"Victoria Winslow!"
Cole froze when he heard the name. A sharp, electric jolt ran through his mind. No fucking way. The first thing that hit him wasn't MI6, or his mother's past, or the danger sitting in the air between him and Owen.
It was RED.
That old-school, blood-pumping film about retired killers who were anything but retired. A group of aging operators—sixties, seventies, even an eighty-year-old legend—getting hunted, ambushed, and still tearing the world apart with experience alone.
The movie was over-the-top, stylish, outrageous… and every character in it was a monster in their own right.
Frank Moses — ex-CIA. All-round fighter. Deadly even with age slowing him. Sharpshooting tighter than top-tier agents. Hands tougher than hardened killers. A man who could build a bomb in half a minute and make the CIA sweat.
Marvin Boggs — former senior agent locked in a hallucinogenic nightmare because they fed him drugs for eleven straight years. Paranoid, brilliant… and dangerous enough to shoot down a rocket with one bullet.
Joe Matheson — the world's top intelligence man, now a crooked old seducer living in a nursing home flirting with caregivers.
And then—
Victoria Winslow. Former top MI6 assassin. Elegant. Lethal. Icy. A velvet-handed executioner.
Cole's mother.
Now Magdalene Shaw — quiet, floral-arranging, retired MI6 legend… who once ran with a team of old wolves.
The thought hit him hard, impossible to ignore. My whole life… and I thought she was just retired MI6. No. She was Deckard-level.
A killer.
A legend.
A ghost of MI6 history.
And she still had her old warrior friends.
"I thought Deck was the most powerful person in the family," Cole said with a faint smile. "Didn't expect it to be Mum."
Though Deckard was the strongest in the family now, Magdalene wasn't far behind—and she had a team.
Frank Moses alone could match Deckard. The others weren't far off.
"I only figured it out when I was still in the SAS," Owen said, shaking his head. "Blew my mind at the time."
It was part of why he became a mercenary. With a mother like that behind him, he never worried about his family being vulnerable.
"Actually…" Owen smirked. "Let me tell you a secret. Mum's been living alone all these years, yeah, but she's not lonely. She can't sit still. Sometimes she takes private work."
Even though the three brothers didn't go home often, they still showed up seven or eight times a year. But Magdalene Shaw didn't know the meaning of "retired." She never stayed idle.
Cole exhaled a small, helpless laugh. He knew exactly what those "private jobs" meant.
A killer only had one trade.
"By the way," Owen added, "when you get back to the city, go find an old bastard named Frank Moses."
Cole blinked. "Why?"
"No—go beat him up. He rejected Mum ages ago. She married Dad, sure, but after Dad died? Mum kept mentioning his name." Owen clicked his tongue. "You live in New York City. Track him down. Beat him, tie him up, drag him to Mum if you want."
"…Fuck's sake. "Cole pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew it—Magdalene really did have a soft spot for Moses.
"Fine. I'll look for him when I'm back in the city."
Owen nodded. "Good. Now—back to work. You contact Dominic. He moves the package; we intercept en route."
"I already spoke to him," Cole said. "MI6 is guaranteed to show up. We handle them. Dominic takes the chip components. Less losses for us."
"And if Dominic gets the package, Letty has leverage for a trade."
Cole nodded again. If they secured the three chip components, the mission would be complete.
After finalizing their recon and confirming the route, the two men moved out…
⸻⸻
Inside MI6 Headquarters.
William Harcourt returned and was instantly summoned to the office of his superior.
"William," his boss said sharply, "your performance has always been excellent, but your blind arrogance destroyed two operations."
"I don't object to using Magdalene Shaw to pressure Owen Shaw and Cole Shaw, but going in without proper intel was reckless."
"Do you know who Magdalene Shaw is? Do you know how many of her disciples are still inside MI6?Do you understand her ties with the upper ranks of the CIA?"
Her glare cut ice.
She slammed a file on the table.
The internal power struggle inside MI6 was vicious—every department held different authority. And this idiot brought a strike team into the home of a revered, retired, honorary instructor from another division.
This morning, her own director chewed her out in front of everyone.
Her fury simmered.
Meanwhile, William barely heard her.
He had opened the file.
Victoria Winslow.
S-class encryption. Restricted access. Top-clearance only.
What he saw before was only Magdalene Shaw's information.That's why he thought Magdalene Shaw was just an ordinary retired woman.
This?
This was a monster.
And he'd tried to arrest her.
He'd nearly gotten himself killed.
"Sorry," William said quietly. "I was negligent. I'm willing to accept punishment."
His boss waved him off. "It's over. The people you lost are punishment enough. The mission to capture Owen Shaw and Cole Shaw remains yours."
"But hear me clearly—deal with them. Do not touch their family again."
She dismissed him.
⸻⸻
London City.
Brian sat in front of the computer, studying everything they salvaged from Owen Shaw's base.
Finally—
"Their next target is a base in Barcelona," Brian said, pointing at the screen.
"Okay, let's set off now." Luke nodded and said seriously.
The three of them headed toward the military base in Barcelona...
At the same time, William also received Luke's plan to go to the military base in Barcelona.
He immediately recognized what it meant: Luke and his team had locked onto Owen and Cole Shaw's next move.
William and his unit boarded their transport plane—
—and flew straight toward Barcelona City…