Chapter Eight #2
As Clara and Seb’s group neared the mansion, Clara’s heart pounded in her chest. She could feel Seb’s protective presence beside her, his quiet strength a comforting reassurance.
They had decided to avoid the main gate because it was too exposed.
It was covered by cameras and Clara had no doubt that Ortega would have men watching it from inside the house.
The rest of the grounds were surrounded by a seven-foot manicured hedge.
They weren’t the easiest things to scale, but for shifters who had a little extra speed and power in their bodies, they weren’t impossible.
They circled the hedge until they were about a third of the way around the property’s circumference then one by one made their way over.
They each landed deftly on the neatly trimmed lawn then continued toward the house.
Logan led the way slowly and methodically before he signaled for them to stop.
Without saying a word, he pointed to the two corners of the house.
To their right, the elbow of a guard was just visible.
Clara didn’t see any movement coming from the other corner, but she was certain there would be someone stationed on that side of house, too.
Logan pointed to himself, and Ezra and they took off toward the back of the house, leaving Seb and Clara to neutralize the guard at the front.
Clara and Seb crept towards the building, their approach near-silent even to shifter ears.
Seb took the lead and in one seriously swift move, he rounded the corner, threw his arms around the man’s neck from behind and squeezed until he became limp.
Seb let go, then the man fell to the ground, unconscious.
Objective achieved, they made their way to the back of the house where Logan and Ezra were waiting after taking out the other guard.
As they moved to the back of the mansion, Clara’s thoughts were a whirlwind of worry.
Her father was somewhere in this opulent prison, and every step they took brought her closer to him.
They avoided the back door, suspecting it would be heavily guarded and instead made their way past a large conservatory to another room that had two large windows, each with a smaller window on each side of it.
Very carefully, Clara peered into the room, Despite the lights being turned off in the room, her wolf vision gave her perfect eyesight in the dark and she determined quickly that the room—a formal dining room—was empty.
She pushed against the two side windows, unsurprised to find them locked.
“Breaking the window is going to draw attention to us,” Seb whispered, “so as soon as the glass is out, we need to climb in as quickly as possible.”
When they all nodded their agreement, Seb took off his black zip-up hoody and wrapped it around his wrist.
“Get ready,” he warned.
He brought his arm back then smashed it against the window, quickly and efficiently pushing away all the stray pieces of glass with his covered hand before placing the hoody over the windowsill.
He stepped back and Logan climbed up then jumped down in the room, Ezra went next, and Clara followed with Seb bringing up the rear.
They were inside. They quickly made their way to the door, trying to reach it before any of Ortega’s guards showed up.
Seb stayed close to Clara’s side, his hand occasionally brushing against hers in a silent show of solidarity.
Despite the gravity of their mission, Clara felt an overwhelming sense of connection to Seb.
This was more than just a rescue operation—it was a testament to their bond, and of how much they had come to trust one another in such a short space of time.
Together, they advanced, ready to face whatever lay ahead in the heart of Ortega’s mansion.
Progressing cautiously through the lavish interior, Clara’s senses were heightened to every sound and movement.
The scent of polished wood and expensive cologne mingled in the air, contrasting starkly with the tension of their mission.
Seb, lead their group with quiet confidence, signaling them through the corridors, evading security cameras and avoiding the main pathways.
Each encounter with Ortega’s guards was a swift, silent struggle. Seb, Logan, and Ezra moved with lethal efficiency, neutralizing the guards before they could raise an alarm. Clara, though tense, kept pace, her training taking over in the heat of the moment.
They finally reached a room at the end of a long hallway.
Ortega’s study. Clara couldn’t be certain, but she suspected this was where Ortega would be holding her father.
Seb carefully opened the door and sure enough, Clara’s father was seated in a chair in the middle of the room, bound disheveled, but alive.
Relief washed over Clara, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of protective anger.
As they moved to free him, the room’s door swung open behind them with a dramatic thud. Ortega, flanked by two armed guards, stood in the doorway, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
“Well, well, what a pleasant surprise,” Ortega taunted, his voice dripping with condescension. “Seems I have a guest from CN-6. You’ve been a thorn in my side for too long.”
The room tensed, the air thick with the imminent threat of violence. Clara’s father looked at her, his expression a combination of worry and fear.
“Did you honestly think you could just waltz in here and disrupt my operations?” Ortega spat. “I’ve been dealing with your kind for years.”
“We’re not CN-6,” Seb said. “We’re CIA.”
Seb’s hand hovered near his weapon, his eyes calculating. “Get your lackeys to drop their weapons. This doesn’t have to end badly.”
Ortega’s laugh was cold, and completely devoid of humor. “Oh, but I think it does.”
