"Hazard King is coming for us," Maksim warned. "Both of us. If he can take out my operations so easily, what makes you think yours are safe?"

Alpha looked a bit rattled. "The auction—"

"Needs to happen," Maksim cut in. "Agreed. But we have to make sure there are no... disruptions."

Alpha looked at Alexander. "Kane, go keep an eye on the auction floor. I want security ramped up—double it, or even triple if we have to. If Hazard King can break into Maksim’s operation, he can get into ours too. We can’t let anything go wrong tonight."

Alexander nodded. "Got it. I’ll take care of it myself."

"Good. Go on."

Alexander stepped out of the office.

In the van, Aylin noticed him leave. "Alexander is heading out," she said.

Azalea asked, "Where’s he going?"

"To the auction floor. Alpha told him to boost security."

Liam frowned. "That makes things trickier."

Aylin’s phone buzzed with a message from Alexander.

"Alpha’s being paranoid. He wants me to double the security at the auction. He thinks Hazard King might make a move tonight. What should I do?"

Aylin shared the message with Azalea and Liam before sending it to Zayden.

Zayden replied quickly.

"Let them beef up security. We’ll deal with it. Stay put and keep feeding us info."

Aylin passed Zayden’s message along to Alexander.

Back in Alpha’s office, Maksim and Alpha were still talking.

"They’re turning against each other," Azalea pointed out. "Or at least, Alpha seems scared, and Maksim looks furious."

Aylin smiled. "Awesome. They’re scared."

Azalea leaned back. "They should be."

Liam checked his watch. "The auction starts in forty-five minutes. Guests are showing up."

On the monitors, fancy cars pulled up, and men in suits and women in gowns stepped out.

Monsters in disguise—coming to buy kids.

Aylin felt anger bubbling inside her, but she knew one thing for sure:

They could rescue them.

No—they would rescue them.

Because Leo and Reyes were already in there.

*****

Aylin’s thoughts drifted back to yesterday.

It was only a day ago in the planning room.

She had been the one to pitch the idea.

"We need some people at the auction," Aylin said. "We need eyes on the ground, close to Alpha."

Leo jumped in right away. "I’ll go."

"Not by yourself," Reyes said. "I’m in too."

Zayden frowned. "It’s too risky. If Alpha spots you—"

"He won’t," Leo cut in. "Because we won’t go as ourselves."

That’s when Aylin pulled up the guest list.

A few weeks back, she had hacked into the Alpha network and found everything, including who was attending the auction.

Seventy-three people were set to show up, all rich and dangerous.

Aylin scanned the names, looking for targets—ones that were easy to swap out.

And she found two.

Victor Marlowe, a British businessman in his fifties, who had two bodyguards with him. His attendance was confirmed.

And James Chen, an American tech investor in his forties, also with two guards. He was confirmed as well.

Both guys kept a low profile and weren’t photographed much, making them perfect targets.

"These two," Aylin said, highlighting their profiles. "We grab them and take their identities. Leo becomes Marlowe; Reyes takes Chen."

Azalea leaned in. "And what about their guards?"

"Leo’s crew will take Marlowe’s guards’ places, and Reyes’s team will cover Chen’s. That gives us four armed guards inside the auction hall," Aylin explained.

Liam smirked. "Just like the Vincenzo plan."

Aylin smiled at the reference. "Exactly. We act like the guests, use their IDs, and walk right through the front door."

Zayden was weighing their options. "How are we going to find these guys?"

Aylin answered, "Marlowe is landing in the city tomorrow morning on a private jet and will be at the Regency Hotel. Chen shows up in the afternoon, but he’ll be at a different spot: the Carlisle.

"So we snag them when they get here," Leo suggested.

"Exactly," Aylin confirmed. "Quietly. No witnesses. We’ll take them to the tower and lock them up in high-security cells until the auction is done."

Charles brought up a point. "What if they try to warn Alpha? Reach out for help?"

"They won’t," Aylin said confidently. "We’ll make them think that working with us is their only choice. We’ll show them proof of what they’ve done and give them an option: help us or get in trouble."

