"Mr. Langley! So it was you?" Flint said with a nervousugh as he untied Lue. "What a mess. Looks like it was a case of friendly fire, huh? One big family fighting each other."


    "Don''t," Lue said, tossing the handcuffs into the sea and rubbing her wrists. Her tone wasced with sarcasm. "I''m just a prisoner of Sigma Network. I wouldn''t dare im to be family."


    Felton and Flint went quiet, too intimidated to argue. It was clear Ms. Payne was genuinely furious.


    "Juniper, my wrist really hurts," Lue whined, returning to Juniper''s side and deliberately showing her the bruised skin. "And there''s a big footprint on my shoulder!"


    Felton and Flint both took a sharp breath, feeling the air leave their lungs.


    "Felton, I believe that was your foot that kicked Mr. Langley, wasn''t it?" Flint asked, blinking innocently.


    "Bullshit!" Felton retorted, his brow furrowed. "I distinctly remember you doing it."


    "It was definitely you," Flint muttered, turning his head away and pretending he couldn''t hear.


    "Juniper..." Shanley threw the prosthetic mask away and cautiously approached her. His throat felt like it was clogged with raw meat, making it almost impossible to speak. "Listen to me..."


    "Leader of Sigma Network, may my subordinate and I leave now?" Juniper took a step back, putting distance between them. Her expression was cold. "Or would you like to continue discussing the contract?"


    Shanley pressed his thin lips together and shook his head.


    "Oh, that''s right," Juniper said with a mocking smile. "I forgot. You were also nning to send me to a deserted ind."


    "No," Shanley said, shaking his head again, looking utterly defeated.


    "Since that''s settled, we''ll be on our way." Juniper had no desire to speak with him. The man standing before her was her mortal enemy, someone she had wanted to kill for years. This sudden shift in identity was too much to process.


    "Okay," Shanley said softly, knowing she needed time. "Are you going back to the hotel?"


    Juniper ignored him, turning instead to check on Lue''s injuries.


    “It hurts like hell,” Lue said, ncing pointedly at Shanley. "Calling it ruthless would be an understatement. Juniper, if you''d been anyter, I might have been dead."


    Shanley''s brow furrowed, his hands clenching into tight fists. What was Lue trying to pull? Was he trying to Swoop in on his girlfriend while simultaneously kicking him when tie was down?


    "What are you looking at?" With Juniper backing her up, Lue was feeling bold: "My my, the leader of Sigma Network is so impressive.. What you put a hole in Juniper''s head three years ago, so now you want to put one in mine?"


    The barb hit its mark, leaving Shanley speechless.


    "Put on your mask. Let''s go," Juniper said, ncing at her. Lue pouted but obediently followed.


    As they walked away, Lue couldn''t resist onest dig, humming a sad little tune for Shanley''s benefit. "Poor little thing, all alone in the world, with nobody to love him..."


    Shanley''s fists tightened, a murderous chill seeping from his eyes.


    At the cabin entrance, a group of guards suddenly appeared. "Don''t move!" they shouted, raising their guns at the two figures.


    Wasn''t that Specter and his second-inmand? Wasn''t the boss supposed to be dealing with Specter? Why were they walking out so casually?


    "Everyone, get the hell out of the way!" Flint scrambled forward, kicking the man at the front aside. He scratched his head awkwardly. "Please, this way, you two."


    The Sigma Network men looked up,pletely baffled by their superior''s servile attitude toward their greatest enemy. What on earth was going on?