In a swift, unexpected move, Ortega raised his gun, aiming directly at Clara.
Time seemed to slow as adrenaline surged through her veins.
But before he could pull the trigger, Seb acted.
With lightning-fast reflexes, he drew his gun and shot Ortega in the shoulder.
The shot echoed through the room, and Ortega staggered back, his weapon falling from his grasp.
Almost simultaneously, Carter, Max, Arlo, and Toby burst in through the open door behind Ortega’s guards, quickly overpowering the disoriented men before they could react to Seb’s shot.
“We’ve secured the rest of the mansion,” Carter announced. “All guards have been neutralized.”
Clara moved to her father, tears of relief in her eyes. “Dad, are you okay?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion.
Her father, still in shock, managed a weak nod. “I am now, thanks to you and your friends.”
As Clara deftly untied her father, Seb stepped forward, extending a respectful hand. “Pleased to meet you, Sir. I’m Clara’s mate. I wish we could have met under different circumstances.”
Clara’s father, still regaining his bearings, looked at Seb with a hint of surprise. “Wow, you’re big! What kind of shifter are you?” he asked, his voice steady despite the ordeal he had just endured.
“I’m a bear shifter, Sir,” Seb replied, a trace of pride in his voice.
A small smile crept onto her father’s face, his eyes softening as he glanced briefly at his daughter. “Good... strong and capable. I’m glad she has someone like you in her life.”
The moment was brief but filled with unspoken understanding and approval. Clara felt a surge of warmth at the exchange, her heart swelling with love for both men.
Turning their attention to the task at hand, the team quickly secured the area, ensuring Ortega and his guards were contained. They put a temporary dressing on Ortega’s shoulder, then Clara, her mind racing with the potential implications of their find, approached Ortega’s safe.
“I wonder…” she mused.
It had only been the day before when Clara had been in Ortega’s study to look at the painting.
Would he have bothered to change the combination on the safe?
She crossed to the matador painting and swung it open to reveal the safe behind.
She punched in the numbers she had learned by heart and to her surprise, the safe clicked open.
Inside, she found the ledger that CN-6 had been seeking, along with a trove of other documents.
Her hands trembled slightly as she leafed through the papers, each page revealing more of the shadowy network they were up against. There were detailed accounts of CN-6’s operations, lists of operatives, and intricate management structures.
“It’s all here,” Clara whispered, hardly believing the extent of what they had uncovered. “Years of CN-6’s secrets, right at our fingertips. I think this is enough to dismantle the entire organization.”
Seb leaned over her shoulder, looking at the evidence. He nodded. “This is it, Clara. This is the breakthrough we needed.”
The room filled with a sense of triumph and Clara felt a weight lift from her shoulders. They had achieved what had once seemed impossible.
As Clara and the team awaited the arrival of the Spanish Intelligence, the tension in the room shifted.
Ortega, wounded and slumped against the wall, his shoulder bleeding through the makeshift dressing, was a shadow of the confident criminal mastermind he had been moments earlier.
Yet, even in his weakened state, there was a gleam of defiance in his eyes.
Clara watched him warily, keeping a safe distance. Despite his injury, there was no underestimating a man like Ortega.
Breaking the silence, Ortega let out a pained laugh. “You think you’ve won, don’t you?” he rasped, his voice laced with bitterness. “But you don’t understand the full picture.”
Clara, her curiosity piqued despite her disdain for the man, asked, “And what full picture would that be?”
Ortega coughed, then continued, “CN-6... they’ve been a thorn in my side for years. Always trying to muscle in on my operations, my territory.”
Seb, standing nearby, interjected, “So, this was all a turf war to you?”
Ortega’s eyes narrowed. “More than that. It was survival. CN-6, they’re not just some low-level operatives. They’re as big and as bad as they come. And they want what I have. I’ve been collecting intel on them for years, waiting for the right time to strike back.”
“And now what?” Clara asked, her voice steady. “You’re finished. We have everything we need to take you and CN-6 down.”
Ortega smirked, a hint of his former arrogance flickering in his expression. “Perhaps. But remember, in this world, there’s always someone else waiting to take my place. You’ve won a battle, not the war.”
The weight of his words hung in the air, a sobering reminder of the ongoing struggle against criminal enterprises like CN-6 and master criminals like Ortega.
As Clara processed this revelation, she realized that their mission was part of a much larger fight, one that extended far beyond Ortega and his empire.
The team remained vigilant, keeping watch over Ortega and his men until the sound of approaching sirens signaled the arrival of the authorities.
As they prepared to hand Ortega over and make their way out of the mansion, Clara knew that their victory was significant, but the journey was far from over.