She’d probably run back to her hotel. Told York what she saw. He was probably tearing the city apart right now, looking for Alan.
Let him look. The drop had to happen. The timeline couldn’t slip.
Abu Massuf sat on the worn bench, a newspaper open in his lap. Mid-forties, with a face you wouldn’t forget. He didn’t look up as Alan approached.
Alan walked past. Set his folded newspaper on the bench—casual, natural, like he was done carrying it.
Kept walking.
Didn’t look back.
Behind him, Abu would collect the newspaper. Inside: President White’s Germany itinerary. EMP specifications. A contact in Munich. Everything needed for the next phase.
The mission was in motion.
And somewhere in this city, York Newgate was hunting him.
Alan walked until he found a quiet square with a fountain and pigeons. Sat on a bench in the afternoon sun. Let himself breathe.
He pulled the photograph from his pocket, smoothing the creased edges with his thumb.
Timea, sitting at a café not unlike the one across from the park. Sunlight catching her hair. The lines at the corners of her eyes that hadn’t been there before, that he’d never seen form.
And Fia. His daughter. Eleven, maybe twelve years old now. Dark hair escaping her braids. A smile that was pure Timea.
But her eyes. Those green eyes, looking up at whoever held the camera.
He thought about RJ at the café. The way her face had gone pale when she recognized him. The way her hands had trembled.
She would have told York. York would come for him. He always did.
Part of him—a small, tired part that remembered what it felt like to be a good man—wanted to run. Disappear. Slip the noose and find some quiet corner of the world where none of this could touch him.
But that wasn’t an option anymore. The Bratva had made sure of that.
Complete the mission.
He looked at the photograph one more time. Memorized Timea’s smile. Imagined Fia’s laugh. The life that was waiting for him on the other side of this.
Then he tucked it back in his pocket, stood, and walked into the Paris afternoon.
The pigeons scattered as he walked past the fountain. Above, a church bell tolled the hour.
Somewhere in the world, a little girl was waiting for a father she’d never met.
He was going to reach her.
No matter who he had to destroy along the way.
Thank you for reading SOUTH!
Did you love Dakota and Jayden's story?
The hunt concludes in WEST, where everything comes full circle. When the conspiracy finally reaches Key West, the entire Jones Inc team will converge for the final showdown. But the truth about who's really behind it all will shock everyone—and change everything.
Don't miss WEST - The explosive finale!
She ditched her security detail. Worst decision ever.
