The phone vibrated. A reply.“I’m retired.”
Sofia exhaled.Sure you are,she typed back.That’s why you answered in under a minute.
A pause. Then:“What’s the job?”
Even encrypted, she wouldn’t put specifics in writing.Need to talk. Securely.
Another pause. Then:“Five minutes. Usual spot.”
She closed the app. Their old failsafe—an untraceable voice channel on a buried server. She grabbed a laptop and followed the connection protocols.
A distorted voice answered. “Sofia.”
“Wraith.”
A low chuckle. “Still stirring up trouble?”
“Depends on who you ask.” She leaned forward. “I need access to someone’s financials.
Deep access.”
Silence. Then: “Corporate?”
“Senator.”
A sharp inhale. “Shit.”
“I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important.”
Wraith exhaled. “This is federal. If I get caught—”
“You won’t,” Sofia cut in. “You never do.”
The silence stretched. “What’s he into?”
“Corruption. Money laundering. Maybe worse.” She hesitated. “People are getting hurt.”
When Wraith spoke again, the playfulness was gone. “I need a backdoor—someone
inside his network. Without an insider, there can be no job. Otherwise, I’ll trip every flag.”
Sofia’s stomach tightened. “I’ll get it.”
“I’ll start digging. But if this goes south… I disappear. You won’t hear from me again.”
“Understood.”
The line cut out.
Sofia shut the laptop, her pulse hammering. Getting inside the senator’s circle had always
been the plan. Now it was mandatory.
The door clicked open. Tonio stepped inside, his gaze locking onto hers. “Well?”
“We definitely need an inside man. My source needs a backdoor into Young's network,
or he can't help us.”
