Ep 2 The Man Behind Shadow

Elena stared at her phone, her heartbeat suddenly faster.

Adrian Volkov.

The name on the screen felt heavy. Dangerous.

For months, the intelligence agency had been trying to track him down. Dozens of agents had failed. Some had disappeared without a trace.

And now… the most wanted mafia king in the country was casually texting her.

Elena forced herself to stay calm. She couldn’t let him know he had surprised her.

She typed slowly.

Elena:If you’re really Adrian Volkov, then you should know I’m coming to arrest you.

The typing dots appeared almost immediately.

Adrian:Bold. I like that.

Elena frowned.

Elena:Stop playing games.

A moment passed before his reply came.

Adrian:You think this is a game, Agent Elena?

Her grip on the phone tightened.

Elena:Isn’t it?

Adrian:Not for the agents who tried before you.

Elena felt a chill run down her spine. His words sounded calm, but the meaning behind them was dark.

She refused to back down.

Elena:Threatening me won’t work.

Adrian:Who said I’m threatening you?

Another message appeared.

Adrian:I’m warning you.

Elena walked across the room, thinking carefully. If Adrian was contacting her directly, that meant he was confident.

Too confident.

Elena:Why warn me?

There was a short pause.

Then his reply came.

Adrian:Because you’re different.

Elena rolled her eyes.

Elena:You say that to every agent?

Adrian:No. Most of them are boring.

She almost laughed.

This man was supposed to be the most feared criminal in the city… yet he sounded annoyingly calm.

Another message arrived.

Adrian:

Look outside.

Elena frowned again.

Slowly, she walked toward the window.

The rain had stopped, and the street below looked quiet.

Too quiet.

Then she noticed something.

A black luxury car parked across the street.

The engine was running.

Her phone vibrated again.

Adrian:

See it?

Her eyes narrowed.

Elena:

You expect me to believe you’re inside?

Adrian:

You could come down and check.

Elena hesitated.

This could be a trap.

But it could also be the biggest opportunity of her career.

If Adrian Volkov was really sitting in that car…

She could arrest him right now.

Her phone buzzed once more.

Adrian:

Relax, Agent. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn’t have received my messages.

Elena clenched her jaw.

Arrogant.

Dangerous.

And frustratingly confident.

But she wasn’t scared.

She grabbed her jacket and slipped her gun into the hidden holster under it.

Then she typed one last message.

Elena:

Don’t move.

The reply came instantly.

Adrian:

I’ll be waiting.

Elena walked out of her apartment building and stepped into the cold night air.

The black car was still there.

Its windows were dark.

Slowly, she approached it.

Her hand moved toward her gun.

Every instinct in her body told her this man was extremely dangerous.

But she had faced worse.

When she finally reached the car, the back window slowly rolled down.

And for the first time…

Elena saw Adrian Volkov.

His dark eyes met hers, calm and unreadable.

Then he smiled slightly.

“Good evening, Agent Elena.”

Elena froze.

Because Adrian Volkov didn’t look like a monster.

He looked like the kind of man people could easily fall in love with.

And that made him even more dangerous.

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