Elsewhere…
The city felt different at night.
Not quieter—just more honest.
I pulled my jacket tighter as I moved through the crowded street, neon lights reflecting off wet asphalt. Every step felt heavier than the last, like Adam's blood was still clinging to my shoes.
I shouldn't have let that happen.
I knew Ben was unstable. I knew what mentioning his son would do.
And yet…
I exhaled sharply.
No time for regret.
Tina.
That was all that mattered now.
I slowed as I reached the next block—and that's when I saw it.
Too clean.
Too bright.
A jewelry store, glowing like a diamond in the middle of a dying city. Security lights, polished glass, guards that looked more like decorations than actual protection.
Wrong.
Everything about it screamed wrong.
And then—
Voices.
I stepped closer, keeping to the shadows, my reflection faintly visible in the glass.
"Here we are, Anthony," a man said, his tone smooth, almost proud. "The best jewelry store in the city."
I frowned.
Anthony?
I shifted slightly, angling myself to see inside without being seen.
Two figures stood near the entrance.
One of them—tall, well-dressed, too relaxed—had the kind of posture that said he didn't fear anything in this city.
The other… younger. Stiffer. Watching everything.
Listening.
Learning.
I narrowed my eyes.
This wasn't a shopping trip.
"Everything you see here," the man continued, gesturing around, "isn't just wealth. It's leverage. Power. Influence."
Anthony didn't respond immediately.
Good. He was thinking.
"That's not why we're here, is it?" the younger one finally asked.
A small smile crept onto the older man's face.
"No," he said softly. "It isn't."
My pulse slowed.
Yeah… definitely not normal.
I glanced up and down the street.
Too many blind spots. Too few civilians. Even the air felt staged.
A setup.
And if I was right—
Tina was connected to this.
I leaned closer, focusing.
"What we're here for," the man added, lowering his voice, "is something far more valuable than gold."
Anthony shifted slightly. "And that is?"
The man turned toward him.
"A message."
My stomach tightened.
A message.
Of course.
Everything tonight was about messages.
Adam.
Ben.
My mother.
And now this.
I clenched my jaw.
Not again.
Not someone else.
I stepped out of the shadows slightly, just enough to get a clearer view inside.
Whatever this was—
I was done being one step behind.
And if Tina was part of this plan…
Then I was already running out of time.
I should've waited.
That thought hit me the second the first guard turned—not surprised, not confused—but ready.
Too ready.
"Contact," he muttered into his sleeve.
Damn.
I moved.
The glass shattered as I dove through the side entrance, alarms screaming instantly. The "jewelry store" façade peeled away in seconds—display cases flipping open to reveal weapons, hidden panels sliding back, men stepping out like they'd been waiting for this exact moment.
This wasn't a store.
It was a front.
"Take him alive!" the well-dressed man barked.
Too late for that.
I fired first.
One down. Another ducked. A third came from my blind side—I barely turned in time, the impact of his tackle slamming me hard against a display case. Glass exploded around us.
I elbowed him off, grabbed his weapon, spun—
Gunfire.
Too much.
I dropped behind a counter as bullets ripped through the marble above me. My ears rang. My vision blurred for half a second.
Focus.
Think.
There had to be an exit—
A shadow moved in my peripheral.
Anthony.
He wasn't panicking.
He was watching me.
Learning me.
"End it," the older man said calmly.
Footsteps closed in.
Four… five… maybe more.
I was running out of options.
I stepped out anyway.
Bad move.
A shot rang—
Pain exploded through my side.
I staggered, breath leaving my lungs as I dropped to one knee. Warmth spread quickly beneath my jacket.
No…
Not here.
Not like this.
The guards advanced slowly now, confident. One of them raised his weapon, aiming straight at my head.
"Should've stayed out of it," he muttered.
I tried to lift my gun—
Too slow.
Too late—
Then—
BANG.
The guard's head snapped back as he dropped instantly.
Silence.
For half a heartbeat.
Then chaos.
More shots—precise, controlled, fast. Not wild firing.
Calculated.
I forced my head up.
A figure moved through the smoke and broken glass like she owned the place.
Fast.
Efficient.
Unstoppable
.
"Tina…" I breathed.
She didn't answer.
Another man rushed her—she sidestepped, disarmed him in one motion, and dropped him with a clean shot. Two more tried to flank her.
They didn't get the chance.
Within seconds—
It was over.
The room fell silent again, but this time it was different.
Final.
Tina stood in the middle of it, chest rising slightly, eyes sharp and scanning. Then they landed on me.
And softened—just a little.
"You always pick the worst places to visit," she said, walking over.
I let out a weak, pained laugh. "You took your time."
She crouched beside me, already checking the wound.
"You're not dead. That means I was early."
"Feels like it went through," I muttered.
"It didn't," she said. "You're lucky."
"Yeah," I said quietly, looking at her. "I usually am when you show up."
For a brief second, there was something unspoken between us.
Then—
Her expression changed.
She looked past me.
At the older man.
He was still alive.
Barely.
Pinned under debris, blood pooling beneath him.
"Wait…" he coughed. "You don't… understand…"
Tina stood slowly.
"I understand enough," she said coldly.
"No," he shook his head weakly. "This… this isn't about us… we're just… handlers…"
I frowned, forcing myself up slightly despite the pain.
"Handlers for who?" I asked.
He smiled faintly.
"Not who…"
A pause.
"What."
Tina's eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
His gaze shifted between us.
"The Eclipse…" he whispered. "You think it's an organization… a rebellion… a cause…"
His smile widened, blood staining his teeth.
"It's none of those things."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Then what is it?" Tina asked.
He exhaled slowly.
"Strings…"
She froze.
"Pulled by something you'll never see coming…"
My heartbeat slowed.
No.
No, I already knew where this was going.
"Say it," Tina demanded.
The man's eyes locked onto hers.
"The Puppeteers."
Silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Tina's expression shifted—confusion, then realization, then something darker.
"No…" she whispered.
I felt it too.
Everything clicked.
Adam's words.
My mother's smile.
The message.
"They're not just a group…" the man continued weakly. "They don't just work for someone…"
He coughed violently.
"They control everything… the Eclipse… the chaos… all of it…"
Tina stepped back slightly.
"That's not possible."
"It is," I said quietly.
She looked at me.
And for the first time—
There was uncertainty in her eyes.
"They've been in front of us the whole time," I added. "Hiding behind layers. Using people like him… like Adam…"
Like us.
The man let out one final breath.
"They're already… watching…"
And then—
He went still.
Dead.
The room fell silent once more.
Tina stood there, processing it.
"The Eclipse…" she said slowly. "All this time…"
"Was never the real enemy," I finished.
She looked at me again.
"You almost died."
I gave a faint, tired smirk. "Yeah. Try not to make it a habit saving me."
She didn't smile.
"This just got bigger, Victor."
I nodded.
"Yeah," I said, wincing slightly as I stood. "It did."
Outside, sirens began to rise in the distance.
But neither of us moved.
Because for the first time—
We both understood.
This wasn't just a war.
It was a game.
And somewhere in the dark—
The Puppeteers were pulling the strings.