The next morning, the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Lynn stood by the café window, sipping her espresso with calm precision. Her fingers were steady, but her eyes flicked over every shadow outside. She knew someone was watching her—had known it for days—but last night's anonymous message had confirmed it.
She had stirred the hornet's nest. Now they were crawling.
Her phone buzzed again.
> "Tick tock, fire queen. Time's running out." — Unknown
Lynn didn't flinch.
Instead, she walked calmly into the back room, where Michael was already waiting. His sleeves were rolled up, a blueprint spread out on the table. Photos. Maps. Timelines. Her entire war board in one glance.
"You got the second message?" he asked without looking up.
"Yeah," she replied. "They're getting desperate."
Michael finally met her gaze. "Or reckless."
Lynn leaned in closer. "It's time we feed them exactly what they want."
A slow grin tugged at his lips. "You want to set a trap?"
"No." She tapped the map. "I want to burn the whole web down."
---
Across town, Jayden slammed his phone onto the desk. "She's not backing down."
A man in a black coat stepped out of the shadows. "She's more dangerous than we thought. That café isn't just a business—it's her fortress."
Jayden scoffed. "Then we'll smoke her out."
---
Later that evening, Lynn met with a woman in a parked car under an overpass. She handed Lynn a brown envelope without a word.
"This is everything?" Lynn asked.
"Names, accounts, phone records. Mokoena's entire dirty laundry."
Lynn smiled, dangerous and satisfied. "Good. We'll leak it piece by piece."
---
Back at the café, as the sun dipped below the skyline, Lynn stood on the rooftop, wind tugging her hair.
"You want war?" she whispered to the shadows. "War it is."
---