Dawn came gray and heavy with mist, the streets still slick from the night's rain.
Elijah followed Luca through the narrow alleys of the old district, every sense on edge. They hadn't spoken much since last night—only clipped words about the plan. But that moment in the storage room still pulsed in Elijah's memory like a fresh bruise.
This wasn't the time to think about Luca's confession. Not when they were heading straight into the stronghold of Vargas Corp, the company at the heart of the deal that had destroyed the Reyes family.
The enemy's headquarters.
---
"You still remember the layout?" Luca asked without looking back.
"Every hallway," Elijah said. He didn't add that he'd once been here as an invited guest, smiling over champagne with the same men they were about to outmaneuver.
"Good. Then you know we can't be seen. We get in, find the files, and get out before the shift changes."
"And if they catch us?"
Luca glanced over his shoulder, a flicker of dark amusement in his eyes. "Then you follow my lead and pray I'm still as fast as I used to be."
---
They reached the service entrance—a rusted metal door tucked between stacks of shipping crates. Luca knelt, producing a set of tools from inside his jacket. His hands were steady, precise, the lock clicking open in seconds.
"You've done this before," Elijah murmured.
"You'd be surprised how many corporate secrets hide behind cheap locks," Luca replied, pushing the door open.
Inside, the air was cool and smelled faintly of antiseptic. They moved like shadows, footsteps soundless on the polished floor.
---
Every corner they turned felt like walking a tightrope over a drop Elijah couldn't see the bottom of.
Then voices.
They froze, pressed against the wall as two guards passed by. One of them laughed, the sound sharp in the stillness. Elijah felt Luca's hand brush his, a warning to stay completely still.
The footsteps faded, but Luca didn't move right away. His eyes met Elijah's, and for a second Elijah thought he saw something—concern?—before Luca finally nodded toward the next hallway.
---
They reached the records room without another close call. The door had an electronic keypad.
"Elijah," Luca said quietly. "You know the code?"
"Yes. But… it's changed weekly. I can try an override."
He knelt by the panel, fingers flying over the keys. Luca crouched beside him, close enough that Elijah could feel the heat of his shoulder.
"You're shaking," Luca said.
"Because I'm not used to breaking into a place where half the guards have orders to shoot on sight," Elijah muttered.
---
The lock released with a soft beep. They slipped inside, closing the door behind them. Rows of filing cabinets stretched out like a maze, and at the far end, a single computer terminal glowed faintly in the dim light.
"This is it," Luca said.
Elijah moved to the terminal and began typing, pulling up files—contracts, ledgers, and one labeled Project Serpent. His stomach twisted.
"These are the shell companies they used to drain our accounts," Elijah said. "But this one—Serpent—it's something else. It's tied to offshore accounts, weapons shipments—"
The lights suddenly snapped on.
---
"Step away from the terminal," a voice said from the doorway.
Elijah's blood ran cold. Three men stood there—two with guns, one in a dark suit he recognized instantly.
Adrian Vargas.
"Ah," Adrian said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "The prodigal Reyes. And… Luca Veltran. I should've known you'd come crawling back together."
Elijah felt Luca shift slightly, putting himself between Elijah and the guns.
"Let him go," Luca said, his voice low, dangerous.
Adrian chuckled. "Oh, I don't think so. You see, you both just walked into the lion's den… and lions don't let prey walk out."
---