Sunday morning settled over the villa, quiet and gray. The air was heavy — as if the house itself knew something was coming.

  Kai sat at the table, still as stone, eyes distant. Iris leaned against the window frame, watching the sky. Evan lounged in the corner, though his posture stayed sharp — ready.

  Jonah checked his watch but said nothing. They were waiting.

  Then — a knock. Three times.

  Kai’s eyes flicked toward the door. “They’re here.”

  Evan stood and walked over, opening the door.

  Standing there were Darren and Marcus — the newest recruits. Both of them still unsure, still wearing that nervous edge that came with being on the outside of something far bigger than them.

  Evan gave them a nod. “Come in.”

  They stepped in quietly, glancing around. The place felt too clean, too organized — a far cry from the streets they knew.

  Kai didn’t waste time. “Sit.”

  The two obeyed, sinking into the seats across from him.

  Kai’s voice was calm, but it carried weight. “It’s time to see if you belong.”

  Darren glanced at Marcus, who looked pale but stayed quiet.

  Kai motioned to Felix. “Give them the file.”

  Felix nodded, grabbing a manila folder from his desk. He handed it to Darren, who took it with shaking hands.

  Inside was a photo — a woman, early thirties, rough around the edges. Dark circles under her eyes, a hollow look on her face. Multiple mugshots stapled together. Beneath it, a list of petty crimes — pickpocketing, shoplifting, minor offenses… but always the same pattern. Arrested, released, arrested again.

  Kai leaned forward. “Her name is Mara Leigh. For the past few years, she’s been in and out of jail. No family, no records of her life before the arrests. Almost like she appeared out of nowhere.”

  Darren frowned. “What do you want us to do?”

  Kai’s eyes sharpened. “Follow her.”

  Both recruits blinked.

  “After she leaves her apartment today, you tail her. Carefully. Quietly. I don’t want her knowing she’s being watched.”

  Marcus shifted. “Why her?”

  Kai smiled faintly. “She’s interesting.”

  Darren swallowed hard. “We’ve never done anything like this.”

  “I know.” Kai stood, towering over them. “That’s the point.”

  He turned to Felix. “Get them ready.”

  Felix pulled out two jackets — simple, nondescript — but each embedded with a hidden camera.

  “You’ll wear these,” Felix said, handing them over. “We’ll see everything you see.”

  Darren took his slowly. “And if something goes wrong?”

  Kai’s gaze was cold. “The Watchers are watching. If you screw up… they’ll know.”

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  Silence.

  Jonah finally broke it. “What if she notices them?”

  Kai shrugged. “Then they fail.”

  Iris glanced at the boys, her eyes softer. “You’ll be fine. Just… don’t be stupid.”

  Darren and Marcus exchanged a glance. There was no way out.

  Kai’s voice came low, final. “You prove yourselves today… or you’re out.”

  Darren clenched his jaw. “We won’t screw up.”

  Kai smiled — but there was no warmth. “Good.”

  As the front door closed behind Darren and Marcus, Kai sank down beside Felix, his gaze locked on the screens. Each monitor displayed the live feed from the hidden cameras embedded in the recruits’ jackets. Behind them, Iris leaned against the wall, arms crossed, silent but attentive.

  Jonah barely glanced up, lost in some mindless show playing on the TV.

  Evan, hands shoved in his pockets, passed through the living room on his way to the kitchen. “I’ll get food started,” he called, his voice casual — but even he threw a glance toward the screens.

  The villa settled into a quiet rhythm — the hum of the computers, the occasional clink of utensils from the kitchen, the soft static of the audio feed.

  Then — movement.

  On-screen, Darren and Marcus arrived at a worn-down apartment building. The camera shook slightly as Darren adjusted his jacket.

  Kai’s voice came low. “Keep your distance. Be patient.”

  Minutes ticked by.

  People came and went — old men shuffling down the steps, a mother wrangling two kids, a delivery driver making a drop. But no sign of Mara Leigh.

  Jonah yawned loudly from the couch. “Maybe she skipped town.”

  Iris didn’t move, eyes fixed on the screen.

  Then — the door creaked open.

  A thin woman with hollow cheeks, greasy brown hair, and a worn jacket stepped out. She lit a cigarette with trembling fingers.

  Felix confirmed, “That’s her.”

  Kai’s eyes narrowed. “Stay with her. Not too close.”

  Darren and Marcus obeyed, keeping a safe distance as Mara made her way down the block. She walked like a ghost — drifting, half-aware of the world around her.

  Eventually, she stopped at a bus station.

  “She’s waiting,” Marcus whispered into the mic.

  “Don’t stand near her,” Kai ordered. “Keep eyes on her.”

  The bus arrived with a low hiss of brakes. Mara climbed aboard without a glance back.

  Kai’s voice snapped through their earpieces, “Move. Get on that bus — now.”

