Location: Beachside Outlet Strip – Late Morning
Ash darted into the store with the energy of someone chasing a sugar high. "We need flip-flops, ugly ones. The kind that make your toes look like hamsters."
Leo followed at a slower pace, hands in his pockets, sunglasses hiding half-lidded eyes. "Why are we buying sandals? You brought two pairs."
"None of them say 'I gave up.' That's the look I'm going for."
Leo snorted, grabbing a beach hat and putting it on Ash's head. "You're halfway there."
They weaved through racks of board shorts and cheap towels. The shop was loud with tourists, kids crying over plastic buckets, someone dropping a popsicle on the linoleum. It was pure chaos. It was perfect.
Leo let himself forget everything. No names. No bloodlines. Just sunscreen and the smell of fried dough.
Ash picked up a shirt with a shark on it. "This says 'manly and dangerous,' right?"
"You look like you just lost a fight with a fish."
They both laughed. No one followed them. No one asked questions. At least, not that they could see.
Location: Beachside Cliff – Same Time
In a rented utility van parked above the shoreline, two men in dark gear stared through long-range scopes.
"Target confirmed. Leo D'Angelo, unguarded. You sure it's him?"
The man beside him adjusted the feed. "Confirmed. But we're not alone."
In the distance, under umbrellas and among the snack stands, a dozen plainclothes guards stood camouflaged among the beach crowd. Ice cream in hand. Hats tilted low.
The sniper cursed. "They're ghosting us. We move now or never."
He reached for his rifle.
But before he could aim, the ice cream vendor two carts down dropped his cone.
And fired first.
Location: Beach – Early Afternoon
Leo and Ash waded into the water, laughing as Ash shrieked when the cold hit his knees.
"Dude, it's freezing!"
"It's the ocean. What did you expect? Heated tiles?"
They splashed each other like children, then fell into the tide, soaked and carefree. Ash grabbed a beach ball from a passing kid, and a spontaneous volleyball match started between strangers.
Nearby, a guard disguised as a lifeguard whispered into a mic.
"Shots exchanged. Two tangos down. Civilians unharmed. Prince unaware."
Further down the beach, two more guards were treating minor wounds. One of them, bleeding from the shoulder, waved off help.
"Just keep him safe."
Ash threw the ball too far. Leo chased it, laughing, disappearing behind a dune.
A second sniper took aim.
But he never fired. A blade slid silently across his throat.
The guard who killed him melted back into the sand like he was never there.
Location: Madrid – Safehouse – 03:05 PM
Nox sat in front of a wall covered in printouts. Names. Maps. Surveillance screenshots.
He marked one photo with a black X—Ortega. Then moved to the next.
"Next phase is Ghost," he murmured.
The woman across from him, agent Codename Echo, handed him a file.
"Intercepted chatter. Ghost has shifted bases since Ortega fell. New staging point is a former UN aid outpost on the southern coast of France. Abandoned, mostly off-grid."
Nox skimmed the intel. "That's bold."
"He's recruiting off Ortega's old network. Filling gaps with unknowns. Off-records, phantom names."
Nox leaned back. "We start the cull tonight."
He checked his watch. His contact hadn't sent an update on Leo.
That was fine.
No news meant Leo was still safe in the illusion.
Location: Seaside Promenade – Evening
Leo and Ash lounged at a street café, both in shorts and flip-flops, skin glowing from sunburn and salt.
"Okay, hear me out," Ash said. "What if we just dropped out? Opened a beach shack. Sold smoothies. Lived like legends."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Smoothie legends?"
"Exactly."
Leo leaned back, letting the summer dusk brush against his skin. He hadn't thought about home in days. Not about his father. Not about locked rooms. He let the warmth sink in.
Ash tapped his drink. "This is it, man. Golden age. No classes. No drama. Just peace."
Leo nodded slowly. "Yeah. Peace."
In a side alley, a man with a cracked phone bled out quietly under the flicker of a broken neon sign. A guard. Slashed in the back. But not before stopping an attacker with a hidden blade.
The attack was subtle. Quick. Leo never knew.
None of them did.
Location: Madrid – Nox's Hideout – 10:45 PM
Nox checked the data feed again. Nothing from the beach team.
He opened a secure line.
"Status?"
A voice crackled in. "Attempted ambush. Neutralized. Target remains unaware."
"Casualties?"
"Two guards wounded. One dead. But Leo's cover holds."
Nox nodded once. "Good."
He turned back to his board.
The file on Ghost grew thicker.
Location: Beach Dorm – Midnight
Ash lay snoring in his bed, starfished under a single sheet.
Leo sat by the open window, sipping warm soda, watching the moonlight dance on the sea.
He hadn't felt this normal in years.
No one looked at him with fear. No one tried to guess his name. Ash didn't prod or pry. He joked, drew bad cartoons, made life stupidly fun.
He was just Leo.
No titles. No chains.
He didn't see the shadow under the stairwell below. A figure hiding in the dark, earpiece in, knife in hand. Ready.
Until another shadow stepped behind him.
A muffled scream. A thud.
Another enemy, removed.
The sea rolled gently. Leo smiled.
Maybe this time, he thought, he was finally free.
End of Chapter 41