Page 18 of Mr. and Mrs. Novak

Quickly, we form two teams and change into more suitable attire. The rules are simple: no mercy. From the starting signal, I dive behind a couch, narrowly avoiding a whistling shot. I advance under cover, crawling across the floor to sneak behind a desk, aim, and fire. My opponent collapses laughing before exclaiming:

"Hit! I'm dead!"

Minutes blur together, foam balls flying everywhere. I run, hide, take a few hits, retaliate with precision. Adrenaline rises, our laughter echoing through the room. For thirty minutes, we're no longer agents, analysts, or cybersecurity experts. Just a bunch of kids unleashed in a playground. And honestly, it feels damn good.

Back at my station, an encrypted notification appears.

PEDRO: Received. Verification in progress. I'll keep you updated.

It's brief, but effective.

I lean back in my chair, thinking. Everything lines up: a ghost company, a suspicious container, and a Panamanian flag—a classic choice for traffickers wanting to avoid rigorous checks. Stanford clearly knows what he's doing.

I stand and walk to my boss's door. I knock.

"Come in."

I enter and close the door behind me. He's standing, back to the window, a coffee mug in one hand, annotated files in the other. His sideways glance evaluates me.

"Any news?"

I nod. "Stanford is clean on paper, but his subsidiaries are much less so. One in particular: Atlantic Wave. I've identified a suspicious container in transit from Istanbul to Marseille, with a high probability of military equipment disguised as medical supplies. Same operating method as a seizure made in Turkey eight months ago. Pedro is on it."

He sets down his mug. "How did you find this?"

I make an effort to keep a neutral expression.

"By cross-referencing open databases, analyzing suspicious financial flows, and tracking external providers of Nexora Trade."

His gaze hardens.

"And?"

I clench my teeth. He knows!

"I exploited a vulnerability in an old Nexora Trade subdomain. I didn't touch anything, just observed. I retrieved maritime manifests before they realized it."

Silence.

I sigh. "I respected the framework. I didn't trigger an alert on Nexora Trade 's side. They reacted, but my relays absorbed the counterattack. They can't trace it back to us."

"You brushed the limit again, Sierra."

"But didn't cross it," I argue.

He stares at me for another second. "Go!"

I open the penthouse door at 6:30 PM and greet Asli and Laurent before retreating to my room. As soon as I set down my bag, my work phone vibrates.

I settle on my bed, turn on my computer, and launch the decryption procedure after double authentication.

PEDRO: Credible source. Turkish seizure confirmed. Documentary anomalies validated. DNRED[1] coordination in progress. Documentation transmitted to intervention units.

A smile escapes me. Pedro was quick.

Immediately after shutting down my computer, I put it back in its secure sleeve and return it to my bag.

I take a long, hot shower, put on comfortable clothes, and postpone confronting Ruslan until dinner.