THE FIRE BENEATH

Leon slammed the door behind him as he stormed into the underground base. The walls echoed with the sound of his rage. Nico followed close behind, trying to keep pace with his friend's thunderous steps.

"They're playing games with us," Leon growled. "Someone's breaching Viper's estates and he hasn't even told me. I'm done waiting."

Nico kept silent. Leon's fury was justified. Word had finally reached him—Viper's southern compound had been attacked, and Ayla was nearly in the line of fire. No one had told him. Not even her.

"She's with him," Leon said through clenched teeth. "Living in his house. Training with his men. And now she's in danger again."

"Leon," Nico said carefully, "you're not thinking clearly."

"I'm thinking clearer than I have in weeks!" he snapped. "I trusted him to protect her because he's her father. But I should've known better—he's still Viper."

He moved to the table and spread a set of maps across it. "This is the weak spot in the southern perimeter. If they hit once, they'll do it again."

"You're not going in there alone," Nico warned. "That's suicide."

Leon turned to face him, a fire burning in his eyes. "Then get ready. We move at nightfall."

Nico sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What if she's not ready to come back? What if… she wants to stay with him?"

For a moment, Leon paused. The question hurt more than any bullet could. Ayla's face flashed through his mind—those last moments when she walked away, her eyes full of tears and conflict.

"I'm not asking her to choose," Leon said, voice low. "I just want to know if she's still mine… or if I've already lost her."

A heavy silence hung in the room.

Just then, Leon's phone buzzed. A secure message from one of his informants blinked on the screen.

Encrypted footage attached.

Subject: Unknown female approaching Viper estate.

Timestamp: Two hours ago.

He clicked it open. A woman's silhouette flickered into view—same figure from the previous attacks, now dangerously close to Ayla's new home.

Leon's eyes darkened.

"They're getting closer," he said. "Too close."

He turned to Nico. "We're not waiting anymore. Tonight, we end this."