What was Aiden thinking, approaching this situation in such a way?
Athena’s mind raced with questions as she struggled to suppress the urge to clench her fists in anger.
Was he trying to give their position away? Or was he merely attempting to confirm Ewan’s report?
Seeing the earnest glint in Aiden’s eyes, she deduced it was likely the latter.
Maybe she shouldn’t have brought him along on this mission, she thought, her lips pressed into a firm line of disapproval. But she had never known that Lincoln was Gloria’s cousin.
Was he allowing emotions to overshadow his quest for justice?
Meanwhile, Cecil and Lincoln exchanged a calm glance, their demeanor radiating curiosity mixed with an undertone of skepticism.
"A mole?" Lincoln began, clasping his hands together as if to fortify his resolve. "What mole? I haven’t heard any news of this. Alvarez never mentioned it."
"That’s because Alvarez is the mole." Aiden’s voice held a sharp edge, his keen eyes scrutinizing the expressions of his old friends.
But their faces were like masks, betraying nothing. Still, he pressed on. "He is collaborating with Morgan to distribute the counterfeit drugs and disrupt Athena’s efforts to develop her cure."
Lincoln and Cecil turned their attention to Athena, earnestness flooding their gazes, disbelief hanging palpably in the air. "Is this true?"
With no choice but to play hardball, Athena nodded, her determination steeling her resolve. "We discovered this after multiple operations were sabotaged. He’s unaware of our findings, however... we are here to brainstorm on how to proceed since you two are also founders of this organization."
If Athena hadn’t seen Ewan’s reports, if she had relied solely on word of mouth or her instincts, she might have fallen for Lincoln and Cecil’s innocent act.
Their eyes widened and their mouths dropped at the appropriate moments, but she wasn’t fooled. They were all trained by the reputable CIA, after all.
A heavy silence settled over the room following her announcement, as Cecil and Lincoln took their time processing this alarming piece of information.
Behind them, the men seated at the dining table abandoned their pretense of being engrossed in their phones; their vigilant eyes locked onto the gathering, their minds working furiously.
"Wow, this is huge. Alvarez was the most righteous among us... how could he..." Cecil shook his head, disbelief still coloring his features. "Have you spoken to the others?"
Aiden shook his head. "You two are the first."
Cecil nodded, a mixture of concern and gratitude crossing his face. "I appreciate that. Yet what is Ewan Giacometti doing here? Don’t tell me he’s part of our little family now?"
"Well, he actually is." Athena interjected, seizing the straw Cecil had unwittingly offered.
"You hired your ex-husband?" Lincoln asked, surprise and incredulity evident in his tone.
Athena chuckled lightly. "Actually, I wasn’t aware of it until later. About our relationship—we’re cool as friends, especially since we’re working for the same organization. Our divorce was peaceful, though it took some idiots some time to understand this."
She included that last remark, fully aware that both men had likely seen the tabloids when Fiona and her father deemed themselves worthy enough to meddle in her life.
She watched as Lincoln and Cecil exchanged yet another glance before Cecil snapped his fingers, alerting one of the men behind him. "Get us some drinks."
To Athena and the others, he added, "I apologize for our lack of hospitality. I was just too curious about your presence here."
Athena waved it off with a smile. "It’s okay. We’re past that."
With lighter discussions and comfortable silences taking over, a male—another mercenary, Athena suspected—returned with whiskey and glass cups, setting them on the glass table.
"I hope you still enjoy this, Athena..." Cecil remarked with a playful smile.
Though she no longer did, Athena accepted the cup, taking a sip and casting a quick glance at Aiden.
Let’swrapthisupquickly, was the unspoken message she passed to him.
They still had to track down Alvarez and handle the rest of the operation. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovᴇlFir(e).nᴇt
However, Aiden raised an eyebrow, silently asking how they would accomplish that, as he sipped his whiskey.
Suddenly, there was a hard knock on the door.
Tension thickened in the air as everyone exchanged notable glances.
"Are you expecting anyone, Cecil?" Aiden asked before the question could bubble up from his old friends.
The duo’s heads shook in unison, a crease forming on their foreheads.
Lincoln gestured to the male who had served them drinks, instructing him to open the door.
Every pair of eyes in the room was now fixed on him, the atmosphere taut with anticipation, unaware of the silent tension bubbling beneath the surface, as the man walked toward the door with the confidence of someone who owned the world.
But when he opened the door, a bullet was embedded into his forehead swiftly.
A shocked silence fell across the room as the man crumpled to the floor, exposing the grim reality to the others. It was a silent pistol at work.
Immediately, everyone sprang into action. The remaining two mercenaries leveled their guns at Athena and her team, but Aiden was already prepared; his own weapon was drawn, Athena and Ewan’s too.
"What the hell! Aiden? Did you bring men to our house?" Cecil shouted.
Aiden shook his head, weapon still trained on the mercenaries, as well as on his old friends. "I should be asking you that. Did you inform Alvarez of our arrival?"
Tension rose exponentially in the room as guns were now aimed at one another.
Just then, the door swung open again, and bullets fired from the mercenaries, effectively halted anyone from entering the house.
As Lincoln turned to signal his men to call for backup, two agents suddenly burst into the sitting room through the glass pane, shattering it dramatically. They had already begun shooting as they entered, creating chaos in their wake.
Athena, Ewan, and Aiden dove behind the furniture with Cecil and Lincoln, the two groups momentarily forgetting their previous accusations against one another.
"Can we just talk?" Aiden yelled, hoping the shooters would have the decency to listen.
Fortunately, they did.
"Talk then, Aiden," came the curt reply from one of the masked men.
Aiden furrowed his brow, trying to ascertain who their attackers were.
He rose slowly, hands raised in surrender, and stepped out from behind the furniture. Ewan following despite Athena’s frantic hand gesture to him to stay put.
"Not just Aiden; you all should come out and take a seat." The man speaking waved toward the door, and the second masked individual with him stepped aside, opening the door to allow ten more men clad in black combat gear to enter, all outfitted with weapons.
Athena licked her lower lip nervously, fear spiraling within her. Who were these people?