Chapter 428

Hugo Rothschild's scream pierced the silent rainforest.

Evelyn Laurent whirled around, her sharp gaze cutting through the downpour.

"Freeze!" she barked.

Hugo went rigid. The faint click of a triggered mechanism sounded beneath his feet.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He didn't dare move a muscle.

Ethan Sullivan's eyes turned glacial. His fingers curled around the hilt of his combat knife.

"You followed us?"

Hugo shook his head frantically, rainwater dripping from his hair.

"I came to help—"

His voice faltered under Evelyn's icy stare.

She narrowed her eyes, scanning the trap beneath his boots.

"Help?" A cold laugh escaped her lips. "You mean help the enemy disable our traps?"

Hugo's face flushed crimson.

Though he'd served two years in the military, he now resembled a clumsy recruit.

Ethan had already ghosted behind him.

"Don't move." His low voice carried lethal intent. "One twitch, and you stay here forever."

Hugo swallowed hard, feeling the cold steel against his nape.

Evelyn moved forward and disarmed the trap with swift precision.

"On your knees." She jerked her chin. "Stand up, and I'll break your legs."

Hugo dropped obediently, like a chastened child.

Distant footsteps crunched through the undergrowth.

The pirates had heard his scream and were closing in fast.

Evelyn and Ethan exchanged a glance.

They melted into the shadows like panthers.

Hugo held his breath, watching where they'd vanished.

Seconds later, screams erupted.

"My leg!"

"Traps everywhere!"

"Watch your step!"

Pirates stumbled into hidden mechanisms, falling like dominoes.

Evelyn emerged from behind a tree, driving her elbow into the nearest attacker's throat.

Ethan materialized on the opposite flank, his knife-hand strike dropping another foe.

In under three minutes, six pirates lay unconscious.

Hugo gaped as they efficiently bound the captives.

The sound of belts biting into flesh made his scalp prickle.

Evelyn shook rainwater from her hands and leveled him with a frosty glare.

"Now. Explain why you're here."

Her stare sent chills down his spine.

He knew he needed a damn good answer.

Or he'd be the next one tied to a tree.