"Don''t move," Flint growled, grabbing Lue''s arm. Unaware she was a woman, he used too much force. Lue winced in pain, her brow furrowing.


    "Let go of him," Juniper snapped, flinging the pen in her hand directly at Flint.


    "What the hell are you doing?! You''re a prisoner and you''re still acting this tough?!" Flint roared, clutching his head where the pen had struck.


    "Get out," Junipermanded.


    "You" Felton frowned, about to intervene.


    "You too," Juniper cut him off without mercy, her voice ice-cold. “Let hime over here. You have the whole ce surrounded; it''s not like we can run.”


    Felton and Flint looked to Shanley for orders.


    "Let him go," Shanley said with a wave of his hand, his expression unreadable. "Double the guards outside. I''d like to see them try to escape."


    "Yes, sir." Flint shoved Lue toward Juniper. She was released, but the shackles on her wrists remained locked.


    "Specter, you absolute—” The moment the tape was ripped from her mouth, Lue started to yell, but a sharp look from Juniper silenced her instantly.


    Juniper picked up the pen and began signing the contract, page after page.


    Lue could only watch, fuming in silence. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a ring on Juniper''s hand. Wait a minute. Wasn''t that the detonator for Subterra Vanguard''stest miniature bomb? Could it be...


    Realization dawned, and Lue rxed. Of course. She knew Juniper wasn''t stupid enough to walk into a suicide mission.


    Once thest page was signed, Felton immediately took the contract to Shanley. The man took it and began to review it carefully.


    Juniper frowned. Not only was his build simr, but even the way he read documents was eerily familiar, She hade to Moralia Country for apetition, and Shanley hade for a business trip Hechad two subordinates whose build''s strongly resembled Felton and Flint''s... Shanley... S...


    A sudden, violent throb pulsed in her temple. Her hand, which had been resting on the detonator, slowly moved away.


    "Leader of Sigma Network," Juniper said, abruptly standing up to face Shanley. "It''s your turn to sign."


    "Pen." Shanley, still reviewing the document, undid his cufflink and held out a hand to Felton. As he moved, his sleeve slid down, revealing his wrist. On it was a small bracelet.


    A red sandalwood bracelet? She''d wheedled that one-of-a-kind, top-grade piece off Baldy Fox. So. the leader of Sigma Network was Shanley. No wonder. No wonder he was always hiring Cybeic Shadows No wonder he kept asking her why she hated them All this


    time... he was that son of a bitch, the leader of Sigma Network.


    "CRASH!"


    Juniper shot to her feet and, to everyone''s astonishment, kicked the table in front of her, sending it flying.


    Shanley, Felton, and Flint were leftpletely dumbfounded.


    "What are you...?" Even Lue waspletely baffled by this turn of events.


    "You old bastard," Juniper spat out after a few seconds of silence, her voice raw as she forced a smile. "We''re all signed, right?"


    "I''ve agreed to your terms," Juniper said with a coldugh, her eyes narrowing. "Now it''s my turn to state mine."


    A look of sheer bewilderment crossed Shanley''s face. *State his terms? What leverage did he think he had?*


    "Let''s see if the great leader of


    Sigma Network wants his empire.or his woman," Juniper said, her gaze


    fixeron Shanley. She raised an


    eyebrow and slowly, deliberately,


    uttered one word: "Juniper!


    Shanley''s head snapped up, his eyes instantly zing with murderous intent.


    Specter had kidnapped Juniper?