We’ve got a timestamp. A buyer ID. A pattern in the way they post. We’re not just chasing shadows anymore—we’re closing in.
“She’s alive,” I whisper, more to myself than to Talia. “But not for long if they keep dosing her like that.”
Talia nods, her jaw tight. “We’re not letting this trail go cold.”
I nod once, eyes still locked on the screen.
Every second of this footage is a knife to the gut, but it only fuels the fire. Because I’m not just going to stop them. I’m going to burn their entire operation to the ground. Starting with the queen bee. The rest? They’ll fall like ash behind her.
I force myself to look away, to sever the emotional tether before it drags me under. I can’t afford to lose focus. Not now. Not when we’re this close.
Rage won’t save her, but precision will.
“I’ve got an idea,” I say, already moving toward the office.
Talia follows. “Shoot.”
“Send me in,” I say. “I’ll pose as a buyer. Get close. Embedded into their fucked up little world. And when we’ve got eyes on Nell, I’ll extract her.”
She stops cold. “Cam, that’s suicide. If they even suspect you’re not legit, they’ll destroy you and vanish. And we’ll be back to nothing. You’re too close to this.”
I turn to face her, jaw clenched. “How long have you known me, Talia? You know I don’t back down. I can’t lose her. If diving into the fire is what it takes, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Her eyes flash with frustration. “You’re talking about pulling one brick from the wall when we’ve spent years trying to bring the whole thing down.”
“I know,” I say, softer now. “But I’m not thinking about the wall. I’m thinking about Nell. She’s not just another piece of evidence. She’s a person. And she’s running out of time.”
Talia exhales, torn between logic and loyalty.
“I can do this,” I press. “I know how they talk. I’ve studied their patterns, their language, their rituals. Hell, I’ve seen more of their world than I ever wanted to. I can blend in. But I can’t do it with a tactical team breathing down my neck. I need to go in alone.”
She stares at me, weighing the risk while the silence stretches between us.
Finally, she agrees, “If we do this, we do it smart. No cowboy shit. You get in, you get her, and you get out. No heroics.”
“No promises,” I say. “But I’ll bring her home.”
Talia shuts the office door behind us, locking it with a quiet click. The hum of monitors and the soft glow of screens wrap around us. Maps, data streams, and surveillance feeds flicker across the walls—evidence of years spent chasing shadows.
She moves to the central console and pulls up a secure terminal. “If we’re doing this, we do it right. No improvising once you’re in. We build you a legend from the ground up.”
“I’m ready,” I say, stepping beside her.
She glances up at me, eyes scanning my face. “You don’t look ready. You look like hell.”
“I’ll clean up,” I mutter. “Just give me the tools.”
Talia nods and starts typing. “We’ll need a new identity. One that fits the profile—wealthy, discreet, morally bankrupt. Someone who’s been in the market before.”
She pulls up a database of known buyers—blurred faces, encrypted aliases, transaction histories. “We’ll piggyback off a dormant account. Someone who disappeared off the radar a few months ago. If we’re lucky, they won’t notice the ghost in the system.”
“Make me someone they’d trust,” I say. “Someone who doesn’t ask questions. Someone who pays in crypto and doesn’t blink at a girl chained to a wall.”
Talia’s fingers fly across the keyboard. “Done. You’re now Taylor Hale. Most of your accounts are offshore. History of ‘purchases’ in Southeast Asia. You’ve been off-grid for a while—makes your reappearance believable.” She whips her head up, eyes fiercely boring into mine. “We’ll need to dirty you up. New clothes, burner phone, encrypted wallet. You’ll need to memorise the lingo—how they talk, what they expect. No hesitation. No empathy.”
“I’ve been watching them for years,” I say. “I know how they breathe.”
Talia hesitates. “And Nell? What if she doesn’t recognise you? What if she’s too far gone?”
