Chapter 12 - A Visitor in the Shadows
The revelation hung in the air like a hangman's noose. Maya stared down at the photograph, her fingers trembling slightly before she clenched them into fists to regain control. The jagged scar across the knuckles was unmistakably Aaron's—a reminder of a sparring match they had shared when she was barely fifteen.
""Why didn't you tell me this years ago?"" Maya’s voice was dangerously low, vibrating with suppressed fury. ""You knew who I was the day I applied here. You let Marcus test me. You played me.""
""I was testing your readiness, not your resume,"" Vance countered, his voice steady despite the tension. ""If Aaron is alive, he’s running from men who make Marcus look like an unruly schoolboy. Red Sands is a syndicate of ex-military contractors who operate off-the-grid combat dens and illicit weapons shipments. If they know you have his trail, they will come through this gym to get to you.""
Before Maya could reply, the lights in the main gymnasium suddenly flickered and cut out. The heavy thrum of the building's ventilation system died with an eerie, descending whine.
A sharp chill crept under the office door. The alarms that had wailed earlier were completely dead; the power had been cut from the primary transformer outside in the alley.
""Did Sterling leave the building?"" Maya whispered, her tactical instincts immediately overriding her personal shock.
""He left ten minutes ago with the students,"" Vance replied, reaching into a locked drawer under the desk and pulling out a heavy steel baton. ""We're alone.""
A slow, deliberate set of footsteps echoed from the darkened training floor. The wood planks creaked softly under heavy combat boots. Maya moved silently to the side of the door frame, slipping her hand into her jacket pocket to retrieve her tactical pen—the only weapon she had left.
May you like
The door knob turned with agonizing slowness.
A voice cut through the dark, smooth and mocking. ""Maya. You really shouldn't have embarrassed Marcus so publicly. It drew far too much attention to our little reunion.""
