Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 498

Stella glanced toward the newcomers and a soft smile touched her lips.

Julius had arrived.

He had come to find her himself.

She assumed the man beside him was an operative from his network, though she didn't know his name.

Julius was clad in full tactical gear, combat boots, and a matching cap, a sidearm holstered at his hip. He looked entirely different from the polished, suit-wearing CEO she was used to.

He exuded absolute, raw power.

He looked incredibly handsome.

She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him.

When Julius laid eyes on the woman he hadn't seen in over two months, standing perfectly unharmed in front of him, his heart hammered in his chest. He wanted to cross the distance and crush her against him.

But the situation dictated otherwise.

Tiger was utterly bewildered. How had a strike team tracked him back to his private sanctuary so fast?

This villa was heavily isolated and a significant distance from the compound. How did they anticipate he would flee here and intercept him almost immediately?

If Fenton and Julius could read Tiger's mind, they would have laughed. He was flattering himself.

Neither of them was here for him. They were here for Stella.

Julius didn't know who the old man with the gun was, but anyone pointing a weapon at Tiger was immediately categorized as an ally.

He had been staring at Tiger's dossier photo every single day; he recognized the cartel boss instantly.

Julius had mapped out Tiger's properties long ago and knew exactly where Stella had been staying.

Julius raised his weapon, aiming it squarely at Tiger. "Drop it, Tiger. You have nowhere left to run."

Before the words fully registered, two more figures flanked the entrance.

Luke Lowell and Adrian Jordan had arrived.

They were under strict orders to secure Ms. Hawthorne and extract her safely.

Stella had seen enough. "Tiger, you really should just drop the gun and surrender."

"No! If I surrender, I'm dead!" He pressed the barrel harder against Serena's head.

As long as he held a hostage, they wouldn't dare pull the trigger. Veridian forces always prioritized civilian lives.

"Alright then. I guess I'll have to help you out."

"Star, don't do anything stupid! Just stay behind me and keep your head down. Don't get hurt!"

Even in a life-or-death scenario, she wasn't abandoning him. She was actively trying to help him. Tiger was overwhelmingly moved.

These people were her fellow countrymen. She could easily walk away with them and go home, but she was choosing him.

"Don't worry. I won't get hurt," Stella said coolly.

With a fluid, blindingly fast motion, she delivered a devastating strike directly to the back of Tiger's neck. The cartel boss's eyes rolled back, and he crumpled to the floor, completely unconscious.

She had drilled that exact bare-handed takedown thousands of times. It was pure muscle memory.