The Hunter

Maximilian “Max” Reeves has never forgotten the gunshot that took his life fifteen years ago.

No, he didn't die literally. But part of his soul was shattered when he heard the news that his father, De Nederlandsche Bank CEO Willem Visser, had ended his life in a prison cell with a contraband pistol. That same day her twin sister, Alexandra, disappeared without a trace.

Now, standing on the veranda of the Four Seasons Hotel Amsterdam's Presidential suite, Max surveys the De Nederlandsche Bank building looming in the distance. Dawn light hits the top of its classic clock tower, creating the illusion of golden flames. Ironic, considering the storm he would soon unleash within.

“Target secured?” The voice in his headset broke the reverie.

Max took a sip of his espresso, letting the bitter liquid flow with the memories. “Victoria managed to find the safe, just as we predicted. Stefan and his team took it to the prepared location.”

“And Alexandra's body?”

“Right where they hid her all along.” Max clenched his fists. “Right under our noses.”

After fifteen years undercover as a Europol agent, infiltrating the European banking network, he finally found the trail of his sister's killer. The Red Lotus - the secret organization that controls the flow of illicit funds in Europe - is more deeply involved than he thought.

“Keep Victoria alive,” the voice in the headset warned. “She's the key to unraveling everything.”

Max smiled slightly. Victoria “Vic” Dewi Maharani - the “Calculated Killer” whose reputation is almost equal to her legend. The financial forensic who had destroyed dozens of crime syndicates with her deadly audits.

But tonight, the hunter has become the prey.

Max opened his encrypted laptop, accessing the feed of the hidden camera he'd installed in the warehouse where Stefan had brought Vic. The interior of the old building on the outskirts of Amsterdam was dimly lit, but it was enough to see Vic tied to a chair, facing Stefan and two other men in expensive suits.

“I've always admired your determination, schatje.” Stefan's voice came clearly through the hidden microphone. “Even now, I can see your brain working, looking for a way to escape.”

Vic looked at her husband with a mixture of anger and... something more complex. “How long have you been planning this? Since the beginning of our marriage?”

“Fifteen years.” Stefan knelt before her, touching her cheek gently. “Since the day Alexandra died.”

“I didn't kill her.” Vic replied firmly. “I hadn't even joined the forensics team then.”

“But your father led the investigation that destroyed the Visser family.” Stefan withdrew his hand. “The evidence he collected, the testimonies he fabricated... all to cover his own client's tracks.”

Max clenched his fists. Vic's father, Professor Maharani, had indeed led the forensic team investigating the De Nederlandsche Bank money laundering scandal. But there was something Stefan didn't know - something even Vic himself might not know.

“Target in position.” Another voice in Max's headset. “Team is ready.”

“Wait.” Max watched the video feed more carefully. There was something strange about the posture of one of the men beside Stefan. The way he stood, his hand gestures... “Something's not right.”

Just then, the warehouse lights went out.

In the darkness, Max saw red laser flashes sweeping the room through the infrared feed. Not from his team. The sound of gunfire broke the silence.

“Damn it!” Max reached into his Burberry jacket, retrieving a Glock 19 pistol from a hidden holster. “Red Lotus knows we're coming. Abort the operation!”

But it was too late. In the video feed, he saw Vic manage to break free - of course, a “Calculated Killer” wouldn't be easily restrained. But that's not what makes her gasp.

Stefan van der Wolff, the young banker glorified by the media, stands with his back to Vic, firing with the precision only a trained agent can. Protecting her.

“I'm sorry, schatje.” Stefan's voice was firm. “I did marry you for revenge. But there's something I didn't count on.”

“What?” Vic took cover behind a concrete pillar.

“I'm really in love with you.”

Max cursed silently. Worst-case scenario. Stefan van der Wolff, son of the Red Lotus leader, had his own agenda. And now, the man was protecting the target he was supposed to eliminate.

“Alpha Team, enter from the north.” Max gave the order while rushing to the elevator. “Beta Team, secure the perimeter. Don't let anyone escape.”

On the way down, Max opens a secret file on his phone. An old photo - two ten-year-old twins with identical blonde hair, smiling at the camera. Him and Alexandra, on their last birthday together.

“I'll finish this, Alex,” he whispered. “I promise.”

The elevator stopped in the lobby. Max stepped out quietly, nodding at the receptionist who didn't notice the Glock hidden under his coat. A black Audi RS7 waited in front of the hotel.

On the way to the warehouse, cutting through the crowded streets of Amsterdam, Max thought about the irony of fate. Fifteen years ago, Alexandra died after discovering the secret of the Red Lotus. Now, Vic faces the same fate.

But there's one thing no one knows. The secret he's been guarding for fifteen years undercover.

Alexandra didn't die that night.

The body in the safe was a fake - a perfect set-up to trap the Red Lotus. And the real Alexandra? Max smiled bitterly. His twin sister was smarter than everyone thought.

The warehouse was surrounded by his tactical team when he arrived. Gunshots could still be heard from inside, but more sporadically. Max put on his bulletproof vest and checked his Glock magazine.

“Target status?”

“Vic and Stefan are moving upstairs,” one of his team replied. “But there's a problem, sir. We're detecting a familiar signal.”

“Familiar how?”

“Like... Alexandra's signature.”

Max froze. There was no way. Alexandra wouldn't show up now, not after everything they'd planned. Unless...

“Sir!” A panicked voice on the radio. “We've lost contact with the team around the target!”

Max didn't wait for the rest. He burst in through a side door, moving quickly and efficiently as he was taught at the Europol academy. The warehouse was a maze of containers and old industrial equipment, perfect for a cat-and-mouse game.

He heard steps above. The fire escape at the end of the corridor led him to the second floor. There, among the shadows and dim light, she saw a figure that made her blood rush.

Vic stood in the center of the room, gun pointed at Stefan who knelt before him. But that wasn't the surprise.

Behind Vic, a slender figure with platinum blonde hair held a gun to his head. The figure Max thought was gone. The figure he had been protecting with his life.

“Hello, Max.” Alexandra Visser smiled. The same smile as fifteen years ago. “Long time no see, big brother.”

And that's when Max realized - the real game was just beginning