“You’re not a liability,” he snaps, his frustration boiling over. “But I can’t focus if I’m worried about keeping you safe.”
“And you think I can just sit back and watch you risk your life without doing anything?” I fire back, my voice rising.
The room falls into a tense silence, the weight of our words hanging heavy between us.
Finally, Dominic exhales, his shoulders sagging slightly. “Eva, this isn’t just about me or you. It’s about stopping Reyes before he destroys everything. I need you to trust me to do that.”
I search his face, my chest tightening. The vulnerability I see there is enough to make me relent—just slightly. “Fine,” I say, my voice soft but firm. “But you promise me you’ll be careful.”
He steps closer, his hand brushing against mine. “Always.”
The flight to Dubai is tense and silent, the weight of what lies ahead pressing down on all of us. Adrian’s team briefs Dominic on the final details as we approach the city, the golden glow of the desert stretching out beneath us.
The villa looms ahead, a sprawling estate surrounded by high walls and armed guards. From our vantage point in the surveillance van, I watch as Adrian’s team moves into position, their movements precise and calculated.
“Team One in position,” Adrian’s voice crackles through the comms.
“Copy,” Dominic replies, his tone calm and focused.
I sit beside Adrian, my heart pounding as I watch the scene unfold on the monitors. Dominic’s team moves toward the villa’s entrance, their silhouettes blending into the shadows.
“This is it,” Adrian says, his eyes fixed on the screens. “If Vega’s here, we’ll know soon enough.”
The next few minutes stretch into an eternity. My pulse thrums in my ears as I watch Dominic breach the villa’s perimeter, his every movement deliberate and controlled.
“Target sighted,” one of the operatives reports. “Vega’s on the second floor, east wing. He’s not alone.”
“Move in,” Dominic orders.
The cameras show a blur of movement as the team advances, their weapons trained on the guards stationed near the entrance. A muffled scuffle follows, and then the sound of Dominic’s voice cuts through the comms.
“Vega’s down,” he says. “We’ve got him.”
Relief floods through me, but it’s short-lived.
“Dominic,” Adrian says, his tone sharp. “We’ve got incoming. Multiple vehicles heading your way—likely Reyes’s men.”
Dominic’s response is immediate. “Secure Vega and fall back. We’re not losing him.”
The monitors flicker as chaos erupts on the screen. Shots ring out, and I grip the edge of the table, my nails digging into the wood.
“Dominic, get out of there!” I shout, my voice trembling.
“We’re not leaving without Vega,” he replies, his voice steady despite the gunfire in the background.
The feed cuts out suddenly, leaving us in silence. My heart seizes, panic clawing at my chest.
“Adrian,” I say, my voice shaking. “What happened?”
He curses under his breath, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “They’re jamming the signal.”
Terror grips me as I stare at the darkened screen. Dominic is out there, in the middle of a firefight, and I have no way of knowing if he’s okay.
“Eva,” Adrian says, his voice firm. “Stay here. I’ll get a team to the villa.”
“No,” I say, my voice trembling but resolute. “I’m going after him.”
“Eva, don’t—”