During a lavish masked gala in Venice, a fake waiter tries to poison Evelyn's wine glass with a neurotoxin. Lucas intercepts the drink, forces the assassin to swallow it on the spot, and listens as the dying hitman gasps out the location of the Global Crown's European hub.The crystal chandeliers of the Venetian palace reflected off a sea of gold masks and sweeping silk gowns. Classic orchestra music drifted over the crowd, but my eyes stayed glued to the room.I stood two paces behind Evelyn, keeping my back straight in a tailored dark suit. She looked like royalty, moving gracefully between European banking lords and oil tycoons. So, anyway, high-society parties were usually boring, but tonight felt different. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a pocket knife.A waiter carrying a silver tray approached our cluster. He wore a white porcelain mask and a spotless uniform. His posture looked standard, but his left thumb rested against the base of a wine stem in a weirdl

I uncover Commander Vane’s betrayal, outmaneuver his attempts to lock me out of our European network, and race to save Evelyn from an incoming ambush.So, Commander Vane thought he was slick.Anyway, sitting in the back of the armored sedan, I stared at the encrypted tablet while neon lights blurred across the rain-slicked glass. The European network logs were bleeding red. Vane had been leaking top-level Syndicate intel directly to the Global Crown for weeks. He really thought hiding behind complex firewalls would keep me in the dark. How cute.I leaned back, resting my chin on my knuckle. "Ghost, pull up Vane's personal command node.""Already on it, boss," Ghost's calm voice echoed through my earpiece. "He's currently sitting in our Geneva hub, trying to isolate your clearance level. He thinks he can lock you out of the regional network before you land."I almost laughed out loud. Vane was a decent tactical officer, sure, but his ambition was way bigger than his brain. "Let him tr

Evelyn and Lucas arrive in rain-soaked Tokyo to secure a crucial supply chain agreement, only for a local syndicate boss to corner them with hundreds of street thugs. When the boss tries to intimidate them, Lucas summons the regional Bloodhound Commander, forcing the boss onto his knees in the dirt. The encounter ends with Evelyn overhearing the boss address Lucas as "My Lord."Neon rain slicked the asphalt outside the Shinjuku high-rise. Water dripped off the edge of my umbrella, landing with a soft splash near my leather shoes. Tokyo at night smelled like wet concrete, cheap exhaust, and cold diesel.Beside me, Evelyn pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders. She gripped her leather briefcase like a shield. We were here to sign a crucial supply chain deal for Sterling Enterprises. The local electronics manufacturing network depended entirely on this contract. If we secured it, our supply lines across Asia became unshakeable."The local representative said to meet in this alleywa

Bounty hunters flood Tokyo to collect on Evelyn, but Lucas silently reverses the darknet contract onto the Global Crown's board members, sending an army of killers straight for their employers.Neon rain slicked the asphalt outside our hotel in Shinjuku. The red and blue lights reflected off the wet pavement like spilled ink. Inside the private suite, Evelyn paced the length of the hardwood floor. Her phone buzzed every three seconds. Stock prices, board alerts, emergency security warnings."Ten billion dollars, Lucas," she said, stopping by the floor-to-ceiling glass. She folded her arms tightly. "Someone put a ten-billion-dollar price tag on my head. Every private contractor and underground crew on earth is flying into Tokyo right now."I stood by the wet window frame, swirling two fingers of scotch in a heavy glass. The ice clinked against the crystal. "So they value you. That is a compliment.""This is not a joke," she snapped, turning to face me. "We are trapped in a city surroun

Lucas launches a ruthless 24-hour cleanup across three continents, stripping arrogant directors of their wealth and breaking the Global Crown's outer defense ring.Three continents in twenty-four hours. So, that was the schedule Ghost handed me over our secure line before sunrise. The Global Crown thought their international distance gave them armor. They figured a few ocean trenches could keep my reach away from their bank accounts and private estates. They were dead wrong. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of our Manhattan suite, taking a slow sip of lukewarm hotel coffee. Evelyn was still fast asleep in the next room, exhausted after yesterday's endless corporate press briefings. Outside, the morning sun reflected off the cold glass of Wall Street skyscrapers. The city was just waking up. They had no idea the financial map of the world was currently being torn to shreds behind closed doors.My phone vibrated against the dark wood table. I picked it up."London is clean," Ghos