The hum of the city outside barely reached the warehouse as Nathan, Cassandra, and Liam advanced cautiously through the wreckage. Smoke and sparks still danced in the air, but the immediate threat of the masked attackers had faded. That didn’t mean the danger was over—far from it. Every movement they’d just survived had been part of a larger puzzle, and Nathan had the sinking feeling that the next piece wasn’t going to be kind.“Something’s off,” Nathan muttered, crouching behind a toppled metal crate. His eyes scanned the room, noting a faint shimmer of movement near a darkened stairwell. “They’re not finished.”Cassandra’s hand instinctively rested on her weapon. “I know. The fire, the attackers… that was the distraction. Whoever set this up is still watching, waiting for us to slip.”Liam’s voice was tight, controlled. “Marcus and Elena—if we leave them, they could warn her. Or worse, double-cross us again.”Nathan didn’t answer immediately. He was analyzing the layout, the shadows

The warehouse trembled with every distant rumble from the city outside, but inside, the tension was tighter than steel. Sparks from broken machinery sizzled across the concrete floor, and smoke twisted around the beams, casting dancing shadows that made every corner seem alive with threat. Nathan’s eyes scanned the catwalk above, where Marjorie had perched like a predatory bird, every movement calculated, every breath measured. She wasn’t just an enemy—she was a storm waiting to crash down on them, and Nathan knew that one misstep could cost everything.Cassandra crouched beside him, weapon steady, eyes darting over the shadows. “We can’t hold her up there forever. If she escapes, she’ll regroup and we’ll be back at square one. We need a plan—fast.”Liam’s voice was low but sharp. “She’s baiting us. Every trap, every attacker, every distraction… it’s all to see how far we’ll go. But we can’t react. We have to force her to act, not the other way around.”Nathan’s jaw clenched. “Then we

The roar of the collapsing catwalk echoed through the warehouse like a thunderclap. Sparks and flames erupted in every direction as debris rained down, sending thick clouds of smoke curling around Nathan, Cassandra, and Liam. Their lungs burned, eyes stung, but there was no time to pause—Marjorie had planned every inch of this chaos, and surviving it meant moving faster than the storm itself.Nathan grabbed Cassandra’s arm, pulling her to the side as a massive steel beam crashed where she had been seconds before. “Keep moving! Don’t let her dictate the pace!”Liam swung a metal pipe into a collapsing stack of crates, clearing a path while forcing a few of the remaining attackers back. “She’s not here to fight fair! Every second counts!”From above, Marjorie’s voice rang down, calm and mocking despite the chaos. “You’re persistent… I’ll give you that. But persistence doesn’t unmake a trap you walked straight into.”Nathan’s eyes scanned the wreckage. He could see the faint outline of a

Marjorie’s grip on the railing trembled, her breath coming in shallow, sharp gasps. The smoke swirled around her, thick and blinding, flames licking at the edges of her precarious perch. For the first time, she wasn’t in control. For the first time, the carefully orchestrated chaos she had relied on felt like a cage, and Nathan, Liam, and Cassandra were closing in like predators who had finally learned her rhythm.Nathan stepped forward cautiously, the heat from the flames warming his skin but not slowing him. “It’s over, Marjorie. Every lie, every trap, every betrayal—it ends here.”Marjorie’s eyes flashed with defiance. “You… you can’t possibly think you’ve won. I built this. I am… untouchable!”Cassandra’s voice was cold, unwavering. “Untouchable? Maybe. But not unstoppable. Not tonight.”The catwalk groaned again under Marjorie’s weight. Sparks showered down, and for a fleeting moment, she lost her balance. Nathan’s eyes narrowed. He could see the fear, sharp and raw, slicing thro

The warehouse shuddered, flames twisting into black smoke that stung Nathan’s eyes and filled his lungs, but he didn’t falter. Marjorie’s face, pale and wide-eyed, stared back at him from the edge of the broken catwalk. For the first time, she was no longer the predator. Every trap she had set, every manipulative scheme she had orchestrated, had been turned against her. She was exposed, and Nathan, Liam, and Cassandra moved like a single, lethal unit, closing in without hesitation.“Marjorie,” Nathan called, his voice echoing over the roar of the fire. “It ends now. No more games. Step down, or face the consequences of everything you’ve done.”Her lips curled into a fleeting, desperate smile. “Consequences… you have no idea what I’m capable of!”Cassandra’s eyes narrowed, weapon trained steadily. “Try me.”Liam moved to the other side, cutting off her escape route. “You wanted chaos, you wanted fear, you wanted control—but you forgot one thing: you can’t break what refuses to bend.”M