Reyes nodded. "Fear works wonders."

William asked, "And if they say no?"

"Then we’ll keep them anyway," Zayden said coldly. "By force, if we have to. But I doubt they’ll resist once they see the evidence we have on them."

The plan was in place.

*****

Yesterday morning at 9:47 AM, Victor Marlowe’s private jet rolled in.

He stepped off the plane with his two bodyguards and headed for the waiting car. Leo’s crew was all set.

They moved quickly and smoothly—three against three.

Marlowe’s guards went down fast, taken out by tranquilizer darts. Silent and efficient.

Marlowe himself tried to make a run for it but didn’t get far.

Leo caught him, covering his mouth. "Don’t shout. Don’t fight back. We’re not here to hurt you, but you’re coming with us."

Marlowe was tossed into an unmarked van with his guards.

They were out of there in just ninety seconds.

Yesterday afternoon at 2:34 PM, James Chen showed up at the Carlisle Hotel. The Reyes team was already there waiting for him.

They used the same approach, and the result was the same. Chen and his two bodyguards were in custody within two minutes. Both were taken to the tower and put in separate interrogation rooms.

Aylin took the lead with Marlowe. She walked into the room with a tablet, sat down across from him, and didn’t say a word for thirty seconds to let him feel the tension.

Finally, she asked, "Mr. Marlowe, do you have any idea why you’re here?"

"I have no clue," he replied.

Aylin slid the tablet over to him. On the screen were pictures, videos, and financial documents—proof of Marlowe’s illegal arms deals, child trafficking, and money laundering. Years of crimes were laid out right there.

Marlowe’s face turned ghostly pale.

"We know everything," Aylin said softly. "Every deal, every transaction, every victim."

"What do you want from me?" Marlowe’s voice was shaky.

"Your cooperation. Tomorrow night, there’s an auction. You’ll be invited, but you won’t go. Instead, we’ll use your credentials."

"You want to impersonate me?" Marlowe asked, sounding surprised.

"Yep."

"And if I say no?"

Aylin leaned in closer. "Then this evidence goes to Interpol, the FBI, MI6—basically every law enforcement agency out there. You’ll probably spend the rest of your life in prison if you’re lucky."

Marlowe stared at her, clearly processing it.

Then he asked, "What do I need to do?"

"Nothing. Just stay in this room. Don’t try to run away or contact anyone. After the auction is done, you’ll be free to go."

"What about the evidence?" he wondered.

"That all depends on how tonight goes," Aylin replied. "If you cooperate, maybe we’ll pretend we never met. If you resist, you’re done."

Marlowe nodded slowly.

In the other room, Reyes was getting the same level of help from James Chen.

Both guys were now locked up in high-security cells, with guards watching them around the clock.

Leo and Reyes had all their IDs—invitation cards, badges, and security passes.

That morning, Leo stood in front of a mirror while a makeup crew took two hours to get him ready. They used prosthetics, hair dye, and contact lenses.

When they were finished, Leo looked just like Victor Marlowe: the same face, build, and even his mannerisms.

Reyes went through the same makeover, becoming James Chen.

They were spot-on duplicates.

At 10:30 PM, they rolled up to the auction hall in two fancy cars, each with four "bodyguards"—who were actually their top operatives.

They walked up to the entrance and showed their passes.

The security guard scanned them and said, "Mr. Marlowe. Mr. Chen. Welcome. Go ahead inside."

No questions were asked. A quick scan, a glance at their credentials—and they were waved inside.

Alpha trusted his guest list, believing only rich, verified criminals would show up.

He never saw it coming that two of his guests were undercover operatives carrying hidden weapons, ready to take action.

*****

Aylin snapped back to the present.

On the screens, she saw Leo in the auction hall, looking just like a rich British businessman.

Reyes was a few rows back, staying perfectly in character.

There were eight armed operatives scattered among the guests and "bodyguards."

Alpha had no clue.

Aylin couldn’t help but smile.