The realization hit Sam like a punch to the gut: Raymond wasn't just some go-between playing it safe. He was a full-blown traitor, and worse, working for The Broker. Everything clicked into place—the near-misses, the close calls. Carter Blake hadn't just gotten lucky; Raymond had been feeding him information, making it nearly impossible for Sam to stay one step ahead.
In the dimly lit safe house, Sam paced back and forth, her mind racing. The air felt thick with tension, almost suffocating. Lily sat in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest, eyes wide as the gravity of the situation began to sink in.
"We need to move quickly," Sam said, breaking the silence. "Raymond isn't just some pawn anymore—he's working for The Broker, and that makes him dangerous. Extremely dangerous."
Lily nodded slowly, the weight of the situation evident on her face. "I can't believe my father... he's been involved all along. I thought he was just trying to protect me, but—" Her voice trailed off, cracking with emotion.
Sam shot her a glance, still unsure if she could fully trust Lily. The girl's story had been all over the place, and Sam wasn't one to let her guard down, not after everything that had happened. But for now, they were both in the same sinking boat, and Sam needed all the help she could get.
"Listen," Sam said, her voice firm. "We can't sit around waiting for Raymond to come after us. He knows too much, and if he's feeding all that intel to The Broker, we don't stand a chance unless we get to him first."
Lily's breath hitched. "Do you really think he'll try to kill us?"
Sam locked eyes with her, her voice cold but steady. "I guess he has already tried to kill me. That's why we were ambushed in the first place. If he knows you're with me, you're on his hit list too."
Lily flinched at the harsh truth, but there was no point in sugarcoating things. Sam had learned a long time ago that facing reality head-on was the only way to survive.
Across Town
Carter Blake stood in front of Mr. X, trying to keep his frustration in check. The room was dimly lit, the glow of several security monitors casting eerie shadows on the walls. Each screen showed various locations around the city, all the places Sam had been spotted recently.
"You failed again," Mr. X said, his voice calm but dripping with disappointment.
Carter's jaw clenched. "We were close. Sam slipped through our grasp, but next time—"
"There won't be a next time if you don't handle this," Mr. X interrupted, his voice cold and unforgiving. "Raymond has given us everything we need to take her down. If you can't do it, I'll find someone who can."
Carter's fists tightened, but he nodded. He understood the stakes. If Sam wasn't taken out soon, there would be hell to pay, and it wouldn't just be from The Broker.
---
Back at the Safe House
Lily was pacing now, the nervous energy rolling off her in waves. Sam, meanwhile, was hunched over a map of the city, marking down possible locations where Raymond could be hiding out. She wasn't about to let him slip away. Not again.
"We have to find him before he finds us," Sam muttered, her mind already formulating a plan. "He's not going to make the same mistakes Carter did."
Lily stopped pacing and looked at Sam, determination settling into her features. "I might be able to help."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"My father... he has contacts, people he trusts. If I can tap into his network, we might be able to track him down before he gets to us."
Sam stared at Lily, weighing the risk. Trusting her wasn't easy, but desperate times called for desperate measures. If Lily had access to Raymond's inner circle, that could be the edge Sam needed to flip the script.
After a long pause, Sam nodded. "Alright. But make no mistake, if you cross me, I'll put a bullet in you myself."
Lily's face paled, but she didn't hesitate. "I understand."
With that, Sam grabbed her coat and her gun, strapping it to her side. "Let's get moving."
---
Later That Night
The city streets were eerily quiet as Sam and Lily moved through the shadows, keeping to the back alleys to avoid being spotted. They followed the lead Lily had gotten from her father's contacts, taking them to an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. It wasn't much to look at, but according to the intel, Raymond had been seen there recently, meeting with a few of his associates.
Sam's senses were on high alert as they approached the building. Something didn't feel right. Her gut was screaming at her to be careful, and after everything that had happened, she wasn't about to ignore it.
"Stay back," Sam whispered to Lily, holding up a hand as they reached the warehouse.
Sam slipped around the side of the building, peeking through a cracked window. Inside, she could make out the silhouettes of two men talking in hushed tones. And then, she saw him—Raymond. He was standing there, calm and collected, giving orders like he hadn't a care in the world.
Sam's blood boiled. This was her chance.
She motioned for Lily to come closer, her voice low but urgent. "He's inside. We need to move now."
Lily's eyes widened with fear. "Are you sure? What if it's a trap?"
Sam gritted her teeth. "It probably is. But we don't have a choice."
With that, they slipped inside the warehouse, moving quickly and quietly through the shadows. The air was thick with tension, every creak of the floorboards making Sam's heart pound faster. They were getting closer, inching towards Raymond, when suddenly—
BANG.
A gunshot echoed through the building, and Sam barely had time to react before pulling Lily behind cover.
Her mind raced. They were pinned down, trapped in the middle of a warehouse filled with enemies. And now, with a kill order on her head, Raymond had set the perfect trap.
As Sam narrowly avoids the assassination attempt, she realizes that Raymond has put a kill order on her, and Carter Blake is now leading the charge to take her down.