Chapter 88


    Confessing his crimes I sat in one of the rooms in the operating center and observed the fierce CEO


    transform into a secret agent on a mission. It was amusing and fascinating and, above all, absolutely


    freaking hot. He took off his navy suit and white shirt and put on a pair of dark-greybat pants and a


    fitted ck shirt. I wouldn’t expect any businessman to turn into a fighter and get his hands dirty, but


    Aren was different. He wasn’t afraid to settle things personally, even if it was a very risky move.


    “Have you done with the ogling?” he asked, amused. I grinned teasingly. “Are you forbidding me from


    admiring my sexy husband?” He walked closer, pulling me up from my seat and kissing me passionately.


    “Aren’t you even a bit concerned about tonight?”


    I knew that his words were meant to sound yful, but they wiped the smile off my face instead. “I am


    worried.” I slid my arms around his waist, pressing myself against his firm body. “I am crazily anxious,


    and I don’t want you to get involved in the fight…” I muttered.


    He snorted. “Cora, we are not going there to ambush those guys literally. We’ll do anything we can to


    minimize the risk. We don’t care about the pawns-we are aiming at the big fish, and even then, the


    evidencees first. We cannot spook them without getting undeniable proof of their illegal activity.”


    I wasn’t sure if his words made me less worried. I narrowed my eyes at him. “If you are not worried


    yourself, then why did you tell Chris to gather twenty more people?”


    He sighed. “It’s precaution, sunshine. We need to be able to secure the ce, and the Red Hook isn’t


    exactly a small area to cover…”


    I nodded and forced myself to smile despite my fearfully pounding heart. There was one more fact that


    made me anxious-Aren was putting on a harness with a holster and a gun…


    ***


    A few hourster, I was sitting in a van parked right by the fence surrounding one of the warehouses of


    the Red Hook Terminal. I stayed there along with two of Aren’s men, Damian and Eli, who were


    constantly staring at the monitors. They were armed with headpieces with microphones to contact Chris,


    Jack, and Aren. Theirputers were connected to several cameras attached to every corner of the port


    leading to container no 9. Their equipment was able to detect even the slightest movement and odd


    sound, informing the team that something was up. Aren, Jack, and Chris all led groups of six to seven


    people, hidden behind containers or on the roofs of the surrounding warehouses. I was getting more


    restless with every minute, but the one thing that allowed me to stay focused was the fact that I could be


    in constant contact with Aren during the entire mission, listening to hismands and talking to him


    through the microphone if necessary. I also had my headpiece and a microphone, even though I stayed


    silent, not wanting to jeopardize the mission with my babbling.


    Aren’s team settled on the roof of the warehouse, right next to container no 9. I could partially see them,


    watching the view from one of the cameras. They were sneaky like panthers, lurking


    around and waiting for their prey to appear. It was almost 8:30 when two ck vans appeared on the


    road, leading straight to our container. The area was surrounded by narrow paths that only a motorbike


    could get through and one road for the cars from the east side and one from the west side. The vans


    appeared from the west, heading to the ce where the meeting was supposed to take ce, but never


    got in front of the blue container. They stopped in one of the dark corners, and about ten people wearing


    ck got out of those vans and spread around the area.


    “Companying from nine and ten o’clock,” Eli informed Aren, Chris, and Jack


    “Numbers?” I heard Aren’s voice asking.


    Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    “Eleven. Distance: 15 feet away from Mr. Collins’s team,” Eli replied.


    “Jack, your move. Use sleep darts only, and try to stay quiet,” Arenmanded.


    “Seriously? I don’t need you to remind me. We’re on it.” Jack responded. Two minutester, I could


    observe Jack’s team on the screen, taking those men wearing ck down, one by one. My eyes


    widened and my jaw dropped open. The way they moved, their swiftness, and their agility were beyond


    incredible. “Wow…” An audible gasp escaped my mouth. “It’s better than watching an action movie…”


    Damian snorted. “It’s nothing. You should have seen Mr. Lan.”


    “Yeah,” Eli cut in, “He would have taken care of them faster than the entire team would.”


    Damian looked at me and winked. “Mrs. Lan, your husband is the real monster here.”


    A faint smile crossed my lips just imagining Aren in action. I thought that it must be one hell of a sexy


    scene to watch. That way, my lewd mind hadpletely shut down my anxiety… for a moment.


