Midnight Code

Laila sat on the edge of the couch, fingers flying across her keyboard, but her mind was still stuck on that infuriating woman. Samira. The way she looked at Aziel, the way she carried herself like she had some claim over him—it was grating.

Aziel, on the other hand, was too calm, sitting across from her, arms folded as he studied her. "You’re fuming," he noted.

Laila scoffed. "I don’t fume."

Aziel tilted his head. "You do when you're jealous."

Her fingers froze on the keyboard. Slowly, she looked up. "Excuse me?"

His smirk was instant. "You heard me."

Laila inhaled sharply, forcing herself to focus. "I'm not jealous. I'm irritated. There's a difference."

"Sure."

"Aziel."

"Yes, habibti?"

The way he said it—smooth, teasing, laced with amusement—had her pressing her lips into a thin line. "If I was going to be jealous, it wouldn’t be over someone as unhinged as her."

Aziel chuckled, leaning back. "Fair enough. But Samira isn't just someone from my past, Laila. She’s dangerous." His voice dropped, eyes darkening. "And she's unpredictable."

Laila exhaled. "Then why do I get the feeling she’s playing a bigger game than she’s letting on?"

Aziel ran a hand through his hair. "Because she always is."

Just then, Laila’s laptop pinged. Her eyes snapped back to the screen, and her blood ran cold.

Khaled’s firewall is down.

She blinked. Once. Twice. Then looked at Aziel.

"That was too easy," she whispered.

Aziel stood immediately, moving to her side. "What do you mean?"

Laila chewed the inside of her cheek. "Khaled’s system—it should have taken me hours to break through. He’s a paranoid control freak. But this? It was like walking through an open door."

Aziel’s jaw tightened. "He wanted you to get in."

Laila nodded. "The question is… why?"

A slow chill crawled down her spine. Khaled wasn’t the type to slip up. This wasn’t just a trap—it was a message.

Aziel reached over and tilted her screen. His expression darkened as he scrolled through the data.

And then, just as Laila was about to ask what he found, the screen flickered—

And a live video feed opened.

Laila’s breath caught.

Khaled’s face filled the screen.

"Hello, Laila," he said smoothly. "I see you've been keeping yourself busy."

Laila’s fingers curled into fists. "You make it too easy."

Khaled chuckled. "Oh, habibti, you still don’t get it, do you?" He leaned closer to the camera. "You didn’t hack me. I let you in."

Aziel stiffened beside her.

Khaled’s smile widened. "And now that you’re here, I think it’s time you and I had a little… reunion."

The screen glitched, and suddenly, a second video feed popped up—

Live security footage.

Laila’s stomach dropped.

It was outside their building.

And a black car had just pulled up.

The doors opened.

Men in suits stepped out.

Armed.

Coming straight for them.

Khaled’s voice was almost amused. "I suggest you start running."

The screen cut to black.

Silence.

Then Aziel moved.

"Pack your things," he ordered, already grabbing a duffel bag. "We’re leaving. Now."

Laila was already shutting her laptop, heart hammering. "How did he—"

"We'll figure it out later." Aziel tossed her a handgun. "Right now, we need to move."

Laila gripped the weapon, inhaling deeply.

This was it.

No more hiding. No more running.

It was time to take Khaled down.