"That confident?" Shanley''s lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile. "I''m afraid you won''t get the chance."


    Before Juniper could process his words, a voice crackled through the Sigma Network leader''s walkie-talkie. “Boss, we''ve captured Subterra Vanguard''s second- inmand."


    Second-inmand? Lue?


    "You''re ying dirty?" Juniper''s voice wasced with fury, her fists clenched.


    "And you''re so honorable?" Shanley sneered, not bothering to deny it. "You seem to have forgotten all about the time you ambushed me.”


    In the past, he might have been willing to fight Specter to the bitter end. But things were different now. He had Juniper, and she was waiting for him at home. He couldn''t afford any mistakes. Dirty tricks or not, he didn''t care, as long as he could eliminate the time bomb that was Specter.


    "Speak up!"


    A grunt of pain came over thems, as if Lue had just been kicked. She remained defiant, but her pained gasps were unmistakable.


    "What do you want?" Juniper asked, her voice tight, each word ground out from between clenched teeth.


    "I don''t want any bloodshed," Shanley said, an image of Juniper shing in his mind, softening his resolve slightly. "Hand over all of Subterra Vanguard''s assets to me, and you''ll be exiled to a deserted ind."


    The deserted ind was a godforsaken ce. Once you went in, you never came


    out.


    "You''ve got some nerve," Juniper scoffed, her eyes burning with a crimson rage.


    "Specter, I know you''re fiercely loyal. You once risked your own life to save a young girl from Subterra Vanguard," Shanley stated, his patience wearing thin. "Your second-inmand is like a sister to you. You two have been through hell and back together. I''m sure you wouldn''t leave her to die."


    "You have to understand, my taking over Subterra Vanguard ensures everyone''s survival. Otherwise..."


    Shanley''s smile turned frigid, het


    eyes dating with a deadly coldness. "You should know what kind of man I am."


    Juniper was silent, her eyes bloodshot. She knew exactly what kind of man the leader of the Sigma Network was.


    "I''ll give you thirty minutes to consider, Specter," Shanley said, then straightened his


    shirt and bent down to pick up the bracelet from the floor.


    Seeing him bend over to pick something up, Juniper felt an overwhelming urge to kill him. But if the leader of the Sigma Network


    died Lue would surely die too. She couldn''t let that happen.


    Twenty minutester, Juniper had moved to another boat. One of her men handed


    her a phone. “Boss, it''s a call from the leader of the Sigma Network."


    "Speak," Junipermanded, her voice like ice as she stood on the deck, surrounded by her Subterra Vanguard crew.


    "You have ten minutes left," Shanley''s low voice came through the line. "If I don''t see Specter in person, your friend dies. Or, we can continue our fight to the finish."


    "If she has so much as a scratch on her, I''ll have your head," Juniper snarled before tossing the phone into the sea. She turned to her men. "When tue gets here, you affle


    immediately."


    "Boss, you—"


    "I won''t die," Juniper cut them off, her voice firm. "I need you to execute my order, not question it. Understood?"


    The men exchanged nces, but no one dared to argue. "Yes, ma''am."


    So that old bastard wanted to see her in person. Fine. If she couldn''t escape, she''d drag him down to hell with her.


    After giving her orders, Juniper tossed her gun aside and strode brazenly onto the Sigma Network''s ship. "Where''s the old bastard?"


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