The jungle air was thick—so thick, Zara could taste the sweat, secrets, and lies hanging in it.
She crouched beside Leo, brushing his bloodied shirt aside to inspect the wound on his shoulder.
"You're lucky the bullet didn't go deeper," she muttered, tearing fabric from her shirt to make a bandage.
He winced. "I've been lucky since I met you."
She shot him a warning glare. "Flirt again, and I'll let the snakes finish you."
They were on the run now. No more cartel base. No more Rina. No more time.
Zara checked the compass. The signal Kai embedded in her necklace buzzed once—danger nearby.
They weren't alone.
<<<<<
FLASHBACK – THREE YEARS AGO – SPAIN.
The ocean had shimmered under a sunlit sky. Zara and Kai had been undercover then—posing as lovers, pretending the world wasn't crumbling around them.
That's when he gave her the necklace. Not for love. For survival.
"There are codes buried in here," Kai had whispered, slipping it around her neck. "In case I disappear."
"But what if you never come back?" she'd asked.
"I will. Just don't lose this. And don't fall for anyone who wears a gun better than they wear a heart."
<<<<<
PRESENT – BACK IN THE JUNGLE.
Zara moved silently through the undergrowth. Behind her, Leo groaned and stumbled again.
"Rest," she ordered.
"No time." He grabbed her arm.
"I have to tell you—about Hannah. About The Viper."
Zara's breath caught. "You know who he is?"
Leo hesitated. His eyes flicked down, guilt dripping like sweat off his brow.
"I was working for him before I met you."
She backed away.
"You lied to me."
"I didn't know I'd fall in love with you. I didn't know you'd matter."
Silence. Then…click. Zara raised her gun. Aimed it squarely at his chest.
"Give me one good reason not to pull the trigger."
He didn't flinch. "Because you don't want to become them."
<<<<<
RINA'S HIDEOUT – UNKNOWN LOCATION.
Rina stared into the cracked mirror, smearing the blood off her jaw. Her phone buzzed.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: He knows. Get out.
She typed back: Where's Zara?
UNKNOWN: Too late. They're coming. The Viper wants her—alive. You, he's done with.
Her hands trembled. But not from fear. From rage.
"If I burn," she whispered, "I'm dragging every one of them down with me."
<<<<<
THE RETURN.
Thunder cracked above as Zara and Leo stumbled into a jungle clearing—and stopped dead.
A helicopter sat there. Still running.
And beside it, strapped to a tree…Was one of the missing girls. It was her. Marisol.
Zara's heart slammed into her ribs.
"Marisol?!"
The girl looked up slowly. Her eyes were hollow. Lips trembling. "He's not who you think he is."
Zara approached cautiously. "Who? Leo? The Viper?"
Marisol didn't answer.
Instead, she whispered, "Kai."
Zara's knees buckled. "What?"
But before she could speak again, a dart shot from the trees—striking Marisol in the neck.
She slumped. From the shadows, a tall figure stepped out. Familiar. Confident. And utterly, terrifyingly alive.
"Kai," Zara whispered.
His smile was ice. "Hello, Z."