Page 41 of Final Sins

Next came a file of intercepted text messages. Her stomach churned as she read through them, Jason’s supposed wordslaying out plans to manipulate her and the team. The casual cruelty stung like salt in an open wound, even as her logical mind insisted they could easily be fabricated. Still, a seed of doubt took root, its tendrils creeping through her thoughts.

Again, easy to ignore.

Then came the final piece of evidence, the one that made her blood run cold. A series of high-resolution surveillance photos filled her screen, each more damning than the last. Alex’s breath caught in her throat, her fingers trembling slightly as she scrolled through the images.

There was Jason, his face clear and unmistakable, shaking hands with a known Seven-Five operative outside a nondescript warehouse. Another showed him accepting a thick envelope, his expression grim and focused. The timestamp on the final image made Alex’s stomach lurch—it was dated just two days before he’d shown up at her safe house.

She leaned in closer, the heat from the laptop warming her face as she zoomed in, searching desperately for any sign of manipulation or fakery. But the details were too crisp, too consistent. The play of light on Jason’s face, the familiar scar on his left hand, even the way he stood—it all screamed authenticity. Alex could almost smell the salt air and feel the gritty texture of the concrete in the photos.

What hit her hardest was the location. She recognized the background—a stretch of industrial coastline she’d used for her own covert meetings in the past. It was a place known only to a select few in their world. If this was a setup, it was an incredibly sophisticated one.

Alex’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, her mind racing. She could explain away voice recordings and text messages, but these photos? They were harder to dismiss. The seed of doubt blossomed into full-blown suspicion, leaving her feeling hollow and betrayed.

Every sound in the house seemed amplified—the hum of the air conditioning, the tick of a distant clock, the soft rustle of leaves outside her window. Her own heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning out everything else.

A sharp knock at the door made her jump, her heart leaping into her throat. The sudden noise shattered the tense silence, sending a jolt of electricity through her already frayed nerves.

“I just wanted to see if you showered,” Jason commented. “I’m gonna jump in myself and I didn’t want to hog all the hot water.”

Alex’s mind raced, her voice coming out higher than usual. “Totally. I mean fine. I mean. Yes. Go ahead and shower. I’m good. ‘Night.”

She heard his footsteps retreat, followed by the distant sound of the shower starting. Alex shut her laptop with trembling hands, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions. She crawled into bed, pulling the covers tight around her as if they could shield her from the doubts now plaguing her.

Sleep eluded her, each creak of the old house making her tense. The man she’d begun to trust suddenly felt like a stranger. As the night wore on, she stared at the ceiling, her heart heavy with the weight of suspicion and the fear of betrayal.

The evidence on her screen mocked her, a digital Pandora’s box she couldn’t close. She ran a hand through her hair, her mind whirling with implications and possibilities.

One thing was clear: she needed answers, and she couldn’t get them with Jason just a few feet away. The walls of the gorgeous house closed in around her.

Her training kicked in, pushing aside the emotional turmoil. She needed space and time to investigate without Jason’s watchful eye. To follow up on these accusations, she’d have to create some distance between them.

She needed to get away.

It was a risky move, but the alternative—blindly trusting a potential enemy—was unthinkable.

Jaw set, she began to formulate a plan. She’d need to be careful. Jason was no amateur; if he really was Seven-Five, he’d be watching her every move. She’d have to find a way to slip away without raising suspicion.

Tomorrow, she’d make her move and get the space she needed to uncover the truth, whatever it might be.

22

The first raysof sunlight filtered through the curtains as Jason’s eyes snapped open. Old habits died hard. Years of covert ops had him trained to wake at first light. He lay still for a moment, listening intently to the quiet safe house before slipping out of bed.

As he moved silently through the rooms, his thoughts drifted to Alex. He’d been wary of working with a partner at first, especially one as headstrong as her. But over the past few days, he’d found himself appreciating her quick wit and analytical mind. She brought a different perspective to their operations, one that complemented his more tactical approach.

He paused by her closed door. A small smile tugged at his lips. Despite her initial bravado, Alex had proven herself capable and adaptable in the field. More than that, he was surprised to find he enjoyed her company. Their banter kept him on his toes, and her determination matched his own.

He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts. Getting too attached was dangerous in their line of work. Still, as he made his way to the kitchen to start the coffee, he couldn’t deny the growing sense of trust and camaraderie between them. It hadbeen a long time since he’d had a partner he could rely on this way.

“Focus on the mission,” he muttered to himself, but even as he said it, he knew something had shifted. Working with Alex was becoming more than just a necessity—it was becoming a partnership he valued.

Coffee going, he headed back to his room, reaching for his secure phone to check for updates from his contacts. A notification caught his eye—a new message from an unknown number. His brow furrowed as he read the cryptic text:

There’s a snake in your garden. Open your eyes. Link expires in 10 minutes.

Below was a URL, leading to an encrypted file share. Jason’s thumb hovered over the link. It could be a trap, a virus, any number of things. But if it wasn’t ... if it contained vital intel ...

Curiosity and training warred within him. Finally, he tapped the link.

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