His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 532

..."The third guy," she said, pointing at the feed. "Near the rusted container. His position is bad."

Alessandro followed her finger. "Why?"

"If any of those men look up," Bella explained quietly, "he’ll stand out. His shadow is wrong, and the angle makes him too visible."

She tapped the screen lightly. "He needs to shift left. Just a little. Use the debris for cover."

Alessandro didn’t question her.

He lifted his head slightly and spoke into his earpiece. "Third position, move left. Use the broken structure. Do exactly as she says."

A short pause followed.

"Understood," came the reply.

On the screen, Bella watched as the man adjusted his position, moving slowly and carefully, exactly as instructed. His outline disappeared into the shadow, blending naturally into the surroundings.

Bella exhaled softly. "That’s better."

Alessandro glanced at her, then back at the screen. "Good catch."

"They’re relaxed," Bella said, observing the men on the ground again. "Too relaxed. No perimeter checks. No one watching the distance."

"That means they don’t think anyone followed them," Alessandro replied.

"Or they think they’re untouchable," Bella added.

Another voice came through the earpiece. "Boss, no unusual movement so far. They’re just drinking and laughing."

Bella’s jaw tightened at the sound.

"Stay patient," Alessandro said evenly. "Don’t engage unless I say so."

"Yes, Boss."

Bella leaned back slightly, still watching the screen.

They finally reached the location.

The car slowed, then stopped at a distance where the lights would not reach. Bella followed Alessandro as they moved quietly, keeping to the shadows, the sound of distant laughter drifting toward them.

Alessandro paused and turned to her.

From inside his coat, he took out two things and placed them into her hands—a knife and a gun.

Bella’s fingers stiffened around them.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Alessandro asked quietly, his voice low and steady.

"No," Bella answered honestly.

He looked at her for a brief second, measuring her face, her breathing, the way she was holding herself together.

"I don’t have time to teach you," he said calmly. "You won’t be using it unless absolutely necessary."

He leaned closer, his voice firm but controlled. "This is only for protection. Keep it with you. Do not act unless I tell you to."

Bella nodded.

Her heartbeat was loud in her ears now, fast and heavy, pounding against her chest as reality finally settled in. This was not a screen anymore. Not a feed. Not a satellite view.

She was here.

She moved with the others, hiding behind broken concrete and uneven ground, keeping low. The tablet felt heavier in her hands now, but she kept it steady, her eyes locked on the screen as she watched the same men from a different angle.

They were closer now. Close enough to hear their voices clearly.

Her breath slowed deliberately as she forced herself to stay calm.

Through the earpiece, a voice whispered, controlled but alert.

"Boss... should we surround them?"

Alessandro did not answer immediately.

He lifted his hand slightly, signaling everyone to hold.

Bella glanced at him, then back at the tablet. Her fingers tightened around it as she checked positions again, scanning every angle, every shadow.

"Not yet," Alessandro finally said quietly. "We wait."

Bella swallowed.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the men ahead, her jaw tightening as she watched them laugh like nothing in the world mattered. Like Leo had not been lying unconscious somewhere because of them.

Her heartbeat refused to slow.

Alessandro’s low voice came through her earpiece, steady and clear. "Bella, do you see anything unusual?"

Her eyes remained fixed on the tablet, watching the grainy, real-time feed. The men were slumped in a loose circle, their movements sluggish.

"No clear threat pattern," she replied, her voice a controlled murmur. "But their coordination is gone. They’re drunk, drowsy. One on the eastern edge has stumbled twice in the last minute. Physical readiness is low."

Alessandro processed this. "A staggered state works in our favor. If we move now, we can surround them before they sober up. A coordinated approach—quiet and from all sides."

"A sudden move might still startle them," Bella countered softly, her analyst’s mind running scenarios. "They’re loose, but the weapons are within reach. If one panics, the others will grab theirs."

"Agreed. We’ll use their impairment against them. Keep your feed live. I’m moving my team into final position." He paused, then his voice came back, a direct command. "Left flank, seventh marker. Advance and hold. Do not engage until my signal."

The eight men were still sitting in their loose, careless circle, laughter spilling out between them, thin and distorted through the tablet’s speaker. Empty bottles lay scattered near their boots. One of them, the thick-necked man with broad shoulders, tilted his head back and drained the last of his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Then shadows moved.

Men who had been hiding the whole time stepped forward all at once.

The big man froze mid-breath. He choked, beer spraying from his mouth as his eyes bulged in shock. The bottle slipped from his fingers and shattered on the ground. His hand flew instinctively toward the pistol at his hip.

He never touched it.

A figure appeared behind the man beside him, silent and precise. A hand clamped over the big man’s mouth, cutting off the shout forming in his throat. His head was yanked back hard, and a sharp, brutal strike landed just beneath his ear. It was clean. Professional.

His body went rigid for a split second.

Then it collapsed.

He crumpled bonelessly, caught before he hit the ground and lowered into the dirt like dead weight.

Another man lunged for a rifle propped against a duffel bag. He barely managed one step before a dark shape swept his legs out from under him. He slammed onto the ground with a heavy thud, the breath ripped from his lungs in a soundless gasp that Bella could almost feel through the screen.

A boot came down on his wrist.

Hard.

The rifle skidded away. His arm twisted uselessly beneath the pressure. Bella didn’t need sound to imagine the crack of bone or the scream trapped in his chest.