The hospital corridor recording.


    Back at my rental apartment, I reyed the inuffled conversation over and over before finally calling Detective Frank at the station.


    “I need you to check on someone–Lily Sinir’s husband, Daniel Sinir.”


    I kept my voice low. “Focus on the files from his ‘sacrifice‘ mission and Lily’s recent financial transactions.”


    Three dayster, Frank sent me the intel:


    During Daniel’s narcotics operation, three kilos of fentanyl went missing–thankfullyter recovered. Only his bloodied badge was found at the scene, leading to his presumed death, but his body was never found.


    And Lily had been receiving anonymous monthly wire transfers, all traced back to underground money exchanges near the border.


    Studying the files, I formted a n. To draw Daniel out, Lily was the perfect bait.


    I sent Lily a message from a burner phone, deliberately mimicking the urgent tone of Ryan’s teammates:


    “Ryan’s awake and wants to see you. Abandoned warehouse on the city outskirts. He’s worried you’ll get dragged into this, soe alone.”


    I was counting on her feelings for Ryan and betting she wouldn’t dare alert anyone–after all, with Ryan barely out of danger, making a scene would only cast more suspicion on her previous “innocent mistakes.”


    Sure enough, thirty minutester, Lily took a cab to the warehouse.


    She wore a ck coat, looking around nervously before carefully pushing through the door.


    The warehouse was lit by a single dim bulb. I hid behind storage shelves, watching her call out anxiously:


    “Ryan? Where are you?”


    I didn’t respond. Instead, I pressed y on a pre–recorded device with my imitation of a gruff kidnapper’s voice: <fn3ea3> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n FιndＮovel</fn3ea3>


    “Lily Sinir, if you want to save Ryan Rodriguez, get fifty grand ready. No cops, or you’re both dead!”


    After that, I hid the recorder in a cardboard box<b>, </b>circled to the other side of the warehouse, and used my backup phone to text a pre–arranged


    informant:


    “Execute the n. Spread word that Lily’s been kidnapped, they want Ryan in exchange.”


    The informant was an undercover agent the department had ced in the ck market. Soon, news of “Detective Rodriguez’s wife kidnapping fallen hero’s widow to force Rodriguez’s surrender” spread through Ryan’s team and even reached Daniel’s ears. I was banking on the fact that if Daniel was still alive and in contact with Lily, he’d never let anything happen to her.


    Sure enough, twenty minutester, the warehouse’s metal door was kicked open violently.


    A man in a hoodie burst in, gripping a knife–Daniel! He scanned the area, calling out in a hushed voice:


    “Lily! Where are you? I’m here to save you!”


    Lily whirled around at the sound, shock written across her face:


    “Daniel? How did you get here? I thought you said…”


    Before she could finish, Daniel grabbed her wrist:


    <b>ninnan </b>Evidence


    <b>47.3</b>%


    “Don’t talk, let’s go! This ce is dangerous!”


    At that moment, the officers I’d coordinated with burst from both sides of the warehouse, batons raised:


    “Freeze! Police!”


    Daniel reacted lightning fast, pulling Lily in front of him as a human shield, pressing the knife to her throat, eyes wild and threatening:


    “Stay back! Come any closer and I’ll kill her!”


    Lily trembled at the cold steel against her neck. She looked at Daniel, then at us, suddenly understanding:


    “You nned this? Victoria Rodriguez! You lured Daniel out!”


    I stepped out from behind the shelves, walking toward her with ice–cold eyes:


    “Lily Sinir, you and Daniel faked his death, stole fentanyl, and used Ryan’s guilt to cover your crimes. Did you really think you could get away


    with it?”


    Without warning, I lunged forward, my left hand mping down on Daniel’s knife–wielding wrist while my right elbow drove hard into his ribs–a closebat technique from police academy training: fast, precise, brutal.


    Daniel cried out in pain as the knife ttered to the floor. The officers immediately swarmed him, mming him down and cuffing him with a sharp “click.”


    Seeing this, Lily spun around to run, but I stuck out my foot and tripped her after just two steps.


    I pounced, driving my knee into her back, pressing my left hand against the back of her head while my right twisted her arm behind her–textbook police restraint technique executed wlessly.


    Lily struggled, her disheveled hair stered to her face, eyes filled with terror and disbelief:


    “You… how do you know how to do this? Aren’t you just a regr housewife?”


    I pulled out my police badge from my pocket and flipped it open right in front of her eyes.


    The red leather case gleamed, the badge particrly striking under the dim warehouse lighting:


    “Victoria Hernandez, Detective, FBI Criminal Investigation Division, Metropolitan Police Department. Lily Sinir, you’re under arrest for harboring fugitives, essory to drug trafficking, and conspiracy.”


    Just then, a voice called from the warehouse entrance:


    “Detective Rodriguez! We’ve got Daniel secured!”


    Lily copsedpletely, her body going limp as tears mixed with dust fell to the ground.


    She finally understood that from the moment she first used her “widow” status to manipte Ryan, she’d already walked into the web I’d been weaving.


    Chapter <b>7 </b>