Chapter 8.
He leaned into me, his voice a soft, sweet whisper, revealing his plan to retire from it all.
But what he didn’t know was that I had already severed my ties with Viper long ago.
Yet, John always found a way to pull me back in, using any excuse to reach out.
And so, here we were today.
The truth was, John had been my secret obsession for years.
He was the true power behind Viper, his dual identity a shield.
But these were truths I never intended to share with Brandon–one wrong word, and I’d
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have another storm to weather.
I squeezed Brandon’s hand, the calluses on his fingers pressing into mine, the pain sharp yet grounding.
“Alright,” I whispered, “I’ve got my own plans too.”
Under the vast night sky, a shooting star streaked across, its brilliance cutting through the darkness.
I closed my eyes, silently wishing to be nothing more than an ordinary couple with Brandon in this lifetime.
But just as he leaned in for a kiss, his phone rang, shattering the fragile moment.
“…” Lyon’s panicked face flashed on the
screen.
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“You’d better have a damn good reason for this,” Brandon snarled, his expression. darkening.
“John’s gone missing!” Lyon’s voice quivered through the phone.
“I dropped him off. We talked, and I left. But when I came back for my phone, he was gone,” Lyon explained, his face pale.
He showed us John’s living room–perfectly intact except for the shattered window.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed.
“Boss, something’s wrong!”
Brandon and I exchanged a glance, both of us realizing how serious things had become.
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ThThe video that flashed on my screeƉewavas froromJohn’s meeting room..
It haldadebeen completely destroyed–d- eveverything shattered.
In thehaitidele of the conference table,la, a blooderedediaeger seal was pressed into thehe, surfacece.
Tiger the ruththless third–party organizationon that had causeslesbso much chaos.
As Brandon andhkprprocessed the information, my phone buzzedeagagain.
Another video, withthoncocontext, played.
John, tied up and bruisesed his lips/swollen and bleeding, stared at theheacamera.
His captors didn’t show theirefatases, but the
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voice in the background stuttered, “S–So, Viper, come save your lover?”
Lyon, watching from the small screen, listened intently before offering his advice.
“Boss, should I call in reinforcements?”
Brandon and I shot him a look that could freeze flames.
“Of course, we call the cops!”
Lyon stood there, speechless.
“Boss, did you forget we’re-”
Brandon cut him off.
“Less talking, Lyon. Are you the boss or am
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With a sharp click, the call endedd.
Brandon and I locked eyes.
Two identical badges sat in the palms of our hands.
Ten years ago, we’d gone undercover too investigate the series of crimes Tiger hadd orchestrated.
But Tiger’s checks were too thorough, and I lost contact with many of my team members before we could even reunite.
Over time, as Viper’s previous leader was killed, I used the chaos to infiltrate Viper.
In a short amount of time, with unmatched skill, I had risen to the top, becoming the new leader of Viper.
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During these years, I had been searching for my lost colleagues while continuing the investigation into Tiger’s crimes.
Two months ago, I had a hunch that one of my old teammates might be in Dragon Bang. But I couldn’t be sure who.
That day in the hallway, when I sent a coded message to my subordinates, it wasn’t by accident.
I had done it on purpose.
And by my side, standing shoulder to shoulder, was Brandon.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
“Well hidden, huh?”
“You’re not bad yourself,” he replied, his grip
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tiglightening on my hand. d.
Schoonenough, we received Lyon’s response: eveverything was set.
But thenebrBrandon’s expression turned darlark againaihihisagaze filled with hesitation.n.
“Did youou.dedevelop feelings during the he mission?“?”
I opened my manouth to respond, but before le l could, Brandonococontinued.
“John was your sesénior, it wouldn’t be strange if you liked him!n.”
I closed my eyes, frustratated.
It was all falling apart.rt.
Just when I had calmed himiodown, he was
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baback to being fragile and cautious.s.
I hladadono feelings for John, not in anyny roromantic sense.
I just sti didn’t expect that the stuttered wordsds in theheldub would be misinterpreted like thisis
The kidnapapper shouldn’t have done this sit–it was messising with the wrong people.e
I cracked aljokeke, trying to lighten the mood, d, but Brandon’s exexpression stayed unchanged.
He looked upset,ep forcing a smile.
“Want me to go save vaiminio for you?”
His lips were tight, andaisisyeyes never met mine.
He was lying.g.
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He was just saying that to comfort me.
“Fine.”
“Darling, if you choose him…”
“I said, fine.”
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