Chapter 20
Twenty
THE FINAL BATTLE
DAPHNE
“There was so much light around us,” I muttered to myself.
Thal reached over, squeezing my hand, and said, “Not for long.”
A wave of anxiety tightened inside me, making it difficult to breathe. We had reviewed the plan countless times, yet my mind was filled with doubt. I had trained for thousands of hours for moments like this, and still, I felt as unprepared as a kid on the edge of the unknown.
But I was not a child.
I refused to stay trapped in the uncertainty Zeno had planted in me. His presence always caused a ripple of fear to affect my every action and decision.
However, Thal's words and confidence served as a counterbalance. He had lifted me so high that I longed to become the woman he believed I could be, to live up to his faith and hope.
Yes, he was cautious.
Yes, he went over every detail with a fine-tooth comb.
He was as prepared as a Boy Scout.
I looked at his face, lit by the harsh, white light of Rhea’s compound, and wondered if his outward confidence concealed inner doubt.
His hand, clenched tightly around mine, remained steady and unaffected by nerves. His stride was purposeful and deliberate, as if he were performing a familiar dance, one he had learned long ago.
Meanwhile, I felt like I had two left feet, stumbling over my own hesitation.
I hesitated and withdrew my hand, telling myself I had to steady my thoughts. One wrong step and everything might collapse. Our lives depended on it.
The last thing I wanted was to make that fatal mistake.
“Aidon, call and give our location to our security teams. It should only take them a moment to arrive.”
“Will do,” Aidon nodded before pulling out his phone. Zeno stood beside him, stoic and silent, but the look on his face was one I recognized.
He was focused. Most likely, he was going over all the details in his head methodically. Maybe he was stirring up the tumultuous emotions he must have been feeling about all this to use as fuel for his adrenaline.
That evening, I arrived with Thal and Zeno, and we avoided each other’s gaze, each of us intentionally silent. It felt right that way. It was for the best. Neither of us needed to let emotions run unchecked.
We arrived here with a purpose: to complete our task and leave. Everything else could wait for another time.
Since the firefight, he had avoided me—no texts, no calls.
It was clear he resented me for being with Thal.
I suspected that eventually, we’d have a proper talk about it or maybe he’d just give me an earful.
But for now, it was obvious I had made my choice, and surprisingly, he wasn’t contesting it.
Perhaps he was saving the confrontation for later, I mused, watching him from the corner of my eye, wondering when the storm between us would break.
“We’re ready,” Aidon said into his phone. “All clear here, but follow protocol exactly. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
He hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket. “Just a few minutes now.”
Thal nodded solemnly, and I let my gaze drift up to the sky.
The bright lights of the compound created so much light pollution that it was nearly impossible to see many stars.
But the night was clear, the sky as black as onyx, and the few stars I saw twinkled brightly.
The moon, full and luminous in the distance, watched quietly and peacefully, as if a bloodbath wasn’t about to happen.
“You okay?” Thal asked, his voice so quiet only I could hear it.
I nodded, my gaze snapping back to his. My breath caught at the look in his eyes.
We had spent the entire night making love, exchanging our deepest thoughts, and sharing the feelings that were growing between us.
I was becoming devoted to Thal in a way that frightened me.
I feared losing myself in him, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he would never let that happen.
All his talk about my independence and ability to make my own decisions was intoxicating. It was hard to resist. It might have even been exactly what I needed to break free from Zeno’s control.
As much as I loved him, as much as I wanted him, and as much as I was becoming addicted to his touch, it was his fervent insensitivity that made me do things my way and kept me by his side.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have crossed that line to be with him if he hadn’t done that, if he hadn’t said those things that I desperately needed to hear.
What if Zeno had that attitude? I might never have gotten with Thal at all. But I couldn’t live my life like that, always ruminating on the what-ifs and could-have-beens. Things were the way they were, and there was nothing I could do now to go back and change them.
This was me. Now.
And I needed to face this woman head-on, claim her, and step into the skin of confidence to become the woman I’d always wanted to be.
Strong. Purposeful. Free.
