Chapter Six: under the surface

~ALEX~

I watched her walk away from the warehouse, her back straight, her shoulders tense, every step a carefully calculated move to avoid showing how much she was actually shaken. Lexi had always been like that, always trying to keep her emotions locked behind a wall. But I could see the cracks. I could always see the cracks.

She'd been stubborn—maybe even more than usual—when I'd laid out the terms of our little "arrangement." But the truth was, I didn't need her cooperation, at least not the way she thought. I wasn't asking her to betray anyone just yet. All I needed was her watchful eye. The rest would come in time. I didn't need to scare her into submission. Not yet. She was smart. She'd figure it out herself.

The sound of her footsteps fading into the distance made me smile—there was something satisfying in knowing I still had that kind of control over her. She hated me, but she couldn't seem to stay away. And that was exactly what I'd been counting on.

I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and surveyed the quiet streets around me. Everything was calm. Too calm. The tension in the air was palpable, even though no one else seemed to notice. For someone who'd lived my life, this kind of stillness wasn't a relief; it was a warning.

I hadn't been in contact with Lexi for days. I'd watched from the shadows, letting her feel the weight of my absence like a constant pressure at the back of her mind. She'd been too easy to track, too predictable. But now, it was time to remind her that she wasn't free. Not yet.

There was still too much to set in motion. Too much left unsaid between us.

I lit a cigarette and leaned against the warehouse wall, waiting for the next move. Everything had been lining up perfectly so far. The Bureau was getting closer to one of my safe houses, but they weren't close enough yet. I needed a few more days, maybe a week—just enough time to bury the operation deeper.

As I exhaled a cloud of smoke into the cool night air, I thought about the message I'd sent to Lexi.

'Meet me at the usual spot. 10 PM.'

It wasn't just a call to check in. It was a reminder that I was still here, that I wasn't going anywhere, and that if she wanted to protect her little world, she'd have to play by my rules.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting the silence. I pulled it out, glancing at the screen. It was one of my men—Carlos, from the crew that had been tailing her team.

"Everything's set. The shipment is scheduled for next week. I'll keep an eye on her, but she's getting too close to the Bureau."

I read the message twice. Lexi was getting too close? Good, I thought. Let her get closer. It'll make things interesting. She might hate me, but she was still one of the best agents out there. Too good for her own good.

I tapped a quick reply: "Make sure she doesn't get any closer. Keep her busy if you have to."

It wasn't that I was afraid of her digging too deep. It was more that she had the potential to be more of a problem than she realized. "Keep her distracted," I thought again, before putting the phone back in my pocket.

Then, there was the team. Mark, Jenna, Carlos—the usual bunch of people she'd attached herself to. They were getting too comfortable. Too open. Too trusting. I'd been watching them all, listening to the conversations they had when they thought no one was listening. And they'd given me just enough to know that if they kept pushing, they might find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But I wasn't going to pull that trigger yet. Not when I had so many other ways to play the game.

I had eyes everywhere. In the Bureau, in the street, in places they would never think to look. The Bureau had its blind spots, and I knew them all.

Lexi had never suspected how deeply embedded I was. And that was the biggest mistake she'd ever made. It wasn't just about manipulating her anymore—it was about making sure that every choice she made was one I could predict. Every move, every step—mine to control.

As I stood there, my eyes scanning the empty street, I thought about Lexi again. Her resistance was amusing, in a way. She'd always been good at playing the martyr, the one who would sacrifice everything to do the "right" thing. But I knew better. She was driven by survival, just like the rest of us. She might have pretended she was untouchable, but I knew she wasn't. And I was going to make sure she remembered that.

The game wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about who would break first. And I had no intention of letting it be me.

I flicked the cigarette onto the ground, crushing it beneath my boot. The night was still, but I could feel it coming—whatever it was that was about to shift in the air. The tension was thick, and it was only a matter of time before someone made a move. I didn't have to worry about that. The timing would be right. I'd make sure of it.

I checked my watch, then turned, walking into the shadows. The night was mine. And Lexi? She would learn that sooner or later.

She always did.

The sound of the phone buzzing again broke my thoughts as I walked away from the warehouse. My men had everything in place. I was one step ahead of everyone, and that was how I liked it.

Every piece of the puzzle was slowly falling into place. Lexi was still caught in the middle of it all. I just needed to wait a little longer before I made my final move.

Soon. Very soon.