  The recruits scrambled, nearly missing the doors as they slipped inside just before they hissed shut.

  On screen, the world jostled with each bump of the road. Seven stops later, the bus slowed and Mara stepped off.

  “She’s on the move,” Darren muttered.

  The camera showed her weaving through the crowded streets, heading toward a nearby commercial center.

  But something felt… off.

  “She’s walking weird,” Marcus whispered. “Like she’s drunk.”

  “No,” Iris said suddenly, leaning forward. Her eyes locked on the screen. “Something’s wrong.”

  Felix blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “Rewind it,” Iris ordered. “Right before she passed that group of people. There — stop.”

  Felix scrubbed backward, frame by frame.

  Kai’s gaze sharpened.

  “There!” Iris pointed. “Watch her right hand.”

  Felix hit play slowly.

  They all leaned in.

  The screen showed Mara brushing past a businessman — her fingers dipped quickly into his coat pocket, pulling something out so fast it barely registered.

  Jonah sat up, eyes wide. “No way…”

  Felix whispered, “She’s good…”

  Iris smirked. “Again — rewind five seconds forward.”

  The screen showed Mara bumping into a young woman with a purse. Same motion — a stumble, an apology… and fingers slipping inside the purse.

  “She’s hitting people,” Iris breathed. “Like a machine.”

  Felix grinned. “She’s been working this whole time, and those two idiots didn’t even notice.”

  Kai leaned back, watching as the scene unfolded — pick after pick, smooth as water flowing.

  Mara didn’t slow. She slipped through the crowd, bumping, apologizing, lifting wallets and phones in one

  The sun had long started its descent, casting the city in that golden hour glow. At the villa, Kai leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, eyes locked on the screen as Felix streamed the live camera feeds from Darren and Marcus.

  Iris stood quietly behind them, arms crossed, watching everything. Jonah barely paid attention, sprawled on the couch watching something else on TV. Evan was in the kitchen, preparing something simple — the scent of grilled meat filling the air.

  On the screen, Darren and Marcus trailed the woman at a distance — their breathing audible through the small mics hidden in their shirts.

  “She’s on the move again,” Darren muttered. “Heading… opposite direction now.”

  Kai’s eyes sharpened. “Stay calm. Act natural. Don’t let her see you.”

  The two froze for a split second, exchanging worried glances as the woman abruptly turned, walking straight toward them. Instinctively, they split — Darren pretending to tie his shoelaces, Marcus pulling out his phone, feigning interest in the screen.

  The woman brushed past them, her eyes scanning lazily over the crowd, but not lingering. Both boys held their breath until she was out of sight.

  “She didn’t noticed them,” Iris whispered.

  Felix nodded, adjusting the camera angles. “She’s good… but not that good.”

  Darren’s voice came back through the speaker. “We’re back on her.”

  She moved fast, heading toward the bus stop. Moments later, the bus arrived, and without hesitation, she boarded.

  “Get on,” Kai ordered, his voice low but firm.

  Darren and Marcus hurried, slipping in through the back doors just before they shut. The camera jolted with every bump of the road.

  The ride was long — seven, maybe eight stops — but then something odd happened.

  “She… she just missed her apartment stop,” Marcus whispered.

  Kai leaned forward. “Where’s she going?”

  The screen showed the woman now staring out the window, face unreadable, lips moving slightly as if speaking — but there was no one next to her.

  “She’s on a call,” Iris observed.

  The next stop came, and she stood.

  “Stay sharp,” Kai ordered.

  Darren and Marcus followed, hearts racing as they trailed her through narrowing alleyways, the sun barely reaching between the decaying buildings.

  “She’s heading somewhere shady,” Darren muttered.

  “Maybe she’s meeting someone,” Marcus added, his voice uneasy.

  The woman kept walking, still talking on the phone, until she reached the end of the alley. She turned the corner — and vanished from view.

  “Eyes up, don’t lose her!” Felix snapped.

  Darren and Marcus quickened their pace, turned the corner—

  And stopped dead.

  She was gone.

  Both stood frozen, scanning the alley — empty. Silent.

  “What the hell?” Darren breathed.

  Kai’s eyes narrowed. “Something’s wrong…”

  Before either could react, a deep voice came from behind them. “Well, well… who do we have here?”

  Darren spun — two men appeared from the shadows behind them, faces hard, hands casually resting on their belts, where blades gleamed.

  Marcus turned, only to find two more men blocking the other end of the alley — the woman now standing beside them, a sly grin on her face.

  She pointed directly at Darren and Marcus. “That’s them. The ones following me.”

  One of the thugs cracked his knuckles. “You boys got a death wish… or just real stupid?”

  Silence.

  From the villa, Kai’s jaw clenched.

  Iris muttered, “It’s a trap…”

  Felix’s fingers hovered over the controls. “Boss… what do we do?”

  Kai’s eyes stayed locked on the screen — calculating, cold.

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