20
The wind howled through the abandoned docks, carrying the scent of salt and rusted metal. Selene crouched behind a stack of shipping containers, her pulse steady but alert. **Forty-eight hours had passed. It was time.**
Damian adjusted the scope on his rifle from his vantage point on the rooftop. "I count six guards at the main entrance, another two patrolling the perimeter. Cade's expecting trouble."
Selene smirked. "Good. That means he's nervous."
From the other end of her earpiece, Kellan's voice crackled in. "I still think this is a bad idea."
Selene whispered back, "Noted." Then she moved.
She slipped between the shadows, weaving through the labyrinth of crates and rusted machinery. The warehouse loomed ahead, its windows dark, its secrets buried deep inside.
She reached the side door, picking the lock with expert precision. It clicked open, revealing a dimly lit hallway. Slipping inside, she pressed against the wall, listening.
Footsteps. Close.
A guard rounded the corner, his rifle slung over his shoulder. Before he could react, Selene struck—silent, efficient. She dragged him into the shadows, relieving him of his access card.
She pressed forward.
---
### **The Asset**
The deeper she went, the more unsettling the warehouse became. It wasn't just a smuggling operation. **It was a holding facility.**
She peeked through a grated window into a massive underground chamber. **Rows of locked cells lined the walls, filled with people—men, women, even children.**
Selene's stomach twisted. Human trafficking.
Cade wasn't just moving drugs or weapons. He was moving people.
She heard Kellan curse over the comm. "This is bigger than we thought."
Selene's grip tightened on her knife. "We shut it down. Tonight."
Damian's voice was sharp. "You're outnumbered."
Selene exhaled. "Not for long."
She slipped into the control room. A lone technician sat at a terminal, oblivious. She silenced him quickly, then accessed the security system.
Cameras. Guard rotations. Cell locks.
She hit a switch. **Every door in the underground chamber clicked open.**
The alarms blared instantly. Chaos erupted as prisoners stumbled out of their cells, their confusion turning to determination as they realized their captors had lost control.
Selene grabbed the intercom. "If you want freedom, fight for it."
The riot began.
---
### **The Reckoning**
Gunfire erupted. Guards rushed in, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the prisoners. Selene moved through the fray, dodging bullets, taking down anyone in her path.
Damian provided cover fire from the rooftop, picking off enemies with deadly precision.
Then, a familiar voice boomed over the intercom.
"Well, well. Selene."
Cade.
She turned toward the catwalk above. **There he stood, smug, untouchable—for now.**
Cade smiled. "You have no idea what you've just done."
Selene smirked, wiping blood from her cheek. "Oh, I think I do."
Their final battle had just begun.