She hit send and waited.

Zayden replied quickly.

"Change of plans. We need those girls on stage. All 15. But we can’t risk the real ones. Here’s what we do."

His next message said, "First, swap out all 15 girls with our female operatives. They need to wear the same dresses and masks. They’re gonna play the role."

He messaged again. "Second, tell Charles to clean up the basement. Get rid of Alpha’s dead guards and replace them with our people disguised as his men. They need to act just like his guards. No talking unless absolutely necessary."

His next message came in. "Third, Sarah will bring the girls’ costumes back from the tower. Our operatives will wear them. They need to get in position before Alpha shows up."

Another message popped up as Azalea read through everything. "Fourth, when Alpha and Maksim come to get the ’girls’ for the auction, our operatives will go along with it. They should act scared and submissive. They’ve got to get on that stage."

"Fifth, once all 15 are on stage and the bidding starts, we’ll have them exactly where we want them: exposed, on camera, committing crimes live."

"Sixth, then we strike."

Azalea read through the messages again.

Then, she copied the whole message and sent it to Charles.

His reply came right away.

"Got it. How long do I have?"

Azalea glanced at the footage. Alpha and Maksim were still chatting and drinking.

"90 minutes until they roll in for the girls. You’ve got 60 to clean up and get everything ready."

"On it."

Azalea switched to her chat with Sarah.

"Need costumes for all 15 girls: white dresses and silver masks. Fast. Also need 15 female operatives prepped to go undercover as captured girls. Can you pull this off?"

Sarah took a bit longer to respond, two minutes.

Then she replied, "The girls are changing now. I’ll have the costumes ready in 10 minutes. The female operatives are getting briefed. Give me an hour. We’ll be good to go."

Azalea typed back, "You’ve got 1 hour. No more."

Sarah shot back immediately: "Got it."

Azalea forwarded everything to Zayden.

He gave a thumbs up. Then he texted, "Keep an eye on Alpha. Let me know when he moves."

*****

Charles was standing in the middle of the mess.

Twenty-two dead guards were scattered around him.

Blood was everywhere.

Shell casings covered the floor.

It looked like a complete massacre.

"I need a cleanup crew. Now. And I need my team, who can pretend to be Alpha’s guards. Send them in civilian clothes. They’ll change here."

"Got it," came the reply. "ETA ten minutes."

Charles walked through the basement, checking things out and making plans.

The chairs were still there. Zip ties were all over the floor where Linda had cut them.

He started moving the bodies, dragging them into a storage room at the back of the basement.

One by one.

It was tough work—really tiring.

But it had to be done.

By the time his team got there, he had already moved eighteen of the twenty-two bodies.

The team slipped in through the service entrance, fifteen men. Some for the basement, the rest for patrol routes.

Charles pointed to the bodies in the hallway. "We’ve got four more bodies to move. Get them into the storage room, then strip off their uniforms. You’re gonna wear those uniforms." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The men didn’t hesitate.

They got to work quickly and professionally.

In about twenty minutes, all twenty-two bodies were stashed away.

The basement was cleaned; they wiped up the blood and picked up the shell casings.

Chairs were reset, and new zip ties were put in place.

Now, fifteen of Charles’s men were decked out in Alpha guard uniforms.

They looked the part.

Charles walked down the line, checking out his men.

"You’re Alpha men now," he said. "No talking unless someone asks you a direct question. No smiling or joking around. You stand, you watch, and you act bored. Got it?"

Fifteen heads nodded in agreement.

"If Alpha or Maksim come down here, treat them like they’re gods. Yes, sir. No, sir. Whatever you say, sir. Understand?"

More nods followed.

"Great. Now spread out. Five of you stay here in the basement. The rest should take up positions in the hallways, matching the real guards’ patrol patterns."

The men moved into their spots.

Charles checked his watch.

Nearly two hours had passed since the assault.

Sarah would show up with the operatives in thirteen minutes.

He messaged Azalea.

"Basement is clean. Guards are replaced. Ready for operatives."

Azalea replied, "Sarah will be here. Stand by."

Charles shot back, "Standing by."

*****

Sarah stood in front of fifteen women, all trained operatives with experience in undercover work. Each of them held a white silk dress and a silver glittery mask.

"Listen up," Sarah started. "You’re about to head into an auction where you’ll fake being captured, girls. You need to come off as terrified, traumatized, and submissive."

The women were paying attention.

"Alpha Dark and Maksim Karza will come to get you. They’ll take you upstairs, put you on a stage, and auction you off to a room full of rich criminals."

One operative, a woman named Rachel, in her mid-twenties with dark hair, raised her hand. "So we just... go along with it?"

"Yeah," Sarah replied. "You’ll cry, shake, and act scared. Don’t fight back or talk back. Act like broken girls who’ve given up hope."

"For how long?" another operative asked.

"Until the bidding starts. We need to capture them committing crimes. Once that’s done, the Hazard King team will come in. When you hear gunfire, drop to the ground and stay down until you get the all-clear."

Rachel nodded. "What if someone tries to touch us?"

"Before the breach? You let it happen," Sarah said. "I know it feels wrong, but you can’t break cover. Not until we’ve got them all."

Silence filled the room.

Then, another operative, an older woman, maybe in her thirties with blonde hair, spoke up.