Zara's POV.
The jungle was thick with heat, but nothing stung like his voice.
"Kai," I whispered, the name cracking like thunder inside me.
His smile was nothing like the boy I once knew. Cold. Calculated. Terrifying. Not the Kai who used to hold my hand in the academy dorms, whispering dreams of a world we'd burn and rebuild together.
But the one standing before me now? This Kai had blood on his hands—and didn't bother to hide it.
"You're supposed to be dead," I said, stepping in front of Leo instinctively. Even though my fists were clenched, my pulse trembled. Damn him.
Kai tilted his head, eyes scanning me slowly. "And yet, here I am. Breathing. Watching you dance with cartel dogs and traitors."
He glanced at Leo.
Leo didn't flinch. "She's under my protection."
Kai laughed. "You think she needs your protection, Agent Alvarez? You have no idea what she is… what we trained her to be."
He stepped forward. "Isn't that right, Z?"
My throat closed up. I hated how that name from his mouth still echoed like a curse.
"Get to the point," I snapped. "What do you want?"
His eyes darkened. "To finish what we started."
<<<<<
Leo's POV.
I had seen enemies. I'd fought alongside snakes.
But nothing unnerved me like this man — Kai Navarez, rogue agent and Zara's ex.
And the way she looked at him? Half fury, half fire.
They had history. Dangerous, unfinished history.
I tightened my grip on the rifle. "If you're here for games, don't. We're done playing."
Kai's smile was razor-thin. "I'm here for a mission. Yours. You're walking into the cartel's island fortress tonight, yes?"
I exchanged a look with Zara. We hadn't told anyone that.
So how did he know?
Kai stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You don't know who you're dealing with. The cartel has eyes on your every move. The Viper wants her back." He nodded toward Zara. "And he's willing to burn the island to get her."
My heart sank. "She's not going back."
Kai smiled.
"That's not your choice to make."
<<<<<
Zara's POV.
I stepped between them. "Enough. If you have intel, speak. If not—"
Kai leaned in, voice low. "You've got less than 12 hours before the Viper sends an air strike on his own base to cover his tracks. You want to save the missing girls? You'll need me."
"You're lying."
"I'm not. I already extracted one of them. She's waiting offshore, guarded. But she won't talk to anyone but you, Zara."
My stomach twisted.
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Kai looked at me like I should already know.
"Because," he said softly, "she thinks you're her sister."
The world tilted.
"No," I whispered. "That's impossible. My sister died when—"
Kai's eyes said everything.
"Did she?"
<<<<<
Leo's POV.
I grabbed Zara's arm gently. She looked like she'd been punched.
"Kai, if this is another mind game—"
"I wish it were," Kai said. "But your little infiltration tonight? It's a trap. The Viper knew you were coming before you even planned it."
He pulled out a small encrypted chip. "All the proof you need. Take it. Decide for yourselves."
He turned to Zara, eyes burning. "I'll be at the ruins at midnight. Come alone."
With that, he vanished into the trees like a ghost reborn.
<<<<<
Zara's POV.
Leo stared at the chip in his hand. I stared at the jungle where Kai disappeared. If what he said was true…Then everything I thought I buried—the past, my sister, my training, the reason I ran—was about to rise like fire. And I didn't know if I could stop it.