    “Those guys were all heavily armed,” Jack informed. “Watch your backs, guys.” I swallowed hard. Our


    teams were having their vests on, but that didn’t make any of thempletely bulletproof. My heart rate


    sped up as I saw more carsing from both sides of the road leading to container no 9. Two


    motorcades stopped in front of each other at a 30-foot distance.


    “Keep silent from now on and record everything those guys say. Zoom cameras at the first two cars from


    both sides,” Arenmanded.


    “Understood,” the teams replied simultaneously.


    I held my breath, watching the doors of those vans open and six people walk out. I recognized Lester


    Packton getting out of the van on the left side. He was nked by two men whom I’d seen before; they


    were with Packton in our office at Lan Diamond Corporation when they were trying to take Can’s


    phone. Eight people got out of the cars, standing on the right side as well. They were carefully dressed in


    ck from head to toe, making them look like clones. One of them slightly stood out since he was


    wearing a hood on his head that covered most of his face and his walk seemed moreid back. Yet, that


    image was nothing like I had pictured the mysterious Mr. C., and judging by Packton’s expression, he


    was surprised just as much as I was.


    “Who the fuck are you? i thought that Mr. C. wasing in person tonight.” Packton’s low growl pierced


    the silence.


    The man in the hood walked forward and chuckled coldly. “Rx, Lester. Mr. C. is… around, and he’s got


    me to take care of his business. You may call me Max. Tell me what you had to say to Mr. C., and I will


    be happy to pass it on to him. I can also make decisions in his name.”


    The man’s nasally voice, with a strange ent, and his cockiness must have driven Packton to the edge.


    “Money first,” he hissed, the men nking him anxiously looking around. “Assure me there are no loose


    ends first.” Max giggled viciously.


    Packton and his men seemed more and more nervous. I could see all of them ncing to the right,


    where Mr. C.’s men were, and at the rooftops of the warehouses surrounding them as if they were trying


    to spot snipers. Fortunately, Aren’s men were nearly unnoticeable, lying on the smooth roof surface in


    their dark clothes and observing the whole scene.


    Lester Packton stepped closer to Max. As their distance shrunk, it was even more obvious that the


    mysterious man in the hood was almost a head shorter than Packton and much thinner, and yet he stood


    in front of the fierce agent with an aura of the most dangerous predator around.


    Packton chuckled daringly, looking down at Max. “Listen, kid-” The sound of reloading guns shut his


    mouth in an instant. Max smirked, “Talk, Lester. I don’t have all night.” Packton roared viciously and fisted


    his hands, trying to contain his fury. I could see him taking a deep breath before he squeezed the words


    out of his throat. “We had our man guarding the cell, and we took care of the surveince in the arrest.


    Our guard gave Winton water with sleeping pills. He was unconscious when our men came and staged


    his suicide. The men who did it are on our side. They are paid, and they will never talk, so we are


    covered.”


    “What about the agent that was supposed to run this case?” Max inquired.


    “We faked the toxicology report, suggesting that Winton took the sleeping pills right after he had been


    arrested when he was still in Agent Collins’s hands,” Packton exined. Max nodded in approval. “Good


    job. What about the toxicologist who made the real report?” Packton chuckled coldly. “Let’s just say that


    he went on a vacation-an eternal one.” I clenched my hands into fists as I listened to him admit he had


    arranged to kill someone, and he did it for no other reason but to get money. I hated that guy more by the


    second, but I was also d because his driven-by-greed confession was about to guarantee him life in


    prison. “Excellent!” Max sped his hands and then snapped his fingers, gesturing at one of his men.


    The man ran to the car, pulled out a ck briefcase, and handed it over to Max. “Here’s your reward,


    Agent Packton.” He giggled spitefully, pointing at the briefcase. Suddenly, Aren’s low voice came through


    everyone’s earpieces. “Hold it until he shows the money and Packton takes it. Wait for my signal.”


    I took a deep breath. My heart hammered against my chest, and I started to pray that everything went


    smoothly without anyone getting hurt.


    Scrimes


    When Max put the briefcase on the ground, Packton walked toward it. He growled as he had to kneel in


    front of Max to open it. “Should I count it?” he smiled smugly, as he pulled out one of the many piles of


    hundred-dor bills.


    “Half a million. It’s all there,” Max yawned before ncing at his watch.


    Packton red at him, annoyed more and more by Max’s behavior, but he finally got what he wanted. He


    closed the briefcase and took it from the ground, providing thest piece of evidence we needed.


    I could hear Aren’s soft chuckle quickly followed by themand everyone was waiting for,” Get them


    all. Now!”