James sat in the cramped bathroom stall, staring at his wrist-console as the minutes ticked away. His tactical mind was racing.
If I can get into Marco’s private hotel room while he’s asleep, I can clone his phone data and finalize their entire syndicate timeline.
He forced himself to wait. Two long, agonizing hours passed until the audio feed confirmed Marco and Mike had finally stumbled up to their rooms, completely wasted on synthetic drugs.
Slipping out of the bathroom, James navigated to a quiet stairwell and immediately dialed Aditya.
The line picked up instantly. "James? What happened?" Aditya’s voice was a low whisper.
"Where are you right now?" James asked.
"Inside the Hyatt Grand Central New York," Aditya replied calmly.
James blinked in absolute shock. "What?! Why the hell are you here?"
"My target is Marco, remember?" Aditya said. "I’ve been tracking his movements all evening."
A dark smirk crossed James's face. "Oh, wow. What a coincidence. I’m at the exact same hotel tracking Mike. Listen, I called because I need you to handle the hotel’s central data network from your end. If you can mask the security feed, I’m going to infiltrate Marco's suite and check his personal phone."
"Don't worry about the cameras," Aditya replied smoothly. "Just focus on your target. I've got you covered."
Four hours later, the high-end hotel corridor was completely dead. Most of the syndicate members had finally fallen asleep. A couple of heavily armed bodyguards suddenly walked down the hallway, escorted a completely passed-out Mike out of the VIP suite, and moved him toward the elevators.
Marco, however, remained dead to the world inside his own room.
Suddenly, James’s comms buzzed. It was Aditya.
"James, I’m in Room 453. Marco’s personal guards just left the immediate perimeter to secure the lobby. Move now."
James swiftly moved down the hallway and slipped into Room 453. He found Aditya sitting calmly in front of a modified laptop.
"When did you even have time to book a luxury room like this?" James asked, looking around the suite.
Aditya smirked. "I didn't book it. Jeena hacked straight into the hotel’s central database and assigned the room to me under a fake profile." Aditya’s expression then turned serious. "By the way, you should know... my squad already took down four of their perimeter scouts today."
"Yeah, I figured the heat was rising," James nodded. "That's why my plan has changed. Once Mike leaves this hotel, I’m going to follow him and launch an ambush directly at his private safehouse. He keeps a very low guard presence there because he thinks nobody knows the location."
Aditya raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you know the location of a syndicate safehouse?"
James smiled text-book spy style. "I paid a massive amount of cash to Mike’s most loyal servant. I told him to take the night off and report that his 'adult brother' would be covering his shift today. When Mike’s bodyguards transport him back to the house, they're going to take me straight through the front door."
Aditya let out a sharp laugh. "Wow. You really are our James Bond, bro."
Both men shared a brief, tense laugh before Aditya's face tightened. "Wait a second... if you've been in the bar spying on Mike all night, where the hell are my two students?"
James's heart dropped. "Ah... right. About that."
James quickly dialed Hope’s tracking device. The call connected, and Hope’s voice came through, sounding completely lost.
"Hello? Uncle James? Where are you guys?"
"Hope, where are you right now?" James asked quickly.
"I'm on the hotel's second-floor room lounge,"
Hope replied.
"We were coming up to find you..."
James groaned, rubbing his temples. "Look, I don't have time to re-explain the plan. I thought you were tracking the outer perimeter enemies! Just stay put, don't worry, and keep your head down." James cut the call before Hope could argue.
Aditya stared at James in absolute disbelief. "What the actual fuck, James? Who leaves a kid like that in a hot zone? I can't control that brat when he wanders off! If we get compromised, I’ll have to kill every single syndicate soldier in this building, but there are civilians all over the place!"
"Patience, bro," James held up a hand. "Patience is good for your health. We aren't compromised yet."
Suddenly, the hacked security monitor on Aditya's laptop flickered. The feed showed a dark corridor on the private upper floor. Five hours had passed since the targets went to sleep, but the camera now showed a tall, menacing figure walking down the hallway.
The man was wearing a full tactical mask, completely hiding his face.
Aditya leaned closer to the screen, his eyes narrowing. "Who is that? What do you think?"
James’s eyes locked onto the man's distinct, heavy stride and the hidden posture under his coat. His breath hitched.
"It's Mike," James whispered, checking his sidearm. "He’s moving early. I’m going in."