"This is your only shot, Charlie. Are you sure you want to go in alone?"
"Let me go with you."
Rob's voice crackled over the earpiece, filled with concern.
"No," Charlie replied, his voice steady. "If Steve sees you guys, he'll be on guard."
"I'll pretend I'm trading the gold for Stella. I need to get close to him."
"I'm wearing the explosives Left Ear prepped. Knowing Steve, once I'm close enough, he won't risk setting them off."
"It's the only play we have."
Handsome Rob's face darkened in the car. "Charlie, what if you can't control the situation? What if Steve calls your bluff?"
"Have you thought about that?"
Charlie was an international thief with decent combat skills, but he was no match for Steve in a straight fight.
Steve was ex-military and had spent years as a mercenary.
Forget skill—Rob doubted Charlie could match Steve's sheer ruthlessness.
"I know," Charlie answered calmly. "That's why Steve agreed to meet me. That's why the guards won't stop me."
"He'll expect a trap, but the most he'll suspect is a hidden gun."
"Steve is arrogant. He believes he can take me down easily. That arrogance is my opportunity."
"You're gambling, Charlie," Lyle chimed in nervously.
"Lyle's right," Left Ear added, making one last attempt to dissuade him. "If you lose this bet, you lose your life."
Charlie smiled faintly, looking at the brightly lit villa in the distance.
"I owe John a life. And now I've put Stella in danger."
"If trading my life can save hers..."
"Then it's a small price to pay."
Silence fell over the comms channel.
Finally, Rob broke it. "Left Ear and I will be ready to extract you. Don't lose that comms unit."
"Roger that."
Charlie ended the transmission. His hands gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly.
But the moment he thought of Stella trapped inside that villa because of him, his fear vanished, replaced by resolve.
He started the engine.
After driving in the dark for a stretch, he flicked on the headlights and headed straight for the main gate of Steve's villa.
"He's here."
Up in the tree, Hunter held his breath.
He gripped the Tactical Crossbow, finger hovering over the trigger, ready to fire.
"Halt!"
The security team at the gate noticed the approaching vehicle immediately.
One guard rested his hand on his holstered pistol and stepped forward, waving for the car to stop.
Charlie slowed down and rolled down the window.
"Tell Steve I'm here. And I brought what he asked for."
As the guards approached, Charlie rolled the window back up.
Inside the guard booth, another security officer drew his weapon and radioed the villa.
Inside the dining room, Steve—who had been waiting impatiently for over two hours—heard the notification. His eyes lit up.
His expression twisted into a savage grin.
"Charlie... you finally showed up."
He grabbed his radio, switched channels, and barked orders to his mercenaries.
"Target is here. Get ready."
He turned to Stella, who looked terrified and worried.
Giving her a cruel smile, he clapped his hands.
Two mercenaries armed with assault rifles walked in.
"Watch her. If anyone tries to break in and take her, kill them both."
Steve's hired guns were professionals.
They nodded without hesitation and took up defensive positions in the corners of the dining room.
Satisfied, Steve grabbed an AK-47 from the table and his radio, heading for the door.
From the main villa entrance to the gate was about thirty or forty meters.
Several modified, bulletproof SUVs were parked in the driveway.
Steve hopped into one, while several of his men piled into another.
The convoy rolled toward the main gate.
Through the scope of his crossbow, Hunter saw everything.
He smiled. The opportunity he had been waiting for was about to arrive.
The two armored SUVs stopped at the gate.
Steve got out, staying behind the cover of his vehicle. He looked at the modest Volkswagen sedan stopped outside the gate.
A sedan obviously couldn't hold two massive safes.
But Steve's eyes instinctively dropped to the car's tires.
Seeing the suspension compressed heavily—indicating a load of at least a ton—Steve smiled.
"Charlie, you continue to impress me."
Steve muttered to himself through the stainless steel bars of the gate.
He didn't step outside. As long as he stayed on his property, he could shoot Charlie claiming self-defense (or trespassing) with far fewer legal repercussions.
He lifted his radio. "Open the gate. Let him in."
"Yes, sir!"
The guards lowered their weapons and opened the heavy gates.
Charlie drove in slowly.
Steve stood by his SUV, keeping most of his body protected by the armored vehicle. If things went south, he had immediate cover.
Charlie stopped about seven or eight meters away, surrounded by Steve's men shouting orders.
"Get out of the car!"
Two of Steve's mercenaries approached with guns raised.
Charlie complied, opening the door and stepping out slowly.
As soon as he was out, the two men moved in to search him, while a third headed for the trunk to check the goods.
"Long time no see, Steve."
"You know I never carry a piece."
Charlie walked forward slowly, trying to close the distance between him and Steve.
But his intent was too obvious.
Steve realized something was off instantly. He stayed put.
"Search him thoroughly!" he shouted, sneering at Charlie.
"You used to be unarmed, sure. But three nights ago, Rob killed my dogs."
Clearly, Steve still believed the intruder from the other night was Handsome Rob—the only member of Charlie's team with the driving skills and combat prowess to pull off such an escape.
Charlie didn't know why Steve suspected Rob.
At that moment, Steve's men patted down Charlie's chest.
They froze. They felt something bulky under his jacket.
Their faces changed instantly. They reached in to rip it out.
Rip!
Charlie suddenly tore open his jacket and shouted.
"NOBODY MOVE! I'm wearing a bomb! The blast radius is fifteen meters—enough to turn everything here to ash!"
Steve looked and saw exactly what he feared: Charlie's torso was wrapped in explosives.
Steve's face went pale. He instinctively crouched behind the armored SUV.
His men jumped back in terror, retreating several steps.
Seeing his gambit work, Charlie shouted again.
"Steve! Left Ear rigged this. You know his work."
"Your gold is in the trunk. Every ounce of it."
"Release Stella."
"Let me take her, and we call it even!"
"Or I blow this charge. The police and the FBI will come running, and you'll be finished too!"
The smile vanished from Steve's face completely.
When he saw Charlie come alone, he had suspected a trick.
But he didn't expect Charlie to be this crazy—strapping a suicide vest to himself to force a trade.
Steve hesitated for only a second. He decided to agree first—get the gold, then kill them later.
But just as he opened his mouth to reply...
Thwip!
A faint whistling sound cut through the air.
The next second, a spark exploded in the distance, and then—
Darkness.
The power went out.
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