Yelena and Polina were cornered, their ammunition running dangerously low. I saw the way Yelena’s jaw clenched as she ducked behind a crumbling pillar, her gun clicking empty. Polina was in a similar state, her breath ragged as she pressed her back against the wall, her fingers fumbling for a fresh magazine that wasn’t there.
And then I saw it—the enemy closing in from the other side, their weapons raised, their voices low and triumphant. Yelena and Polina were about to be caught in a crossfire, trapped with no way out.
Enough.
I deactivated my Invisibility, my form materializing in the backseat of the car. With a surge of power, I grabbed a gun from the seat beside me and kicked open the car door. Telekinesis flared beneath me, lifting me into the air as I shot forward like a bullet, the wind whipping around me as I soared toward the villa.
The entrance was a chaos of broken wood and shattered glass, but I didn’t slow down. I crashed through what remained of the door, my boots hitting the ground with a force that sent cracks spiderwebbing through the marble floor. The enemy turned at the sound, their eyes widening as they saw me—alive, armed, and furious.
The entrance was a chaos of broken wood and shattered glass, but I didn’t slow down. I crashed through what remained of the door, my boots hitting the ground with a force that sent cracks spiderwebbing through the marble floor. The enemy turned at the sound, their eyes widening as they saw me—alive, armed, and furious.
I didn’t hesitate.
I started firing, my shots precise and deadly. Headshot after headshot, the enemies dropped like puppets with cut strings. The gunfire echoed through the villa, the sound sharp and final.
From behind a pillar, Yelena and Polina peeked out, their eyes wide as they took in the scene. Yelena’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and disbelieving. "Jack! What the hell are you doing here?"
I didn’t look at her, my focus still on the remaining threats. "Saving you," I said, my voice calm but edged with something darker.
Yelena’s expression was a mix of shock and irritation. "It was dangerous for you to do that, do you know that?" she snapped, her voice tight. "And how the fuck did you even get here?"
I finally turned to her, my smirk sharp. "I came with you guys."
Yelena’s eyes narrowed. "With us?!"
I shrugged, making up an excuse on the spot. "Well... Claire didn’t use much force when she knocked me out," I said, my tone casual. "So I pretended to faint and followed you by getting inside the trunk of the car."
Yelena’s jaw dropped slightly, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Claire is gonna kill you if she finds out you’re here," she said, her voice half-warning, half-teasing.
Polina, ever the pragmatist, didn’t waste time on words. She quickly picked up guns from the fallen enemies and handed one to Yelena. "Here," she said, her voice all business. "We’re not out of this yet."
Yelena checked the gun, her expression shifting back into something fiercer. "Stay between Polina and me," she ordered, her voice leaving no room for argument. "You got it? No more playing hero."
I nodded, moving to position myself between them. "Got it."
With this side of the villa cleared, the distant sound of gunfire from the other side reached our ears. We moved toward it, our steps quick and silent.
When we reached the source, we found Natalya and Claire standing over a pile of fallen enemies, their guns still smoking. Irene, Alisa, and Diana were with them, their movements professional and efficient. They didn’t need help—they were experts, after all.
The first floor of the villa was eerily quiet after the gunfire, the air thick with the scent of gunpowder and blood. Yelena turned to Polina, her voice sharp and commanding. "Let’s go down," she said, her eyes scanning the area. "You take the left stairs. I’ll take the right."
Polina nodded, her grip tightening on her gun as she moved toward the left staircase. Yelena glanced back at me, her expression unreadable but her eyes burning with intensity. "Jack, you’re with me," she said, her voice firm.
I followed behind her, my gaze flicking to the sway of her hips as she moved with predatory grace. The tension was thick, the silence heavy—until the sudden thrum of rotor blades shattered it.
The helicopter touched down on the rooftop, its presence drawing everyone’s attention. Polina waved the others—Natalya, Claire, Irene, Alisa, and Diana—toward the stairs leading up, their steps quick and urgent.
Yelena’s voice was a growl, her eyes narrowing as she watched the helicopter. "They’re escaping."
I activated my AI Lens, the details of the man stepping out of the helicopter flashing before my eyes—Bruno Di Costa, the head of the Italian Mafia, the architect of all this chaos. His smirk was smug, his fingers toying with a small remote in his hand.
Claire suddenly turned toward me, her expression a storm of fury and fear. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she snapped, her hand flying up to slap me across the face. "Don’t you know it’s dangerous?"
I didn’t flinch. Instead, I reached up, my fingers brushing the spot where her hand had struck. "I know it’s dangerous," I said, my voice low but firm. "That’s why I need to be here."
Claire’s face flushed, her breath hitching as Polina’s words echoed in her mind—she remembered. The confession she’d made after knocking me out, the raw vulnerability of it. She blushed, her fingers clenching into fists, her eyes darting away.
Bruno’s voice cut through the tension, his accent thick and mocking. "Goodbye, my friends," he called, his finger pressing a button on the remote.
Natalya’s men rushed forward, their voices urgent. "Boss! The entire building is wired with explosives! He must’ve triggered the detonation—we need to leave now!"
Yelena’s eyes locked onto mine, her voice a snarl. "Claire, take Jack and get out of here," she ordered, her grip tightening on her gun. "I’m going after that motherfucker. We can’t let him get away—if he leaves, we’ll never find him again."
Claire shook her head, her voice desperate. "No! I’m not leaving without you! We’ll get him later—"
Yelena didn’t wait. She turned, her boot kicking the door shut behind her, locking herself inside with Bruno. Claire whirled around, her voice breaking. "You crazy bitch—what the fuck are you doing?!" She pounded on the door, her fists slamming against the metal. "Yelena, open this door!"