BREAK THE HANDLER

The Confrontation

The cabin appeared through the trees. Dark. Silent.

Dante parked a quarter mile away and approached on foot. His weapon was drawn. His senses were sharp.

The door was open.

He stepped inside.

Naomi sat on the floor, her hands bound behind her back. Her face was bruised. Her lip was split.

"They found me," she said. "Webb's men. They took the prisoners."

Dante's grip tightened on his weapon. "Where?"

"I don't know. They knocked me out. When I woke up, they were gone."

Dante studied her. The bruises were real. The fear in her eyes was real.

But he'd been fooled before.

"Ana," he said. "The morgue. The body wasn't her. It was a fake."

Naomi's eyes widened. "What?"

"The scar on her wrist. It was fresh. Someone created it to make the body look like her."

Naomi stared at him. "Ana is alive?"

"I don't know. But the body was staged. Just like Gary's. Just like Danny's."

Naomi shook her head. "I didn't know. I swear."

Dante moved closer. His weapon was still raised. "Gary left a message. 'Look at the dead.' He knew something was wrong. He knew the bodies were staged."

"Then who did it?"

"Someone with skills. Someone who knew my methods. Someone who knew how to make it look real."

Naomi's face went pale. "Webb."

"Webb had help. Someone inside my circle. Someone feeding him information."

Naomi met his eyes. "You think it's me."

"I think it could be anyone. But you were there from the start. You sold me out once. You could do it again."

Naomi's voice was steady. "I sold you out because Webb had my family. I told you that."

"And I believed you."

"You still don't?"

Dante's finger hovered over the trigger. "The traitor knew about Gary's cabin. Knew about the Silo. Knew about the airfield. You knew all of those things."

"So did Sasha. So did Viktor."

"Sasha and Viktor weren't with me from the start. You were."

Naomi's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't betray you, Dante. Not this time. I've been trying to make things right. Trying to save the prisoners. Trying to help you."

Dante stared at her. The tears were real. The fear was real.

But so was the possibility that she was lying.

"Gary found something," he said. "Evidence. Something that connected Webb to Aldrich. Something that could bring down the network."

Naomi nodded. "The flash drive. I have it."

"I know. But there's more. Gary left a key. Hidden in the Silo. Something else he wanted me to find."

Naomi's expression changed. "What key?"

Dante pulled the rusted key from his pocket. "This. I found it in the morgue. Gary pointed to it with his dying breath."

Naomi studied the key. "What does it open?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

He walked to the door. "I'll take you with me. To the Silo. If you're innocent, you'll help me find what Gary hid. If you're the traitor, you'll try to stop me."

Naomi struggled to her feet. "I'm not the traitor."

"Then prove it."

They left the cabin. The forest was quiet. Too quiet.

Dante moved fast, Naomi close behind.

They reached the car. Drove toward the city.

The Silo was dark. Silent. The same as before.

Dante unlocked the hatch. Descended the ladder.

Naomi followed.

The bunker was unchanged. The bodies were gone. The air filtration system hummed.

Dante pulled out the key. Examined it.

There was a lockbox under the cot. Hidden. He'd never noticed it before.

He fit the key. Turned it.

The lockbox opened.

Inside was a folder. Thick. Filled with documents.

Dante pulled it out. Started reading.

Photos. Financial records. Communication logs.

Names. Dates. Locations.

The entire network. Every operation. Every target. Every death.

And at the center of it all, a photograph of Webb and Aldrich standing with a third man.

A man Dante recognized.

Senator Aldrich's chief of staff. The man who'd been overseeing the operation from the start.

Gary had found everything. The network's structure. Its funding. Its leadership.

And he'd hidden it all here.

Naomi looked over his shoulder. "This is it. This is what we needed."

Dante nodded. "Webb can't hide anymore. Neither can Aldrich."

"But the prisoners. They're still out there. Webb took them."

Dante closed the folder. "I know where they are."

"How?"

"Because Webb is predictable. He's going to the one place he feels safe. The network's headquarters."

Naomi's eyes widened. "The island?"

"No. Somewhere closer. Somewhere he can control everything."

Dante stood. "I'm going after them. Alone."

"Dante—"

"If I take you, Webb will kill you. You're a liability now. He knows you turned against him."

Naomi grabbed his arm. "Then let me help. I can draw his attention. Create a distraction."

Dante studied her. The offer was sincere. But so was the risk.

"Stay here," he said. "Guard this place. If I don't come back, take the folder and run. Find a journalist. A lawyer. Anyone who can expose the truth."

Naomi's eyes filled with tears again. "Don't do this alone."

"I don't have a choice."

He walked to the ladder. Climbed to the surface.

The sky was grey. The air was cold.

He pulled out his phone. Sent a message to Webb.

"I have the evidence. All of it. Meet me at the port. Midnight. Come alone."

The reply came fast.

"Midnight. Don't be late."

Dante pocketed the phone.

He knew Webb wouldn't come alone. He'd bring an army.

But that was fine.

Dante had an army too. A weapon. A folder.

And nothing left to lose.

He walked toward the city.

The final showdown was coming.

---

Would you walk into certain death to save the ones you failed?