The week leading up to the charity auction was a masterclass in covert operations.
"Operation: Scouting Report Daniel" was officially underway, and it was the most important match of their lives.
Ethan and Leo spent their evenings in a series of hushed, conspiratorial video calls with their man on the inside, Liam. The hospital room had been transford into a virtual war room, with Liam, now officially their ’Head of Opposition Analysis’, directing the operation with a tactical brilliance that was both terrifying and magnificent.
"Okay, gents," Liam’s voice would crackle through the phone, a modern-day general addressing his troops. "Phase one is simple reconnaissance. Ethan, you’re the inside man. You have direct access to the target’s primary associate: your sister. I need you to gather intel. What does he like? What does he talk about? Does he have any weaknesses? A fear of spiders? A crippling allergy to bad puns?"
"Liam, I’m not going to interrogate my sister about her new boyfriend’s secret phobias," Ethan would protest, but he’d do it anyway, in his own subtle, brotherly way.
He’d sit with Sarah in the evenings, a picture of casual innocence. "So... Daniel," he’d begin, his voice a carefully crafted blend of curiosity and indifference. "He seems nice. What’s his deal? What are his... you know... attributes?"
Sarah, who was now in a state of happy, new-relationship bliss, was an open book. "Oh, he’s amazing," she’d sigh, a dreamy look in her eyes. "He’s so smart, and he’s funny, and he’s so passionate about his job. He’s been telling all about his plans for a new after-school history club. He’s even designing a new curriculum based on ’the history of football tactics’."
Ethan and Leo would share a look over the video call. The history of football tactics. It was the perfect, diabolical cover.
"Leo," Liam would command, "you’re on logistics and infiltration. The auction is a ticketed event. I need you to secure two tickets without raising suspicion. And you need a cover story. You’re not two teenage football managers on a spy mission. You are... concerned philanthropists, interested in the plight of young, injured athletes."
"I’ve got this," Leo would say with a confident grin. "I’ll even wear a tie. A blue one, obviously. To represent my favorite charity case."
The night of the auction arrived. The community hall had been transford, with twinkling fairy lights, round tables draped in white cloths, and a small stage for the auctioneer.
Ethan, in his one and only collared shirt, felt ridiculously out of place. Leo, beside him, looked even more so, a bright blue tie stark against his usual hoodie, a look that scread ’I am definitely not a secret agent’.
They found a table at the back, their "low block" observation post, and they waited.
And then, they saw them. Sarah and Daniel. Sarah was a vision, a beautiful, confident woman in a simple black dress, a genuine, stress-free smile on her face. And Daniel... Daniel was a problem. He was handso, he was charming, and he was looking at Sarah with a look of such pure, unadulterated adoration that it made Ethan’s ’spy-detection’ system go haywire.
"Okay, he’s good," Leo whispered, his eyes narrowed. "He’s very good. Look at that. The way he holds her hand. The way he laughs at her jokes. He’s a professional. A master of the honeytrap."
For the next hour, they observed. Daniel was flawless. He was a perfect gentleman. He chard Ethan’s parents. He was passionate and knowledgeable when talking about his job. He even bid a ridiculously high amount on a "signed" photograph of a local, third-division football team, an act of pure, unadulterated, and very suspicious, charity.
"He’s too perfect," Ethan muttered, a feeling of cold, hard certainty settling in his stomach. "No one is this perfect."
"I agree," Leo said. "It’s ti for phase two. Direct engagent."
They waited for their mont. Sarah went to talk to one of her new colleagues. Daniel was alone, getting a drink. It was now or never.
They walked over, a two-man pressing unit, and cornered him by the punch bowl.
"Daniel, right?" Ethan began, his voice a cool, casual greeting. "I’m Ethan. Sarah’s brother."
"Ethan! A pleasure to finally et you properly," Daniel said, his smile warm and genuine. "And you must be Leo. I’ve heard a lot about you."
"We’ve heard a lot about you, too," Leo said, his tone a little too intense. "Sarah tells us you’re a history teacher. Fascinating stuff. All that... history."
"It has its monts," Daniel said with a chuckle.
"She also ntioned your new club," Ethan said, dropping the bombshell. "The... ’history of football tactics’ club. Sounds interesting. You must be a big fan of the ga."
"Huge," Daniel said, his eyes lighting up with a genuine, passionate spark. "I’m a massive football nerd. Always have been. Tactics, stats, player developnt... I love it all."
"Us too," Leo said, a predatory glint in his eye. "In fact, we’re managers. Of a sort."
"Oh, really?" Daniel asked, his interest piqued. "Sunday league?"
"Sothing like that," Ethan said, a slow, dangerous smile on his face. "Tell , Daniel. As a fellow ’tactical nerd’... what do you think of GridironGuru?"
The na hung in the air, a grenade with the pin pulled. Daniel’s smile didn’t falter. His expression didn’t change. But for a split second, a single, infinitesimal mont, Ethan saw it. A flicker of sothing in his eyes. A flicker of pure, unadulterated, and very, very real, fear.
"The strear?" Daniel said, his voice a little too casual. "He’s... a bit much for , to be honest. All that shouting. I’m more of a ’Tactics Tim’ guy. You know, the data, the analysis..."
He was good. He was very, very good. He had recovered instantly. But Ethan had seen it. He had his tell.
The auction was starting. Sarah ca back, and the mont was over. But the mission had been a success. They had their scouting report.
As they were leaving, after a night of polite, tense, and utterly fruitless conversation, a final, chilling piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Sarah, who had been saying her goodbyes, walked over to them, a happy, beautiful blush on her face. "So," she said, her voice a little shaky with a new, wonderful excitent. "I haven’t told anyone yet, but... Daniel just asked to move in with him."
Ethan just stared at her, the blood draining from his face. The honeytrap wasn’t just a trap. It was a ho. And his sister was about to walk right into the middle of it.
Reviews
All reviews (0)