The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 197

Finished

Drakonius and Xan, the two men who had been mortal enemies a month ago, stood side by side studying a live satellite feed of the factory district. They spoke in short, clipped sentences.

“Heat signature is still concentrated in the one room.”

“He’s alone with her. He wouldn’t trust anyone else to see this.”

“Vehicle detection software shows no unusual arrivals or departures in the last three hours.”

“He’s hunkered down. Waiting for his deadline.”

The mobile command vehicle was a customized, nondescript delivery van. Inside, it was packed with monitors, comms equipment, and two very plush–looking chairs that Clara had insisted on. “If I’m going to be the voice of destiny, I need lumbar support!”

As the final minutes ticked down, the team assembled in the garage. The air was charged with a quiet, electric tension. This was it. No more planning. No more talking. Just doing.

Frost looked at his team, then at Elera, Clara, Drakonius, and Xan. “Call signs only from this moment forward. Scribe, you have command of the comms channel. Ghost, you have the digital triggers. We are on your marks. Good luck.”

He gave a sharp nod, and he and his three operatives melted into the night, becoming shadows. against the darker shadow of the cliff face. A moment later, a quiet engine purred to life, and a black SUV glided out of the garage, carrying them toward the city.

Elera, Drakonius, Xan, and Clara climbed into the command van. Lin, the digital specialist, was already inside, manning a secondary station. The van pulled out, following a different, circuitous route.

No one spoke. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and the soft beeping of equipment.

They reached their position two blocks from the factory, tucked into the loading dock of a closed furniture store. The van went dark.

On the screens, they could see multiple views: the streetlight camera feed Elera had looped, the thermal overlay of the factory, the locations of the field team represented by four blinking green dots moving slowly through the sewer system.

Clara adjusted her headset, took a deep, visible breath, and let it out slowly.

Elera’s fingers rested on her keyboard, over the command that would plunge the city block into darkness.

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Chapter 197 Into The Belly Of The Beast

Finished

Drakonius watched the screens, his expression calm, but his hand found Elera’s in the dark and squeezed.

Xan leaned forward, his eyes glued to the thermal image, watching for any movement from the hot spot that was his former ally and a terrified older woman.

In their cars, Frost’s voice was a whisper.

“All teams, this is Control. We are in position at the access point. Ghost, stand by for phase one. Scribe, confirm all stations.”

Clara’s voice, when it came, was clear, steady, and perfectly professional. No shakes. No jokes.

“Control, this is Scribe. All stations confirm. Ghost is ready on your mark. Sentinel and Oracle are live. We are green across the board. Over.”

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