I’ll take the back entrance, and you take the front,” I told Cruz as soon as we arrived at the pub. “I don’t want anyone to escape. This ends now.”

Cruz chuckled. “I leave for a few weeks and come back to find a brand-new Ned. What happened to you?”

“Let’s say that I learned that life is much more than takeout meals and late-night movies.”

He nodded. “Ah, you fell in love.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I got out of the car and headed for the back entrance. Without looking back, I slipped inside.

Everything was dark.

I used my phone as a flashlight, squinting into the gloom. The hair on the back of my neck prickled. Something about this wasn’t right. I kept my eyes peeled, scanning my surroundings for any signs of danger. For a moment, I felt like I was back in combat, about to apprehend a Russian spy. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making my senses sharper.

My fingers tightened around the hilt of a knife strapped to my belt. I really didn’t want to use it, but if it came down to it, I would.

Suddenly, however, before I could even suspect their presence, someone came up behind me, his arm wrapping around my neck, and reeled me into the darkness. My phone fell to the ground, its screen shattering.

I tried to shrug him off of me and free my arms for a fight, but I was pinned against the bull-like man who held me tight.

He laughed ominously right before plunging a needle into my arm.

“No!” I shouted, but it was already too late. Whatever was in that syringe was already deep inside my system.

I blinked, trying to fight it, but there was nothing I could do.

Abruptly, my knees gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, crumpling into a heap. With the last of my strength, I drew my knife, but it was a futile effort. There was nothing I could do at this point. My body became as heavy as lead.

I had failed her.

* * *

When I woke up, I was laying on a couch that was much too small for my tall frame. My head felt like it had taken a hit by a sledgehammer. Groaning, I tried to get up, but as soon as I moved, someone placed his hand on my shoulder, trying to keep me down.

Instantly, I grabbed his wrist, prepared to throw him into the ground, but luckily, I had the sense to look up.

Franklin?

Confusion washed over my features.

Wait…? Were we in HQ? How did I end up here?

My temples throbbed as I remembered my last few moments before unconsciousness. I had been pursuing Emil, and now I was here.

“What’s going on?”

“You might want to take it easy for a minute or two. Here, drink this.” Franklin offered me a cup of water.

“No. Tell me what’s going on. Where’s Stacey? You were supposed to stay with her – to make sure she was safe. Where is she?”

Franklin frowned. “I lost her.”

“What do you mean you lost her? How could you have lost her?” I stood up quickly. Big mistake. The room started to spin as dizziness swept over me. I fell back onto the couch, my stomach clenching with queasiness. I took in a sharp breath of air.

“I asked her to wait for me at the park. I thought she’d be safe there while I checked on you and Cruz.”

My teeth ground together in anger. A part of me wanted to lash out at him, but I knew that doing so would accomplish nothing. “So what’s going on? Why are we just sitting here in HQ?”

“We are trying to figure out what happened.” For the first time, Cruz joined the conversation.

I turned my head slowly to find him sitting at his desk.

“What do you mean?” My mind was still a little foggy, but piece by piece, I was starting to come back to my senses.

“They broke in.”

“Who broke in?”

“Well, your girlfriend’s ex is much more than just a scumbag,” Cruz explained. “He’s caught up with the X-Gang.”

My eyes widened. “Haven’t we been trying to bust them for a while now?”

“We have. We could never find them. Who would have thought their hideout was an abandoned pub?”

“I don’t get it. What do Emil and Stacey have to do with any of this?”

“Well, as far as I can tell, Stacey just happened to fall for the wrong man.” Cruz turned in his chair to face me. “Emil is the muscle for X-Gang. He commands the foot soldiers in their heists. There’s someone else behind this, but I can’t figure out who. We haven’t been able to identify a leader for the group. Whoever it is, they are a mastermind.”

“Let me try.” I got up, unsteady on my feet.

“Franklin has tried everything. He’s looked at every possible route they could have taken, but it almost seems like they broke in here just to deposit your body in my office. A taunt.”

I shook my head. “What would be the point? No, they went for something bigger, and I’m going to figure out what. Move,” I ordered.

“I don’t know how much I like this new Ned.” Cruz nonetheless got up from his desk.

I sat down and got to work, looking over the system logs, looking for anything suspicious. “If they broke in using my credentials, then that means they probably used my login to do some snooping. So let’s find out what I’ve been up to since I’ve been unconscious.”

Cruz and Franklin both looked over my shoulders as I fell into the rhythm of work.

“That’s it!” I shouted, pointing at the screen. “The prisoner logs. They were looking for someone. How did you miss this, Franklin?”

“You’re losing your touch,” Cruz teased.

“Shut up and just tell us what you’re getting.”

“Oh… this is bad.”

“What is it?” Cruz asked, moving closer to the screen, trying to decipher the mess I had created on his computer.

“They want Shadow.”

“So… that means…” Franklin started. “First Century Bank is updating their security system this week… it would be the perfect time for a heist. And London’s most wanted bank robber strikes again!”

Suddenly, an idea hit me. “What if we’ve been going about this all wrong? We always assumed that the X-Gang would have been led by a man – someone with a history – with a record,” I mumbled, trying to explain my thoughts as I viciously typed away. “But what if it’s being governed from the inside? Shadow’s giving someone commands, and who better to follow them than his girl?”

I pulled up a picture of a rugged looking woman with choppy black hair and a septum ring. “Leticia Black,” I said. “They were married ten years ago when they were both serving their time for petty crimes. She’s never been convicted of anything since then. She’s the one. She’s the puppet master behind this whole thing. The real Shadow.”