Azalea sat in the tower office, three glowing screens in front of her, while her fingers flew across the keyboard.

She was working on breaking into Maksim Karza’s penthouse surveillance system.

"Audio-enabled security cameras," Leo had told her, and Maksim had set these up all over the penthouse. It was a top-notch system with some serious military-level encryption.

But Azalea was sure she would crack it eventually.

She entered another line of code and watched the progress bar move slowly across the screen.

Earlier, Leo had filled her in after the messy breakfast earlier. He had walked out in a rush, and she had gone after him to apologize.

He told her all about Selina, who had reached out months ago through an encrypted channel and had been feeding them info ever since. He said she wanted out and was looking to help bring down Alpha and Maksim.

Azalea still didn’t really trust her.

It was tough to believe someone like Selina, someone who had trafficked girls and ruined lives, could suddenly change.

Or maybe they could. Azalea wasn’t sure anymore.

What she did know was that she wasn’t going to rely only on what Selina said.

That’s why she was going after Maksim’s security cameras.

If Selina was truly on their side, the cameras would show it. They’d catch her playing along, feeding Maksim fake info, and keeping herself safe.

But if Selina wasn’t on their side, if this was all a big trap, they would need to figure it out before it was too late.

Selina had put chips in Aylin’s devices: one in Maksim’s phone and another in Alpha’s device.

The chip in Maksim’s phone was working great; they could hear everything nearby, every chat, every call.

But the chip in Alpha’s phone was dead silent.

Either Alpha had found and gotten rid of it, or he was using a different device now.

In any case, they were pretty much in the dark when it came to Alpha.

So, they really needed some visual proof.

That’s why the cameras were important.

Azalea watched the progress bar inch up to 67 percent.

She leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms and legs. It was going to take a while.

Just then, her phone buzzed.

It was a message from her secret source, the one who stayed under the radar and worked straight for Maksim.

"On standby. Will keep an eye on S if things go south. Waiting for more details."

Azalea allowed herself a small grin.

Good.

If Maksim ever caught wind of Selina’s schemes, her team would swoop in to pull her out.

Deserving or not.

Suddenly, the hidden door to the office flew open.

Azalea looked up as Zayden and Aylin stepped in from his bedroom.

She gave her brother a smile. "Morning. Again."

Zayden raised an eyebrow. "You’ve been here all morning?"

"Just a couple of hours," Azalea said, waving toward the screens. "I’m trying to hack into Maksim’s CCTV. Those audio-enabled security cameras in his penthouse are a pain. I need Aylin and Liam to help out."

Aylin stepped closer to the screens. "Why are you trying to crack his cameras?"

"Because I don’t trust your so-called informer," Azalea replied bluntly. "Selina might be feeding you intel, but I need to see proof of everything she says. And—" She paused. "I already messaged my own source. He works for Maksim and will deal with Selina if things go sideways."

Zayden nodded slowly. "We don’t trust her either, Azalea. We’re just using her for our own goals. And you know me, I don’t let things slide when someone’s done wrong. She’ll face consequences when this is over, I promise you that."

Azalea studied her brother’s expression, sensing his sincerity. "Got it."

"But for now," Zayden added, "we use every resource we can, including her."

"Understood." Azalea turned to both of them. "I need everyone here. I have some info to share with the whole team. Can you round them up in five minutes?"

Zayden looked at Aylin. She nodded and pulled out her phone, typing quickly.

"Emergency meeting. Conference room. Now."

She hit send to the group chat.

*****

Ten minutes later, everyone had gathered in the conference room next to Zayden’s office.

Liam was the first one in, still in his workout clothes. Then Reyes walked in, looking all professional as usual. Leo slipped in quietly and took a seat at the far end of the table. Charles came next, looking a bit tired but alert, while William was the last to show up, walking at a slow but steady pace.

On the big screen at the head of the table, Sarah popped up on a video call, dressed as Black Panther, currently playing Michael Arthur’s wife.

"Is everyone here?" Zayden asked as he sat down at the head of the table.

Aylin was next to him, and Azalea was on his other side.

"We’re ready," Sarah said from the screen.

Zayden gestured to Azalea. "You called this meeting; it’s all yours."

Azalea stood up and walked to the front of the room, pulling up some files on the screen next to Sarah’s video feed.

"I got some intel this morning from my informant," she started. "Alpha has a shipment: fifteen girls, ages fourteen to sixteen. They’re being held in a warehouse basement at Pier 12."

The room went quiet.

"The auction is happening in three days," Azalea continued. "Some of them will be sold. Others—" She paused. "Others are being kept for what Alpha calls special requests."

Charles tightened his jaw, and William momentarily closed his eyes.

"We’re getting them out," Liam declared right away. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes," Azalea agreed. "But there’s more. I got someone inside."

That grabbed everyone’s attention.

"You put someone in there?" Reyes said, surprised.

Azalea showed a photo of a girl with dark hair who was twenty but could easily pass for sixteen.. She had strong features and smart eyes.

"Her name’s Layla," Azalea explained.