CHAPTER 15
As I stepped out of the old woman‘ house, the air felt heavy. The alley was dimly lit, the faint hum of the city in the distance. Every sound made me flinch–a dog barking, the faint creak of a door somewhere down the block.
I pulled out my phone, fingers trembling slightly, and dialed Daniel’s number. He picked up on the first ring.
“Where are you?” His voice was sharp but steady.
“I’m…I’m okay,” I said quickly. “I‘ 11 send you my location. Can you pick me up?”
“Of course,” he said. “Stay where you are and stay out of sight.”
“Got it.”
I hung up, took a deep breath, and started walking. The narrow alleys twisted and
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turned like a maze, and I could feel the weight of my earlier decisions pressing down on me. I knew Daniel and the others wouldn’t be happy, but I didn’t regret leading the thugs away from them.
As I turned a corner, I froze. A figure stood at the far end of the alley, barely visible under the faint glow of a streetlight. My heart dropped.
It was Marco Salvani.
He stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate. The shadows stretched behind him like an ominous shroud, and I could see the glint of something in his hand.
I took a step back, my breath catching in my throat.
“This isn’t real,” I whispered to myself. “This has to be a nightmare.”
But it wasn’t.
I spun on my boots and bolted, my feet pounding against the cracked pavement.
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My mind raced, filled with flashes of Marco’s face, his threats, his cold, calculating eyes.
Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me into the shadows.
“No!” I screamed, kicking and thrashing, my heart racing in panic.
“Daphne, stop!” a voice hissed.
I froze. The voice wasn‘ t Marco‘ s.
I opened my eyes and saw Daniel Monetti standing in front of me, his expression calm but concerned.
“Daniel?” I gasped, my chest heaving.
“Who else?” he said, letting go of my arm. “You were about to run into more trouble.”
“I thought…” I trailed off, shaking my head. “I thought you were someone else.”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
I nodded, still shaken, and followed him to
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the car parked a block away
Weve got back to the Obsidian Knights headquarters, Sue was the first to grootus Her arms were cssed, and her expression was equal parts rehot and
p
we alive,” she said, her voice
clipped. Don’t pull a stunt like that
I nodded, unable to meet her eyes.
Daniel stepped in, his tone calmer. “She did what she thought was necessary. Misleading the thugs bought us time”
Sue huffed but didn’t argue
I glanced at Blake, who was sitting on one of the couches with a damp towel pressed to his face. His cheek was swollen, and
there was a small cut near his eyebrow. Guilt hit me like a freight train.
“I’m sorry.” I said softly.
Blake looked up. his usual smirk replaced
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by a tired but understanding expression. “Don’t be. Gangs like that? They re always lurking around places like Mannheim. This isn’t new.”
“But you got hurt,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s part of the job,” he replied, shrugging. “You didn’t make them show up. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
I nodded, though the guilt still lingered.
Daniel walked over to the table where the package Blake had retrieved was sitting. He opened it carefully, revealing an assortment of items: silicone masks, wigs, and various other props.
“Our next mission,” Daniel began, “requires precision. Gregor Fitzburg is going to be at a bar this coming Friday, and we need to get close to him without raising suspicion.”
Sue leaned forward, her interest piqued. “What’s the plan?”
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“We’ll need two people to lure him into a private area where we can get the information we need,” Daniel explained. “And these“-he gestured to the masks-“are going to help.”
The masks were disturbingly lifelike, each one crafted to transform its wearer into someone completely different.
Blake picked up one of the masks and held it up to his face. “So, we‘ re going full undercover, huh?”
“Exactly,” Daniel said.
I stared at the masks, a mix of curiosity and unease bubbling in my chest. “This is elaborate.”
Sue smirked. “What did you expect? We‘ re
not amateurs.”
As Daniel laid out the details of the plan, I couldn’t help but notice the way the guys exchanged knowing glances when he brought up the disguises.
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pero peopl said, narrowing my eyes. “Are you rowhere asly suggesting-”
mere need.
of us,” Blake said, trying to suppress a
Beshe gesture
elp.”
are going to have to dress up. And by
oks of it, these masks are, uh,
s dvere distur
dito transform
ked, realization dawning. “Are we
to remake White Chicks?”
completely dif
ted up one of th
s face. “So, we
om erupted in laughter, breaking the h that had hung in the air since I‘ d er, huh?“h
- ed.
Daniel said
what you want,” Daniel said, a small the masks, aging at his lips. “But if it gets us ibbling in my Gregor, it’s worth it.”
or faded quickly as we all turned ed. “What did ne task at hand. Tomorrow‘
urs.”
S
TS.” would be dangerous, and there
om for error.
laid out thed out
help but nonght stretched on, I couldn’t d knowing gfeeling of Marco’s shadow p the disguiseover me. Even as we planned, his
nted me, a constant reminder that
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the past wasn’t done with me yet.
Deep down, I knew–he was getting closer.
