Chapter 9 - The Betrayal Within
The rot, as it turned out, wasn't coming from the outside. It was coming from Kael.
The loyal head of security had been siphoning information to the federal authorities for months, hoping to secure his own immunity by bringing down both Vale and his new, unpredictable protege. He orchestrated a "meeting" that was meant to be an ambush, leading them into a trap at a secluded estate in the Hamptons.
When the tactical teams swarmed the estate, Adrian and Mara were caught in the crossfire.
“He sold us out,” Adrian gritted through his teeth, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead as they took cover behind a stone fountain.
“Then let’s burn the bridge,” Mara said. She didn't look back. She navigated the grounds with the same focus she had used to survive the first night. She found Kael near the extraction point, his gun trained on the exit.
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She didn't use a weapon. She used the very security protocol Kael had written for Adrian—a system she had studied every night for the past three weeks. She triggered the estate’s automated defense system, locking the doors and turning the security turrets toward the betrayer.
As Kael screamed for them to stop, Mara stood in the doorway, cold as ice. “You forgot one thing, Kael. Adrian taught me how to lead, but I taught myself how to survive.”
