Lynn stared at the files Lazarus handed her — not printed, not on USB — but on a thick, encrypted tablet.
"Biometrics only," he said. "No screenshots. No leaks. Not until we're ready."
The screen lit up, and Lynn's breath caught.
There were names. Hundreds. Bank transfers. Flight logs. Property deeds. Surveillance footage. Secret meetings.
Photos of girls — young, terrified, missing — being offloaded into cars with tinted windows and government plates.
Lynn swallowed.
> "You've been sitting on this?"
Lazarus leaned against the wall. "For three years. I gathered everything after Naledi died. But I didn't have the reach. Or the guts."
> "And now?"
> "Now I have you."
She scrolled further — and then froze.
A photo of Mokoena and Jayden, side by side. Dated two months ago.
> "Jayden's involved?"
Lazarus nodded slowly. "He's more than involved. He's the delivery man. He's the one who ties Mokoena to the streets. And guess what?"
He tapped on a folder.
"Cape Town Elite — Protected List."
Jayden's name was third from the top.
Lynn sat back, trying to steady her hands.
> "No wonder he keeps coming back."
> "He's not trying to win you back, Lynn. He's watching you. He's been assigned to distract or destroy you — depending on how dangerous you become."
> "He failed at both," she muttered.
But her heart was racing.
> "So what's the plan?"
Lazarus's eyes darkened.
> "We leak this — we burn the city. We go to the police — and half of them will shut us down."
> "So?"
> "We expose one name. Just one. A powerful one. Force the others to panic. When they start scrambling, we follow the trail of fear."
Lynn's lips curved into a cold smile.
> "You want to light a match in a room full of gasoline."
> "Exactly."
---
Outside the café...
Jayden watched from his car.
He didn't need to hear the conversation to know the look in Lynn's eyes.
She was planning something.
And this time... it wasn't about love.
It was war.
---