Page 100 of Twisted Fate

Every cell in me is tuned to one purpose, to one goal: find Valentina. Get her out. Make Kane pay.

Make sure thatsheis the one who makes him pay.I’m not sure if she’ll ever forgive me if I kill him instead of her.

We kill the engine as we see passing patrol boats, staying out of range of their lights. When they pass, we continue on, reaching the edge of the island just as I see the sky starting to take on that particular shade just before it starts to grey into dawn.

We need to move quickly. I see Kane’s fortress in the distance, glimmering in the darkness like a jewel in the middle of a paradise. We cut the engines half a mile out, drifting on the current as we prepare for the underwater approach. Diving gear is distributed, weapons are sealed in waterproof bags, communication devices checked and double-checked.

"Remember," I tell the team as we prepare to go over the side, "the primary objective is Valentina. If I can’t get to her, gether out, get to the rendezvous point. Do not take out Kane. He’s my target or hers. Incapacitate if need be, but donotkill him."

They nod, faces grim and determined behind dive masks. One by one, they slip into the water, silent as they dip beneath the water. I go last, taking one last look at the fortress. Somewhere in there, Valentina is waiting for me. I’ll get her back, no matter what it takes.

I have to tell her the truth.

I have to tell her that I love her.

The underwater approach takes longer than anticipated. There’s a strong current working against us, and I can see the sky starting to grey as we surface, the window of darkness passing us by rapidly. We emerge from the water onto a narrow strip of beach, with the cliff face that leads to the fortress above us. I chose this spot for a reason—it’s not well guarded, as you’d have to be an idiot to try to scale it.

An idiot—or in love with the woman held in the building just beyond.

We shed the dive gear, retrieve our weapons, and begin the ascent. The rock is warm under my hands, still heated by the sun even throughout the night. Sweat soon soaks through my tactical gear, but I push on, focused only on how far we’ve come and how far we have left to go. Every foot gained is a foot closer to Valentina.

Near the top, Alexei, who's leading the climb, signals a halt. He's spotted something above us—a guard, judging by his hand signals. We freeze in place, pressed against the cliff face, barely breathing.

Long seconds tick by. Then Alexei signals again, hand signals displaying the all-clear. The guard has moved on, continuing his patrol along the cliff edge.

We resume climbing, more cautiously now. When we reach the top, we pull ourselves over one by one, staying low inthe scrubby vegetation that grows right up to the edge. I hear a slithering sound in the grasses and freeze, watching as the sinuous shape of a striped snake passes by, disturbed by our footsteps, but clearly afraid of us.

From here, I can see the full layout of the compound. The main house, all glass and stone, sits at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the rest of the island. Smaller structures—guard posts, equipment sheds—dot the perimeter. A helipad occupies the far end, a sleek black helicopter sitting ready for a quick escape. I take note of that, motioning to Alexei, who I know has pilot training. He nods.

The security is visible too—cameras mounted throughout, guards patrolling in regular patterns. Possibly a sniper or two, though I can’t be sure of how paranoid Kane is, exactly.

It's every bit as fortified as the intelligence suggested. Maybe more so.

"We stick to the plan," I whisper to the team. "Use the blind spots between camera coverage. Take out the perimeter guards silently. Converge on the east entrance."

I make my way through the dense vegetation, staying low, using the landscaping as cover. The place looks like paradise, but it’s a hell of Kane’s making, and it’s one that I intend to rescue Valentina from.

I reach my first objective—a small guard post near the eastern perimeter. Two men stand outside, automatic weapons slung casually over their shoulders. They're alert but relaxed, clearly not expecting trouble from this direction.

Their mistake.

I approach from behind, using a dense stand of tropical flowers as cover. The first guard dies without a sound, my knife finding the soft spot beneath his ear with practiced precision. The second has just enough time to widen his eyes in surprise before he joins his colleague on the ground.

I drag the bodies into the guard post, out of sight of the cameras. Inside, I find what I'm looking for—a security terminal, displaying feeds from around the compound.

And there, on one of the screens, I see her. My chest clenches, my heart beating hard as I reach out involuntarily toward the screen. Valentina is being dragged back toward the main building, and she looks weakened—her face bruised and her gait unsteady—but she’s alive. Conscious, and still fighting. I’d expect nothing less.

Relief floods through me, so intense it's almost painful. Then cold rage follows just behind it, as I look at her again. Kane is going to pay for every bruise on her, every drop of her blood he might have shed. Valentina gets the kill, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take my own pound of flesh as well, off of the man who’s dared to harm my wife.

I scan the other feeds, searching for Kane. I find him in a strange glass room, overlooking the ocean, talking to someone I can’t see and gesturing emphatically with one hand. His other wrist is splinted, and pride floods me. She must have hurt him.Good.

I take in as much as I can of the surroundings, quickly, and keep moving. I reach for my radio as I do, keeping low. "Change of plans. Target is being moved to the main building, east wing. Glass room overlooking the ocean. All units converge there."

Acknowledgments come back, one after another, terse and professional. We're shifting from infiltration to assault, a much riskier proposition but potentially faster. Every second Valentina remains in Kane's hands is a second too long, and I don’t know what he has planned for her. I don’t intend to wait to find out.

We breach the main building, entering through a service entrance guarded by only one man, quickly dispatched. Inside, the modern luxury feels surreal after the wild beauty of theisland outside. It’s all marble floors and abstract art, the background noise the soft hum of air conditioning.

It all fades into my periphery as I move, my only focus getting to my wife. To Valentina.

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