AVA
The hospital monitors beeped in a steady rhythm, a dissonant counterpoint to the chaos in Ava's mind.
Propped up in bed with an oxygen tube in her nose and her laptop balanced on her knees, she hacked into Sandeke's servers with single-minded fury. The doctors had insisted on keeping her overnight for smoke inhalation, but there was no time. Not with Kathleen racing toward Carl's penthouse, unaware of the trap waiting for her.
*Come on, come on—*
Her fingers flew over the keyboard, bypassing firewalls with ruthless efficiency. The mercenary file had given her a starting point—Marek Voss, a ghost in the system with ties to Sandeke's CEO, Richard Kray.
A new window popped open.
**>> ENCRYPTED CHAT LOGS [KRAY/VOSS]**
Ava's breath caught as she scanned the messages.
**KRAY:** *Leroy talked. Eliminate the problem.*
**VOSS:** *Harris first. Then the girl. Clean sweep.*
**KRAY:** *Make it messy. Send a message.*
Her stomach twisted. *The girl.* Alina.
Ava slammed her fist against the bedrail. She had to warn Kathleen—
Her phone rang. Blocked number.
She answered, bracing for a threat.
Instead, a young woman's voice, hushed and frantic: *"I work for Sandeke. I can't—I can't be part of this."*
Ava sat up straighter. "Who is this?"
*"Emily Tran. CFO's assistant. I saw the transfer orders. They're sending men to Harris' penthouse now. Three of them."*
Ava's pulse spiked. "Why are you telling me this?"
A pause. Then, quieter: *"Because I have a little sister too."*
The line went dead.
Ava didn't hesitate. She pulled up Kathleen's live location—pinging from a car five minutes from Carl's building—and dialed.
Kathleen answered on the first ring. "Ava?"
"*Listen.* They're already inside. Three armed men. Alina's the target."
A sharp inhale. "How do you—"
"Doesn't matter. You can't go in blind."
Kathleen's voice hardened. "I'm not leaving them."
Ava smirked despite herself. "Wasn't going to suggest it." She typed furiously. "I'm hacking the penthouse security now. You'll have eyes and ears."
A beat. Then—
"Ava?" Kathleen's voice was raw. "Be ready to call the police."
---
KATHLEEN
Kathleen's hands shook on the steering wheel as she screeched to a halt outside Carl's building.
Ava's voice still echoed in her ear. *Three armed men. Alina's the target.*
The lobby was eerily quiet. The doorman—gone.
Her phone vibrated. Ava had patched into the penthouse cameras.
**>> LIVE FEED: MAIN FOYER**
The screen showed two figures in black, sweeping the living room with silenced pistols.
No sign of Carl. No Alina.
Kathleen's mouth went dry.
Then—movement. A shadow darting from the kitchen.
*Carl.*
He moved like a predator, all lethal grace. One mercenary went down with a choked gasp, Carl's arm hooked around his neck. The second whirled—
Kathleen didn't think. She ran.
---
CARL
Carl heard the elevator ding seconds before the doors opened.
He spun, gun raised—
*Kathleen.*
She stood frozen, her gaze locked on the dead man at his feet. Blood seeped into the Persian rug.
Carl's voice was a snarl. "I told you not to come."
Kathleen stepped forward, her voice steady. "Where's Alina?"
"Safe." For now.
A creak from the hallway.
The third mercenary—Voss—stepped into view, his weapon trained on Kathleen.
"Well," Voss drawled. "This simplifies things."
Carl's finger tightened on the trigger—
Kathleen moved faster.
She grabbed a crystal vase from the side table and hurled it.
Voss ducked. Carl fired.
The shot went wide as Voss tackled him. They crashed into the glass coffee table, shattering it.
Kathleen scrambled for the fallen gun—
Voss kicked it away, pinning Carl with a knife to his throat.
"Kray sends his regards," he hissed.
Then the lights went out.
Ava's voice crackled from Kathleen's phone: *"Go!"*
Kathleen lunged.
---