?Chapter 1476:


    Already moving from Siena’s shove, Maia hit the ground and rolled instinctively beneath the chassis of the nearest SUV. A sniper. She couldn’t tell whether the shooter was an ally or an enemy — or whether she herself had been the intended target. After all, if Siena hadn’t shoved her aside at thest second, she would have taken that bullet head-on.


    Siena reacted just as fast, rolling into cover in one fluid motion and firing three shots in rapid session. Theynded with brutal uracy — a clean execution.


    They had barely steadied their breathing when the low growl of an engine cut through the air. A fully ck, heavily modified off-road vehicle tore down the road like a beast at full throttle, vanishing into the pale light of dawn before either of them could react.


    Maia and Siena exchanged a look, shock mirrored clearly in each other’s eyes.


    Had the sniper already withdrawn? Was it a missed shot followed by a clean escape — or had the shooter intervened deliberately, eliminating the attacker to protect them?


    “Stay alert,” Siena said quietly, weapon still raised. “It could have been staged. And if there’s another sniper out there — if you are the real target…”


    Maia pressed herself t against the damp, icy ground, barely daring to breathe. Siena wasn’t wrong. If she was the target, standing up now could mean stepping straight into another shot.


    Yet the more she reyed the moment, the clearer it became. The angle. The timing. The bullet hade from the direction of the fleeing vehicle, fired before the covert operative could pull the trigger. It hadn’t been random. It had saved her.


    But that only raised a deeper question — who was the sniper, and why?


    Maia clenched her jaw. Waiting helplessly wasn’t an option. She drew in a breath and made her choice — better to move than to die lying still.


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    “Wait,” Siena murmured, sensing her intent. “Reinforcements are on their way.”


    As if summoned, the growl of multiple engines approached. Five camouged tactical vehicles converged from a side road, swiftly encircling the two women in a protective steel cordon. Moving in a low crouch, Maia and Siena scrambled into the nearest vehicle.


    “Go!”


    The convoy surged forward as one, its formation shifting fluidly to obscure which vehicle now carried Maia.


    Not far away, hidden in another blind spot, a ck sedany in wait.


    Inside, a masked member of The Mask held a secure line, calmly reporting to Grayson. “The sniper team haspleted the operation. The threat has been eliminated, and the unit has withdrawn.”


    Grayson’s voice came through steady and unruffled. “Good. The other team has beenpromised. From now on, you remain in the shadows. Protect Maia at all costs, but do not expose yourselves. You are the only line left. Nothing is to go wrong.”


    “Yes, sir,” the man replied at once, his tone clipped and resolute.


    The call ended. The engine purred to life, smooth and quiet. Keeping its distance, the sedan slipped into motion — unseen, unacknowledged — following the convoy ahead like a ghost guarding its charge.


    Inside the reinforced vehicle, Maia sank into the plush rear seat and let a slow, deliberate breath ease the tension from her shoulders. The adrenaline was fading, leaving a deep-seated weariness in its wake.


    “Try to rest if you can,” Siena advised from the driver’s seat, her eyes fixed on the road. “These vehicles are fully armored. You’re safe here.”


    “Okay,” Maia answered softly.


    But instead of closing her eyes, she turned her gaze to the window. Dawn had broken in full, yet the sky remained a sheet of dull, leaden gray — heavy and threatening, much like the weight pressing against her chest.


    Her thoughts drifted unavoidably to Chris. Was he even alive?


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