CHAPTER 6 — "The Man in the Mask"
Federal agents immediately pushed Maria behind a concrete pillar.
"Protect the package!"
Gunfire echoed throughout the station.
The attackers moved with military precision.
Night-vision goggles.
Silenced rifles.
Professional teamwork.
These weren't ordinary criminals.
They were highly trained.
Within seconds, two agents were wounded.
The Director fired back while shouting orders.
"Fall back! Keep Maria alive!"
Smoke grenades rolled across the floor, filling the corridor with thick gray clouds.
Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
Maria clutched the black case tightly against her chest.
Suddenly...
A gloved hand grabbed her shoulder.
She spun around in panic—
Only to see a man dressed entirely in black.
His face was hidden beneath a tactical mask.
He raised one finger to his lips.
"Don't scream."
Before Maria could react, he pulled her through a hidden maintenance door in the wall.
The sounds of gunfire became distant.
They found themselves inside an abandoned underground tunnel beneath the station.
The stranger finally removed his mask.
Maria gasped.
It was Daniel.
Her fiancé.
She stumbled backward.
"You..."
"You tried to have me kidnapped!"
Daniel shook his head urgently.
"No."
"I tried to stop them."
"Liar!"
"I saw the surveillance video!"
"I know."
"I wanted you to."
Maria stared in disbelief.
"What?"
Daniel pulled a small recording device from his pocket.
"I've been undercover for three years."
"I'm not working for the syndicate."
"I'm inside it."
Maria's mind raced.
Nothing made sense anymore.
"You expect me to believe that?"
Daniel looked directly into her eyes.
"The men who attacked you tonight..."
"They weren't following my orders."
"They were sent after they discovered my cover."
He handed her an encrypted federal identification card.
Maria examined it.
It looked genuine.
Very genuine.
Before she could speak, footsteps echoed through the tunnel.
Someone else was coming.
Daniel immediately switched off his flashlight.
"They found us."
Several shadows appeared at the far end of the tunnel.
One figure stepped forward slowly.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Gray hair.
Elegant black suit.
The stranger smiled calmly.
"Daniel..."
"You've disappointed me."
Daniel instinctively stepped in front of Maria.
The older man chuckled.
"I've waited twenty-four years to meet you, Maria."
She froze.
The man's eyes looked strangely familiar.
He slowly removed one leather glove.
On his right hand was a distinctive ring.
Exactly the same ring worn by the faceless man in the old family photograph from her mother's letter.
He smiled.
"You've grown up beautifully..."
"...my daughter."
The tunnel fell into complete silence.
Maria's lips trembled.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
The man smiled once more.
"My name isn't important."
May you like
"But everyone else calls me..."
The Ghost.
