Mirrors

1

Elena pressed her back against the cold brick wall of the alley, her pulse a steady rhythm against the chaos she had left behind. The explosions at the docks had given them just enough of an opening to slip away. The acrid scent of burning wood and fuel still clung to the air, mixing with the salty sting of the ocean.

Luca crouched beside her, his breathing controlled despite the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. "That was one hell of a distraction," he muttered, wiping soot from his cheek. "But it won't stop him for long."

Elena exhaled sharply. "I don't need it to. I just need to stay ahead of him."

Rafe, who had taken point, returned from the end of the alley. "We've got a problem." He gestured toward the street. "Surveillance everywhere. Gabriel locked the city down fast."

Of course he did. He wasn't the type to lick his wounds and retreat—he was already adapting, shifting his tactics, waiting for her to make a mistake.

Elena glanced at the cracked screen of her burner phone. No new messages from her informant. Time was slipping through her fingers. If she didn't move soon, Gabriel would force her into a corner she wouldn't escape from.

"Then we change the plan," she said.

Luca frowned. "Change it how?"

Elena met his gaze, her expression hard. "We stop running. We start hunting."

2

Gabriel stood in his dimly lit office, the scent of whiskey and smoldering embers lingering from the docks. A thick silence stretched between him and Damian, who stood near the doorway.

"She's getting bolder," Damian said finally.

Gabriel smirked, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "She's getting desperate."

"You sure about that?" Damian arched a brow. "She's two steps ahead of us."

Gabriel's smirk didn't fade. He placed his drink down, rising to his feet with slow, deliberate movements. "Desperation breeds recklessness. She's playing with fire, thinking she can beat me at my own game."

He strode to the large window overlooking the city, the lights flickering like embers beneath the dark sky. "But she's forgetting one thing."

Damian crossed his arms. "What's that?"

Gabriel turned, his eyes gleaming with something sharp and lethal. "I don't play fair."

3

Elena moved through the abandoned industrial district with quiet precision, her body wired with tension. The old manufacturing plant loomed in the distance, a relic of the city's past—one she was about to use to shape its future.

She had spent the last few hours gathering intel, tracking Gabriel's movements, mapping out his vulnerabilities. The docks had been just the first strike. Now, she was ready to dismantle his empire piece by piece.

Luca watched as she unfolded the schematics on the rusted worktable inside their hideout. "So, we hit his money next?"

She nodded. "Gabriel operates through shell businesses. If we take out his financial pipelines, we force him to react on our terms."

Rafe scoffed. "And then what? Poke the bear until he tears us apart?"

Elena's jaw tightened. "No. We force him into a choice—one where he can't control the outcome."

Luca exhaled, rubbing his temples. "And you think you can predict what Gabriel will do when you back him into a corner?"

Elena hesitated, fingers brushing the edges of the blueprints.

No. She didn't think. She knew.

Because she had spent years by his side, learning his methods, understanding the way his mind worked.

And she was about to turn his own instincts against him.

4

Gabriel leaned against the hood of his car, the night air cool against his skin. He had been waiting for this moment, waiting for her next move.

And when his phone vibrated, he already knew what the message would say.

You can't stop me.

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. She was taunting him now, baiting him into chasing her.

Clever.

But not clever enough.

He slid his phone into his pocket and turned to Damian. "Find out where that message was sent from."

Damian nodded, already pulling up surveillance feeds. Within moments, he pointed to the map glowing on the screen.

"Industrial sector. Abandoned factories." He glanced at Gabriel. "It's a trap."

Gabriel's lips curved. "Of course it is."

Damian hesitated. "Then what's the move?"

Gabriel's gaze darkened. "We set one of our own."

5

Elena moved quickly through the skeletal remains of the factory, placing charges at key structural points. The plan was simple: lure Gabriel in, cripple his resources, and disappear before he could strike back.

She placed the final explosive, then turned to Luca. "We need to be gone before his men realize what's happening."

Luca gave a tight nod. "And if he shows up himself?"

Elena's fingers brushed the cool steel of her gun. "Then we make sure he doesn't walk away unscathed."

Rafe was about to respond when the sound of approaching vehicles shattered the quiet.

Too fast. Too soon.

Gabriel had found them.

6

The factory doors burst open, and Gabriel's men poured in, weapons drawn. Elena dove behind a rusted conveyor belt, her pulse spiking as bullets ricocheted off the metal.

She returned fire, taking out one of the attackers before ducking into the shadows. She could feel him now—Gabriel. He was here.

And he wasn't waiting anymore.

A familiar voice cut through the chaos. "You've been busy, amor."

Elena turned sharply, her gun aimed. Gabriel stood just beyond the smoke, his dark gaze locked onto hers.

Her finger tensed on the trigger. "So have you."

Gabriel smirked, taking a slow step forward. "You've always been good at running. But tell me, what happens when there's nowhere left to run?"

She inhaled sharply. "I guess we're about to find out."

Gabriel tilted his head. "Are we?" He pulled something from his pocket and held it up.

A detonator.

Her detonator.

Her stomach dropped.

"I learned from you, Elena." His voice was smooth, almost amused. "Did you really think I wouldn't have a backup plan?"

The factory shook as explosions erupted outside—her escape route was gone.

She had set a trap.

And she had walked straight into his.

7

Elena barely had time to react before Gabriel closed the distance between them. He grabbed her wrist, twisting just enough to disarm her without breaking the bone.

She struck back, elbowing him in the ribs before driving her knee upward. He caught her movement, blocking with practiced ease, his grip tightening around her.

His voice was low, dangerous. "You never did learn when to stop fighting."

She glared up at him, breath unsteady. "And you never did learn when to let go."

A flicker of something dark passed through his eyes—something unreadable.

For a moment, the world around them faded. The gunfire, the burning factory, the war raging outside.

It was just them.

Hunter and hunted. Predator and prey.

Until Gabriel leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. "Game over, amor."

And then—darkness.