Page 36 of The Player

Yet the thought of leaving her behind—of abandoning her to whatever horrors Valente or his people had in store—was something Seth couldn’t stomach.

“Hope,” he whispered, his voice urgent. “We’ve got a problem.”

Hope was already at the woman’s side, untying the bonds that held her captive. The woman winced as the ropes fell away, her movements slow and pained.

“We can’t leave her here,” Hope said, her voice trembling with emotion. “We have to get her out.”

Seth clenched his jaw, torn between the mission and his conscience. “Our objective is Valente. We need him alive to get the intel we need.”

“I know,” Hope replied, her eyes pleading with him. “But we can’t just leave her. We’ll figure it out, but she comes with us.”

Seth glanced at Valente, who was still unconscious, thanks to the sedative he had administered. The man was a monster, but he was also their ticket to stopping the Cobra. Leaving him behind could jeopardize everything.

But the woman…

Seth cursed under his breath; his decision made. “Fine. We take her. We need to move fast. We can’t do that if we try to get them both out. If we’re caught, we’re dead.”

Hope nodded, gratitude and determination flashing in her eyes. She helped the woman to her feet, and into what appeared to be her clothes, supporting her as they moved toward the door. The woman was weak, her steps unsteady, but she followed without hesitation, trusting them implicitly.

Seth led the way, his weapon at the ready as they retraced their steps through the Citadel. The corridors seemed even darker now, the shadows deeper, as if the building itself was aware of their presence, of the treachery they were committing by stealing away its master’s prize.

Every creak of the floor, every distant sound, sent a spike of adrenaline through Seth’s veins. They were running out of time. The longer they stayed, the greater the chance that someone would discover Valente unconscious and the woman missing.

As they neared the exit, Seth signaled for them to stop. He moved ahead, scanning the final corridor for any signs of movement. The silence was oppressive, every second stretching out into an eternity.

They had just reached the entrance when Seth heard it—a faint rustling sound, like the whisper of fabric against stone. His heart skipped a beat as he turned, catching a glimpse of a shadow moving in the periphery of his vision.

“Down!” Seth hissed, pulling Hope and the woman behind a column just as a guard appeared at the far end of the hallway. The guard was alone, his gaze focused on a tablet in his hand, oblivious to the danger lurking just a few feet away.

Seth’s mind raced as he considered his options. The guard was between them and the exit—there was no way around him. If he raised the alarm, it was all over.

He had one shot.

With a silent prayer, Seth drew his knife and stepped out from behind the column. The guard looked up just in time to see Seth lunging at him, his eyes widening in shock. Seth didn’t give him a chance to react. He plunged the knife into the guard’s chest, driving it up and under the ribcage, straight into the heart.

The guard gurgled, his eyes rolling back as he crumpled to the floor, his life extinguished in an instant.

Seth stood over the body, his chest heaving with effort, his hand shaking slightly as he pulled the knife free. He wiped the blade on the guard’s uniform, then turned back to Hope and the woman.

“Let’s go,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

They moved quickly, slipping out of the Citadel and into the cool night air. The city was quiet, the streets empty as they made their way to the rendezvous point. Seth’s nerves were frayed, his senses still on high alert, but he forced himself to stay focused. They were almost there.

The black SUV was waiting for them, its engine purring softly in the darkness. Nigel Pederson was behind the wheel, his expression grim as he opened the door.

“Get in,” he ordered, his eyes flicking over the woman with a mix of concern and surprise.

Hope helped the woman into the backseat, then slid in beside her, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. The woman trembled, her eyes darting around in fear, but she didn’t speak.

Seth climbed into the passenger seat, his mind racing as Nigel pulled away from the curb. They had completed the mission—or at least part of it—but the cost was still unknown. They had left Valente behind, but they had saved a life.

“Where’s Valente?” Nigel asked, his voice tense as they sped through the deserted streets of London.

“Still in the Citadel,” Seth replied, his tone tight. “We had to make a choice. The woman… we couldn’t get them both out, and we sure as hell couldn’t leave her.”

Nigel glanced at Seth; his expression unreadable. “You made the right call,” he said after a moment. “But we’ll need to act fast if we’re going to be able to get anything out of them. Fitz isn’t going to be happy that we don’t have Valente, but there’s no way he would have done anything differently. We’re getting you out of the city tonight. We’re not going back to HQ.”

Seth nodded, knowing the consequences of their decision were far from over. But as he glanced back at Hope, who was gently comforting the woman, he knew they had done the right thing. The cartel had been dealt a blow, but the Cobra was still out there, and their plans were still in motion.

---