The Audi's engine purred low and powerful, like a predator holding its breath. The silence inside the car felt heavy, almost suffocating. Aria had stopped breathing. Nyx gripped the steering wheel tightly.
I focused on the G-Wagon parked at an angle, completely blocking the narrow exit lane. It was a 5,000-pound sign of "checkmate." The windows were blacked out, but I sensed eyes inside, watching us and waiting.
"They're not just waiting," Nyx whispered, her tone strained. "They're watching us, waiting for us to panic. They expect us to ram the gate or shoot our way out, to prove we are who they think we are."
"They're looking for fugitives," I said, my mind racing with a bold plan. "Three terrified women in a stolen Volvo, covered in mud and blood."
Nyx shot me a look. "And?"
"And we're not that," I replied, steadying my voice. "We're three women in a clean Audi A6. We just visited our storage unit. We're leaving. We're civilians."
Aria made a small, choked sound. "Bella... you can't be serious. They'll shoot us on sight."
"They'll shoot us if we run," I countered. "But if we drive... they'll hesitate. That's all we need."
"It's a long shot, Queen," Nyx said, but I could see the dangerous spark in her eyes. "They're professionals. They'll see right through it."
"They're looking for a specific target," I insisted. "We just changed the target. Drive slowly, pull up to the gate, act annoyed. Like they're in your way."
Nyx took a deep breath. "Okay, boss. If we're doing this, we go all the way. Aria, look at your phone in the backseat. Look bored. Bella, you're the passenger. Act like you're fixing your makeup. Be the one thing they'd never expect: normal."
She shifted the car into gear.
The twenty-yard drive to the exit felt like the longest journey of my life. Every part of me screamed to grab the gun tucked in my waistband. The G-Wagon loomed like a black, armored beast.
Nyx stopped just short of its bumper and rolled down her window a few inches. She honked the horn impatiently.
It was the most insane, brilliant, and terrifying thing I had ever witnessed.
Nothing happened. The G-Wagon sat silently, its engine humming menacingly.
Nyx honked again, holding it longer this time as if to say 'get out of my way.'
A heavily tinted window on the G-Wagon's passenger side lowered. A man in black tactical gear leaned out, his face hidden by a mask and goggles. He held his weapon across his chest but didn't raise it. He stared at us, head tilted.
Nyx leaned out her window. "Excuse me!" she yelled in perfect French, mimicking an annoyed civilian. "Are you going to move? We have a flight to catch!"
The soldier stared back. I felt his gaze on me but avoided looking at him. I had pulled down the passenger-side visor, checking my reflection and trying to keep my hand steady.
This was the moment. The hesitation. He was expecting terrified women in pajamas. Instead, he saw annoyed suburbanites in a luxury car. His instincts conflicted with his orders.
Finally, he waved dismissively. "Go around. We are on private business."
Nyx scoffed loudly enough for him to hear. "Rude," she muttered. With a sharp turn of the wheel, she maneuvered the Audi onto the narrow cobblestone shoulder, scraping past the G-Wagon with less than an inch to spare.
My heart raced. I could have reached out and touched the armored vehicle. I kept my gaze on the mirror, pretending to reapply lipstick.
We were past them. We were on the street.
"Nyx," I whispered, my voice shaky. "Drive. Don't speed. Just drive."
Nyx moved calmly into traffic. I glanced in the side mirror. The G-Wagon's door opened. The soldier was stepping out, checking our license plate, a phone pressed to his ear. The bluff had paid off, but we only had seconds.
"They're onto us," I said. "They know. They're coming."
"I see them," Nyx said, her knuckles white. The G-Wagon was two cars back, keeping its distance but locked onto us. "They're waiting for a clear stretch of road to take us. We can't outrun or outfight them."
"You don't have to," I said, opening the new laptop from the Pelican case that Dante provided. "You said you were a chaos agent. Show me."
Nyx's eyes lit up. "The 'In Case of Armageddon' laptop. It's beautiful." She switched her attention from the road to the G-Wagon, which was closing in, trying to push a civilian car out of the way. "I can't blow them up. That's too loud. But I can give them a new priority."
She pulled out her phone, tethering the laptop to the mobile network. "I'm in." Her fingers moved quickly, like a pianist creating a symphony of chaos.
"The Syndicate is a ghost," Nyx said in a low, excited tone. "Ghosts hate the light. They can't operate when official lights are on them. So, let's turn on all the lights."
"What are you doing?" Aria asked from the backseat.
"I'm not just hacking a traffic light," Nyx said with a fierce grin. "I'm hacking the reason for the traffic light." She pressed a final key.
"I just sent an anonymous, high-priority alert to the entire Brussels Federal Police, flagging a G-Wagon matching their description for a terrorist threat. A 'vehicle-borne IED.' An active bomb. I've also rerouted every traffic camera in a six-block radius to their license plate. For fun, I triggered a silent alarm at the National Bank two blocks away. They're not just followed by us anymore. They're being hunted."
As if on cue, sirens erupted in the distance. Not just one or two, but a dozen.
In the side mirror, I saw the G-Wagon's movements turn frantic. It swerved, trying to take a side street, but it was too late. Two police cars sped into view, blocking the road.
"They're trapped," I said, breathless.
"They have two choices," Nyx said, calmly steering the Audi around a corner, leaving the scene. "They can fight the police and expose their operation, or they can run, confirming they are a threat. Either way, they're not worried about us anymore. They're worried about Inspector Giroux."
The sirens faded behind us. We were clear. We were free.
Nyx looked at me, newfound respect in her eyes. "Zurich, Queen?"
I glanced at the backpack at my feet. The ledger was safe. The weapons were ready. And Dante's voice echoed in my mind.
"Zurich," I confirmed. "Elias is waiting. We're going to build an army."