The ops room looked exactly like she had left it, screens lighting up, servers buzzing, and that familiar smell of coffee and tech hanging in the air.

Zayden was already in there, leaning over Leo’s shoulder while he pulled up the encrypted message. Reyes was standing by the door, arms crossed, with his usual unreadable expression.

Aylin slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. "What’s it say?" she asked.

Leo turned the tablet around for everyone to see.

"Alpha’s suspicious. Maksim trusts me. Keep William safe. They’ll make their move soon."

"Soon," Zayden repeated, his voice flat. "That’s not really a timeline."

"It’s the best we’ve got," Leo said. "Selina’s playing a risky game. If Alpha catches on to her..."

"He’ll take her out," Reyes finished bluntly.

Aylin stepped forward, her hacker brain already running through different scenarios. "We need to be careful. If we push too hard, Alpha and Maksim will figure out that someone’s feeding us info. If Selina’s cover is blown, we lose our inside track."

Zayden faced her fully, his steel-blue eyes sharp. "What do you think we should do?"

She crossed her arms, thinking it over. "We let them make the first move. Keep William under tight security—no one gets in or out without approval. Monitor all their communications through Selina’s chips. And we wait."

"Wait?" Leo’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "While they plan who knows what?"

"Waiting isn’t just standing around," Aylin said confidently. "It’s smart. We pick up intel, figure out their connections, and spot their weak spots. When they finally make a move, we’ll already be ahead of them."

Zayden looked at her, a slow grin creeping onto his face. "I always knew there was a reason I liked you."

She rolled her eyes, but her face turned slightly red. "Stay focused, mafia king."

Reyes cleared his throat. "What about the kid? Liam."

Everyone turned their attention to him.

"What do you mean?" Zayden asked, a bit cautious.

Reyes maintained his serious look. "Something feels off. The way he watches things. The way he acts. He’s definitely trained."

Leo frowned. "Trained how?"

"Military. Or some kind of intelligence work." Reyes shrugged. "It could amount to nothing, or be a big deal."

Zayden’s jaw tightened. "Tomorrow, we’ll check him out. But subtly."

Aylin bit her lip. "He saved Ayla’s life. That should count for something."

"Or it could be the perfect cover-up," Zayden said quietly.

The room went quiet, the tension hanging over them like a thick fog.

Finally, Leo broke the quiet. "So what’s the plan? Keep an eye on Selina’s feed, make sure William’s safe, and watch Liam. Anything else?"

Aylin looked at each of them. "We trust each other. No secrets. No solo acts. We’re better together."

Zayden leaned in closer and lifted her chin with his finger. "Always together."

She grinned, warm and real. "Always."

Leo groaned, "I really need to find a girlfriend. This is hard to watch."

Reyes laughed, "What about Selina?"

"Don’t even go there," Leo said, shaking his head.

Aylin jumped in, "Do you really think you’ll find a girlfriend at your age?"

Leo smirked and replied, "If our boss can score a younger one, why can’t I find a girlfriend, right?"

Laughter bubbled up, easing the mood they all really needed.

As they left the ops room, each with their own piece of the puzzle, one unspoken truth lingered:

The storm was on the way.

And when it hit, not everyone would come out okay.

*****

In the guest room, Ayla was curled up against Liam’s chest, her breathing already evening out as she fell asleep.

Liam was staring at the ceiling, his mind racing.

His phone, tucked under the pillow, buzzed once.

He carefully pulled it out and checked the screen.

Status?

He hesitated over the keyboard. Finally, he typed: In position. Awaiting orders.

He deleted the message thread, shut off the phone, and placed it back under the pillow.

Ayla stirred slightly, mumbling something that wasn’t clear, her fingers gripping his shirt.

That gesture—so trusting and innocent—felt like a sharp twist in his chest.

"I’m really sorry," he whispered into the dark, his voice barely above a murmur. He reached out to stroke her hair, his hand slightly shaking. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."

But that wasn’t entirely true, was it?

He had planned to get close. He had aimed to sneak in. He was ready to use whatever it took to complete the mission.

He just didn’t expect it to hit him like this.

"I don’t know what to do," he kept going, the words spilling out in broken whispers. "I was just following orders. And then somewhere along the line, I—" His throat tightened. "I don’t know when I got so attached to you. When you got so attached to me."

Ayla’s breathing was steady, blissfully unaware.

"You look at me like I’m someone worth saving," Liam said softly, his eyes stinging. "Like I’m a good person. And God, Ayla, I’m not. I really am not."

His fingers traced the curve of her shoulder, memorizing how warm she felt.

"When you find out the truth..." He stopped, clenching his jaw. "You’re gonna hate me. You should hate me."

The phone under his pillow felt as heavy as a ton.

He pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead—so tender.

"I wish I could just tell you," he said quietly. "I wish I could give you a heads-up. But I can’t. And that makes me the worst kind of jerk."

Ayla shifted and snuggled closer, prompting Liam to instinctively wrap his arms tighter around her.

He was looking out for her.

Even as he prepared to let her down.

"Forgive me," he whispered into her hair. "Please, when the time comes... forgive me."

But saying sorry didn’t change a thing.

The mission was the mission.

And Liam had always been very good at finishing missions.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe steadily, matching her peaceful sleep.

In just a few hours, everything would be turned upside down.

In a few hours, he would have to choose.

And when the knife drops—

And only one of them would make it through the cut.

Was Liam the ghost who saved Ayla in the woods, or the knife that would stab them all in the back?

He feared the answer was both.