"Fine. Let's chase her now!" Dad snapped.
"Okay!" I bolted toward the door—but he caught my wrist.
"Wait. You're staying here. I'm sure Louna installed a GPS tracker inside Nancy's body. I need you to guide me remotely."
His voice left no room for argument.
Louna…
That name still echoed deep inside me.
His late wife.
My mother.
But how?
How did he end up serving that same organisation?
"It was her," I whispered. "That woman in the black skirt. Crimson Night—wavy brown hair, glasses, red lips. That was her."
His jaw tightened.
"That damned vixen again… I should've known."
He threw on his black suit jacket, stormed out, and jumped into his car.
"Guide me," he ordered through the Bluetooth.
I nodded and pulled out the laptop, syncing the GPS grid. The moment I activated it, a pulse flickered—Nancy's location, blinking in red.
"Straight... take the right… now 200 meters, go left… yfufig… ffjfjgk—hcjf—"
Static crackled through the speaker.
Still, he kept following.
Finally, he pulled up outside an abandoned playground on the outskirts.
A black car sat parked by the swings.
He stepped out slowly.
There she was.
The same woman: Crimson Night.
Her shiny black glasses caught the moonlight. Her red lipstick curled into a sly smile. Her tilted hat threw a shadow across her face. The wind whipped the hem of her skirt like a flag of warning.
Nancy was nearby, giggling as she played.
"Hey Dad!" she called from a distance. "Guess what? This lady said Mommy's coming soon!"
His heart stopped.
Crimson leaned down beside Nancy, gently placing her gloved hands on her small shoulders.
"Go play over there, dear. Your mom will join us soon."
"What about you, mademoiselle?"
"I'll just chat with your dad. We're planning your surprise."
"Yay!"
Nancy ran off joyfully.
Then Crimson Night turned to face him.
"So… who is she, Northern Dark?"
He stiffened.
That codename… no one outside the organisation was supposed to know it.
"She's my neighbor's daughter," he said quickly. "I'm just watching her for the night."
She tilted her head, amused.
"Really? Then it won't be a problem if I don't hand her back."
"What are you saying?"
"She's your daughter, Thomas."
He froze.
A bead of sweat trailed down his neck.
"So what if she is?"
"Nothing… unless you want her alive."
She smirked and stepped back, drawing a knife. The blade flashed as she held it near Nancy's throat.
"Call Dark here. Now. But try anything… and she dies. And don't even think of calling her into the car."
"D-Dhahd… sob… sob…" Nancy whimpered, sensing the danger.
I heard it all through the comms.
Because Dark… was me.
"Come," Dad whispered into the mic.
I was already on my way.
As I sprinted through the shadows, their voices continued over the headset.
"How did you find us, Crimson?" Dad asked, stalling.
"Hacked. Tracked," she said smugly. "The GPS in you—straight from Dark's own laptop."
Of course.
Only Black Vane's highest heads and the Boss had access to agent implants.
But I had hacked them all when Dad went into hiding after his betrayal.
I remember the day I broke in.
The night I cut my own tracker out of my skin.
The blood.
The shaking hands.
The first breath of freedom.
"I've been watching your apartment for two days," she hissed.
"So that's why you canceled the meeting," he growled.
"Good boy."
Suddenly—
A loud crack above her.
Broken tiles. Smoke. A blur.
Me.
I dropped from the rooftop, dressed in full black.
Mask. Glasses. Tight black suit.
Silent. Swift.
I landed behind her without a sound.
Snatched Nancy.
And vanished.
Acrobatics. Rooftop to rooftop. Vaulting over signs. Blending into the city blur.
"DARK!" she screamed behind me.
But I was already gone.
Nancy clung to me, heart pounding.
"Who are you, mademoiselle? Are you like that scary woman? Where's Mom?"
I held her closer.
"I am your masked mom," I whispered.
"Really?!"
She lit up, beaming.
We landed in a narrow alleyway where shadows swallowed everything.
I crouched and gently placed her down.
"Take off your mask! Please?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"No. If I do… I'll disappear from this world. But listen—whenever you call me, I'll come. I promise."
"Yes!" she said brightly.
She wrapped her small arms around my neck. I hugged her tight, burying my face in her shoulder.
A car pulled into the alley. Dad.
He didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Just sat behind the wheel, eyes glassy with silence.
Then I saw his lips move.
"I miss you, Louna…"