THE PLAN THEY WON’T SEE COMING
1346 Words
CHAPTER 18:
I wasn’t running.
I stood between them, Ethan on one side, Kieran on the other,and instead of feeling torn…
I felt clear.
Focused.
In control.
“I need a place, " I said.
Both of them looked at me.
“Somewhere off their grid " I continued. "No cameras. No tracking. No Blackwood reach.”
Ethan nodded.
“I know a place.”
Kieran shook his head a bit.
“Then it’s already compromised.”
Ethan’s jaw got tight.
“It’s not.”
“It always is, " Kieran said calmly.
I raised my hand.
“Enough.”
They both stopped talking.
“We don’t have time for this, " I said. "Blackwood already knows I escaped. They’ll move fast.”
“They already are, " Kieran added.
My eyes snapped to him.
“What do you mean?”
“They’ll lock down every known contact you have " he said. "Including him.”
He looked at Ethan.
“. Anyone you might run to.”
My chest got tight.
“So nowhere is safe?”
“No " Kieran said. ". Some places are… less dangerous.”
That wasn’t comforting.
It was honest.
“Then we find one " I said.
Ethan hesitated.
“I still think my contact”
“No " I cut him off.
He looked at me.
Surprised.
“You heard him, " I said. "We can’t risk it.”
A flicker of frustration crossed his face.
He nodded.
“Okay.”
Kieran watched me carefully.
“You’re adapting fast, " he said.
“I don’t have a choice " I replied.
His lips curved a bit.
“That’s what makes you dangerous.”
I ignored that.
Focused.
“Blackwood thinks they still have control " I said. "They think I’m reacting.”
“They’re wrong, " Ethan said.
“Yes " I replied. ". We’re going to use that.”
Both of them leaned in a bit.
Listening.
Good.
Because this part mattered.
“They’re expecting me to hide " I continued.
“They’re expecting us to run.”
“So we don't, " Ethan said.
“No " I agreed. "We don’t.”
Kieran’s gaze sharpened.
“You’re thinking of going on the offensive.”
“Yes.”
“Risky " he said.
“Necessary, " I replied.
Silence settled for a bit.
Then Ethan spoke.
“What’s the plan?”
I took a breath.
Steady.
Clear.
“We make them come to us.”
That got their attention.
“How?" Ethan asked.
“We give them something they can’t ignore, " I said.
Kieran’s eyes narrowed a bit.
“A leak.”
I nodded.
“Exactly.”
Ethan frowned.
“. You said the data is incomplete.”
“It is " I said. ". They don’t know what I’ll release next.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes.
“You bait them.”
“Yes.”
Kieran stepped closer.
“. When they come?”
My gaze hardened.
“We hit them.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
“That’s not just risky " he said. "That’s a war.”
I met his gaze.
“I know.”
Kieran smiled a bit.
“I like it.”
I ignored him again.
Focus.
Plan.
Execution.
“But we need one thing first " I added.
“What?" Ethan asked.
I looked at him.
Then at Kieran.
“Access.”
Their expressions shifted.
“To what?" Ethan asked.
“To their system " I said.
Silence.
“That’s not easy " Ethan said.
“I know.”
“It’s almost impossible, " he added.
“I’ve done it before " I replied.
Kieran’s lips curved.
“Yes " he said. "You have.”
My chest tightened a bit.
Fragments of that memory still felt sharp.
Dangerous.
“But this time they’ll be expecting it " Ethan said.
“Which is why we don’t go in the way " I replied.
Kieran tilted his head.
“ how?”
I looked at him.
Directly.
“Through you.”
Silence.
Thick.
Tense.
Ethan stiffened away.
“No.”
Kieran didn’t react.
He just watched me.
Carefully.
“You want to use me as an entry point " he said.
“Yes.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“That’s not happening.”
“It has to " I said.
“No it doesn’t " he argued. "We can find another way.”
“There is time, " I replied.
“There’s always another way.”
“Not one that works fast.”
Silence.
The tension between them flared again.
“You’re trusting him?" Ethan asked.
“I’m using him " I corrected.
Kieran smiled faintly.
“I don’t mind.”
Ethan glared at him.
“You should.”
Kieran shrugged.
“She’s right.”
My eyes flicked to him.
“You still have access, " I said.
“Limited, " he replied.
“Enough " I said.
A pause.
“Yes " he said.
Ethan turned to me.
“This is a mistake.”
“Maybe " I replied.
“. It’s the best option we have.”
He didn’t look convinced.
He didn’t argue again.
Good.
Because we didn’t have time.
“We need a location, " I said.
Kieran spoke this time.
“I have one.”
Ethan scoffed.
“ of course you do.”
“It’s off their grid " Kieran continued. "A fallback site.”
My chest tightened.
“And they don’t monitor it?”
“They don’t know I still have access to it, " he said.
Silence.
Trust.
Risk.
Choice.
I made it quickly.
“We use it.”
Ethan exhaled sharply.
“Amara”
“I know what I’m doing, " I said.
He held my gaze.
Searching.
He nodded.
Reluctantly.
“Okay.”
Kieran stepped back a bit.
“Follow me.”
My body tensed.
This was it.
The next step.
The dangerous one.
We moved.
Fast.
Through the streets.
Every shadow felt like a threat.
Every passing sound made my pulse spike.
I didn’t stop.
Didn’t hesitate.
Because now
I had direction.
Purpose.
Control.
After a while
We reached it.
An old building.
Abandoned.
Unremarkable.
Perfect.
“This is it?" Ethan asked.
“Yes " Kieran replied.
We stepped inside.
Dark.
Quiet.
Empty.
Kieran moved toward a panel hidden behind a wall.
Pressed it.
A section slid open.
Revealing a concealed entrance.
Ethan raised a brow.
“Not bad.”
Kieran smirked a bit.
“Thank you.”
We entered.
The door closed behind us.
Just like that
We were hidden.
Safe.
For now.
Lights flickered on automatically.
Revealing a fully equipped space.
Screens.
Systems.
Access points.
My heart raced.
This was what I needed.
“This will work, " I said.
Kieran watched me.
“I thought it might.”
I moved toward the console.
My fingers hovered over it.
Paused.
Because something felt off.
A flicker.
A glitch.
Barely noticeable.
There.
My breath slowed.
Careful.
Focused.
“Wait " I said.
Both of them froze.
“What is it?" Ethan asked.
I stared at the screen.
The system.
The code.
Then
I saw it.
A trace.
Small.
Hidden.
Deliberate.
My blood ran cold.
“It’s not clean, " I whispered.
Kieran’s expression shifted.
“What?”
“They’ve been here, " I said.
Silence.
Heavy.
Impossible.
“That’s not possible, " Kieran said.
“It is " I replied.
My heart s
tarted racing
“They left something behind.”
Ethan moved closer to me.
“What kind of thing?" he asked.
I gulped.
My eyes were fixed on the screen.
Suddenly it all made sense.
“It’s a trap " I said.
The lights flickered on and off.
First once.
Then twice.
Then everything went black.
I stopped breathing.
“No…”
A slow clap sounded in the dark.
It was cold.
It was familiar.
It scared me.
“Well done Amara," a voice said.
The voice gave me the chills.
The man in black was there.
I felt my heart sink.
“You walked into it " he said.
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