The city didn't sleep that night.
It buzzed.
Phones lit up bedrooms. Arguments spilled from bars. Names were dragged across screens like weapons. By morning, Lagos had chosen sides—and no one was neutral anymore.
Arden woke to the sound of Victor on the phone, voice low and sharp.
"No… not him. Are you sure?"
Arden sat up instantly. "What happened?"
Victor ended the call, face drawn. "We have a leak."
Ife's stomach dropped. "Who?"
Victor hesitated. "Daniel."
The name hit Arden like a blow. Daniel had been with him since the early days—trusted, careful, loyal.
"Why?" Arden asked quietly.
"Debt," Victor said. "Julian found it. Used it."
Arden closed his eyes for a moment. "What did he give him?"
"Locations. Times. Your contingency routes."
Silence fell heavy.
Then Arden stood. "Then we move. Now."
They barely had time.
The explosion ripped through the secondary safe house less than an hour later.
Not where they were—but close enough.
Windows rattled. Sirens screamed. Smoke climbed into the sky like a warning.
Ife covered her mouth, eyes wide. "If we were there—"
"We weren't," Arden said firmly. "Because you trusted your instincts."
Victor's phone buzzed again. His face paled. "Julian released another statement."
This time, it wasn't polished.
It was raw.
Julian's voice cracked through the speakers. "This city is bleeding because of lies. Because outsiders think they can play hero."
The camera shook slightly. His control was slipping.
"You want truth?" he snapped. "Then here it is."
The screen cut—to footage.
Ife's breath hitched.
Her mother.
Seated in a room Ife didn't recognize. Calm, but frightened.
Julian's voice returned, low and venomous. "You have twenty-four hours to disappear, Arden. Take your love and run."
A pause.
"Or Lagos pays for your courage."
The video ended.
Ife let out a broken sound. "My mother…"
Arden pulled her into his arms. "We'll get her."
Victor's voice was tight. "Julian crossed a line."
Arden's expression hardened. "He erased the last one."
They didn't argue.
Plans formed fast.
Victor coordinated with contacts inside law enforcement—people Julian hadn't reached. Arden mapped out Julian's old properties, patterns resurfacing now that desperation ruled him.
"He'll be close," Arden said. "He won't trust anyone else with her."
Ife wiped her tears, standing straighter. "Then we use me."
Arden spun toward her. "No."
"He wants me shaken," she said steadily. "So I won't be."
Victor studied her. "It's risky."
"So is loving him," she replied simply.
Arden searched her face, fear and admiration tangling in his chest. "I won't lose you."
She cupped his cheek. "You won't."
Night fell heavy.
They moved quietly, slipping through the city's underbelly, guided by fragments of Julian's past. An abandoned shipping office near the docks. Forgotten. Hidden in plain sight.
They heard her voice before they saw her.
"Ife?" her mother called softly.
Ife broke into a run.
Arden caught her arm just in time. "Wait."
Too late.
The lights snapped on.
Julian stepped forward, applauding slowly.
"Beautiful reunion," he said. "I almost feel bad."
Arden raised his gun. "It's over."
Julian smiled. "Is it?"
From the shadows, armed men emerged.
And behind Julian, Ife's mother stood—untouched, but terrified.
Julian leaned close to Ife, voice a whisper only she could hear.
"You took my world," he said. "Now choose."
The gun clicked.
Silence roared.