Dave’s Pov:
Ever since Lily slipped that folded piece of paper, I had not been able to breathe properly, let alone sit quietly. Till then, there were only assumptions, but now... I had an actual lead.
That note.
In which a set of coordinates was marked, and beneath it, the words were written in bold black ink, which seared into my skull from that mont.
"She is Alive."
I had not slept. I had not eaten properly. Every ti I closed my eyes, I saw Elena’s face.
Every ti I tried to think straight, the thought of her being alive ate away at my sanity.
Though Grace and Nicole had hidden this crucial piece of information from .
They kept this note tucked away as if Elena’s existence was sothing that could be delayed, negotiated...rationed.
I could not forgive them for that. Not when ti was slipping like sand through my fingers, but I could not let them know that I knew either.
I had to move smart, each step slow, careful, and quiet, making sure not to draw any attention.
That was when I went to Grandpa Albert. Though he himself could not help himself, his connections stretched deep into places most people didn’t even know existed.
He made a single phone call, and three people appeared in my life.
Not so rcenaries. Nor thugs, but professionals.
The car jolted suddenly, the brakes squealing as it ca to a halt. My thoughts shattered with that jerk, dragging back to the present. My eyes darted to the man sitting beside .
Maximus.
Even in the dim light of the car, he looked like he had been carved out of stone. He was a forr special forces operative, the kind of man who had led teams into war zones and walked out alive.
They called him The Executioner, though the reason was never specified, but after I t him, no reason was needed to justify him.
Just being in his presence was enough to know he had done things I had not done in my thriller, action movies. He was the leader of this small team, and now he was my guide.
My eyes then directed to the back seat where two won sat.
First was Samantha, who sat directly behind .
Sleek black ponytail with steady hands that never seed to shake. She was the sharpshooter, trained for precision kills, but she wasn’t just about pulling the trigger.
She was also tactical, the kind of partner who knew how to keep soone alive in hostile ground.
When I first t her, she had a calm smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "I don’t miss," was all she said when I asked after reading her bio data, and I believed her.
I had to because all the reasons were written in that resu of hers.
Beside her was Jessica. Slim, glasses were resting on the bridge of her nose, as her fingers tapped on a tablet even now.
She was the hacker, also known as the brain of the team.
She could break into systems faster than most people could tie their shoes. Wires, screens, encrypted codes, it was her battlefield.
During our eting in their office, she barely looked up from her laptop. She had just asked one question in her flat, bored voice: "Do you want eyes everywhere, or just ears?"
I didn’t even know how to answer, but Maximus chuckled and answered instead, "Don’t worry. She’ll give you both."
Now, as the engine humd low and the car quieted, Maximus finally broke the silence.
"Listen up, everyone," he said, getting everyone’s attention, except Jessica.
Maximus’s eyebrows drew together as he called her out, "Jessie. I said, Listen."
Instead of looking up, she said while her eyes moved on the screen, "I don’t hear from my eyes, Max."
Samantha cracked up at her words while Maximus’ jaw dropped, then which got clenched the next mont.
He cleared his throat as he continued, " As I was saying, we are close to the coordinates. The house is two clicks north."
He paused to tap the map on the tablet, zooming until the blue dot sat on a pale rectangle. The four of us leaned in.
"First rule, we move fast and silently. We sweep the periter first. Any ard presence, we neutralize. Once the field is clear, we breach." His voice was low, but dead serious.
He flicked his eyes to Jessica in the back. "You’ll stay put. Get into their systems. Tap into anything electrical, caras, alarms, phones, anything you can find. Then feed us real-ti intel."
Jessica smirked faintly, not looking up from her device. "Already on it."
"Good," Maximus muttered. His gaze shifted to Samantha. "You and Dave will follow my lead. Stay behind , keep your eyes sharp. If things get loud, you cover him."
Samantha gave a single, but firm nod.
Maximus then turned to . He tried to pin with his stare, but I stared back at him. I was grateful for his help, yet I did not give him the authority to be my boss.
At last, he just moved his gaze back as he stated, "You don’t have a gun, nor any experience to use it. So, that’s how it stays. You stay close to Samantha. You don’t play hero or wander around. Understood?"
I clenched my jaw, refraining myself from hitting him, and gritted out, "I am not a kid."
Every part of scread to hold a weapon, to fight, to find her, but I knew he was right. If Elena was really alive, I could not risk being reckless. I can’t lose her again.
Though I hated the fact, I remained silent.
Maximus gave a curt nod, making eye contact with each of us, and then opened the car door.
Cold air rushed in the next second, biting straight to the bone. The night was darker here, heavier, as if the shadows themselves wanted to choke us.
We swiftly moved out of the car.
Maximus took the point as he walked. His strides were long, deliberate, and quiet. Every step was asured, the crunch of gravel under his boots almost muted by the shadows.
He moved like a predator, scanning every inch of his surroundings.
On the other hand, Samantha stayed close to as we followed him.
Her gun was in her, ready to finish anyone coming in our path. Her eyes flicked constantly across the yard, catching shadows I couldn’t even see.
Her breathing was steady, controlled, a rhythm I tried to imitate, though my chest kept hamring like a drum.
For them it was as normal as breathing, but sadly this was not the case with . I felt too weak.
Too vulnerable.
Too helpless.
The thought struck of how weak, and helpless Elena would have felt. Everyone thought that she betrayed us.
And for once, even if it was the truth why would they be here. They should be anywhere but here. In this ruin.
Through the earpiece, Jessica’s soft clicks and occasional murmurs were the only sound breaking the night’s silence which also brough back to the reality.
I looked back at the car where the screen light illuminated her face.
She was in her own world. She was too focused as the tapping of her fingers still echoed in my ear. The way she worked made my own nervousness feel heavy, and hopeful at the sa ti.
The house appeared through the trees. At first glance, it looked ordinary.
The paint was faded, the windows dark, the kind of ho that would not raise an eyebrow during the day, but the air around it humd with tension.
My gut twisted, warning sothing was not right. Though everything seed ordnary except for the fact that there was nothing ordinary about it.
Maximus signaled for us to stop at the edge of the property.
He crouched low, scanning the edges of the house. His every movent were swift and smooth.
Samantha mirrored him, gun raised in her hands, ready to respond any second. I forced myself down into the grass.
I bent my knees digging into the dirt, trying not to make a sound. My heartbeat was loud in my own ears, echoing like thunder.
Jessica’s voice ca through the earpiece, "Got a live feed. Cara on the east side... give a sec... There."
She remained silent for a mont as all of us froze at our position. Every second felt like an eternity when again her voice echoed.
"There’s soone inside," Jessica continued, her voice calm but alert.
"Who?" This ti Maximus spoke as he continued, " Give the numbers? And are they ard?"
Jessica then replied to him, "Looks like a male. Hard to tell if ard yet."
Maximus’ jaw tightened. "Ard or not, we proceed with caution. Move slow, eyes everywhere guys."
The sound of Jessica’s fingers tapping across her tablet kept coming as she said, "He is pacing now. Fast. He looks... agitated. Shouting at sothing or soone. Unfortunately, no audio."
My stomach twisted listening to her. My pulse spiked as a strange thought occured.
Could it be him? It was a crazy thought, but there was a possibility.
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