The gravel crunching under tires started softly but grew louder as the small army we’d gathered arrived. They turned off their lights and parked several hundred yards away, then stepped out of their vehicles and joined us, each heavily armed with weapons locked and loaded.
By the time they all stepped out of the darkness, dozens of big men were ready to charge into Rhea’s compound like a herd of bulls, prepared to do serious damage to anyone who stood in their way.
The tension was electric.
I looked around at all their faces, and a shiver of fear ran through me.
This was real. There was no turning back.
I couldn’t help but wonder which of us might not make it out alive. My eyes darted to Zeno, then back to Thal, and my heart ached. If anything happened to either of them, I would be so lost. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain.
How would I go on?
NO.
I wouldn’t think that way.
I needed to stay positive, confident, and focused. If I faltered now, I’d be the one causing everyone’s death. I would never let that happen.
Was I ready to take a bullet to protect any of them?
I sure fucking was.
“All the camera feeds have been altered. Only a peaceful loop is showing up for the security forces inside who are monitoring the feeds,” Aidon said.
“Good,” Zeno said.
“Next, after we’re all in place, we’ll cut the lights, and as soon as we do that, we need to be ready to face them. It will take mere seconds for them to become defensive,” Thal said.
“Are we ready to strike?” Zeno asked, his face hard with resolve and anger. He kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other, eager to go like an impatient racehorse.
Rhea targeted all of us, but it seemed as if Zeno bore the brunt of the blows. It was clear to me that he was eager to destroy her. I shuddered at what he might do if he got his hands on her.
My heart pounded in my chest as I gripped my gun while looking at the sprawling compound.
Rhea was hiding in there somewhere.
I hoped like hell she didn’t get away this time.
It was so quiet here in the darkness. The compound in front of us was completely peaceful. It consisted of a few ordinary concrete buildings surrounded by a fence and a large parking lot that was illuminated in bright, white light.
My eyes darted over to Zeno. No matter what happened tonight, I knew Zeno would never consider me his family again. What was done was done. We could never go back to how things used to be.
And once we were at that point, I would have no family left.
My parents were gone. Now, Zeno would be gone too.
Fuck, the thought of that hurt more than I’d ever admit out loud. Not to Zeno. Not to Thal. It was hard to admit it to myself. I’d spent my whole life trying to claim my independence. From my parents, then from Zeno.
Maybe I didn’t want to be totally free, after all. The strong emotion that grew inside my heart every time I thought about it made me question that long-held belief.
Maybe I just needed the space to be myself, to figure out who I was, as a woman, as a human, as a person not connected to this crazy, wild, chaotic life that had surrounded me for as long as I could remember.
“Ready?” Aidon asked, glancing at Thal, then Zeno, then me.
The three of us nodded, and the men behind us pointed their weapons.
Aidon nodded once, firmly, then spoke into his phone. He had his tech guy ready, and as soon as he gave the word, chaos would erupt through the night.
“Lights,” he said into the phone, before shoving it back into his pocket.
Three seconds later, the bright outside lights that had illuminated the property shut off with a loud thud. Darkness enveloped us, with the faint glow from a few windows piercing through. And then, those went dark too.
For a few seconds, it felt like time froze. We all stayed still, watching. There was no movement, no sound.
Just darkness. Just quiet.
My heart slowed down, and I felt as if I were enveloped in the most surreal peace I’d ever experienced. It was like I was on the brink of a parallel universe, on the edge of death, birth, or something I couldn’t quite name.
It didn’t last long, of course. But for a fleeting moment, I was caught in a cloud of clarity. There was no turning back. We were doing this, and after whatever happened tonight, my life would be forever changed.
Shoulder to shoulder, the four of us moved into the darkness, stepping resolutely into the uncertain future that lay ahead.
We didn’t know exactly how this confrontation would end, but we understood that we were leaving behind our old identities and forging a new path.
Deep down, we all felt that nothing would be the same after this moment.
Suddenly, chaos erupted. The doors slammed open, and armed men poured into the parking lot.
Without hesitation, we pushed forward as a united force.
Gunfire erupted around us, sharp and deafening, echoing through the night amid shouts and chaos.
The syndicate's guards scrambled for cover, but we relentlessly advanced, firing heavy rounds at them.