Chapter 397: Why You Didn’t Tell Me?

The yoga instructor walked into the main studio space.

She was a woman in her early thirties, with the kind of centered calm that came from years of practice.

"Good morning, everyone," she said, checking the count of students. "I see we have some new faces this morning. Welcome! Let’s begin with some simple breathing exercises to ground ourselves before we start."

The students....six total, including two of Dimitri’s operatives, settled onto their mats.

Eve was on her mat, eyes already closed, centering herself.

Angela was on her mat next to Eve, watching.

The instructor began leading the class through breathing exercises.

"Inhale for four counts," the instructor said softly. "Hold for four. Exhale for four."

The students followed along.

The operative’s hand was moving now. Slowly. Carefully. Extracting the vial from his gym bag.

He was going to move during the next transition, when the instructor was guiding people through a specific pose and attention would be divided.

He had maybe sixty seconds.

Angela was watching Eve, her expression a mixture of sadness and resignation.

Eve’s eyes were still closed, following the instructor’s guidance.

Marco’s eyes were locked on the monitor.

His finger was on the communication button.

The man stood up.

He moved toward the water bottle area.

"NOW!" Marco shouted.

The doors to the studio burst open.

Two of Dimitri’s operatives, who’d been posed as regular yoga students on mats in the back, moved with explosive speed.

One grabbed the operative’s arm, yanking it upward.

The vial flew through the air.

The poison spilled across the floor instead of into Eve’s water bottle.

The operative struggled, his professional composure shattering immediately. He tried to twist free, but he was already surrounded.

The second operative hit him with a pressure point on his shoulder, forcing him to drop to his knees. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Students screamed.

The yoga instructor yelled in confusion.

The operative was being restrained, his face pressed against the floor, his hands being forced behind his back.

On the monitors, Marco watched the scene unfold exactly as planned.

"Studio is secure," Marco reported. "Operative is restrained."

"okay," Dimitri said. "Locking down the building. No one leaves."

The studio doors swung closed and locked electronically.

All exits sealed.

Eve’s eyes opened when she heard the screaming.

She pushed up from her mat, confusion flooding her face.

What was happening?

Why were people yelling?

She saw the man on the ground, being restrained by two men she didn’t recognize.

She saw the spilled liquid on the floor.

Her water bottle was sitting on the edge of the personal items area, untouched.

And then her eyes landed on Angela.

Angela was standing very still, her face pale, her hands slightly raised.

The expression on Angela’s face was surrender.

Eve’s mind was still trying to process what was happening, but she was smart enough to understand the pieces falling into place.

The man. The struggle.

Angela standing motionless like someone who’d been caught.

"No," Eve whispered, understanding blooming like poison in her chest. "No, no, no..."

"Everyone remain calm," a voice said through a speaker system. It was Marco, broadcasting from the command van. "This is a security operation. If you cooperate, no one will be hurt."

The yoga students were backing away from the conflict, creating space.

Eve was backing away from Angela.

***

The studio door opened.

Dimitri walked in.

He walked directly toward Eve and pulled her into his arms.

Eve looked up at him with an expression that was a mixture of relief and confusion.

"What was that?" Eve asked. "What just happened?"

"Not here," Dimitri said. "I’ll explain everything to you later"

***

The man was being held by Dimitri’s men in a back room of the yoga studio.

He was bleeding from where his face had been forced against the floor.

Marco entered the room.

The man looked up at him with the kind of fear that came from understanding that he’d failed an operation for a powerful organization.

"Who sent you?" Marco asked.

The man said nothing.

Marco waited.

"Who sent you?" Marco asked again, and this time his voice carried a threat that didn’t need to be spoken aloud.

The man understood that he was now in the hands of people who had absolutely no problem causing him pain.

"The Covenant," the operative said quietly. "They sent me."

"Who specifically?" Marco pressed. "I need names"

***

Angela was being held separately, not restrained but guarded.

Eve was brought to her.

They were placed in a private area of the yoga studio, with Dimitri’s men maintaining perimeter security.

Eve looked at the person she’d thought was her friend.

And Angela looked back.

"Did you ever actually care about me?" Eve asked.

Angela was quiet for a long moment.

"Yes," Angela finally said. "That was the worst part. I did care about you."

Eve stood there, looking at Angela, understanding that everything had been a lie built on top of a genuine connection.

And then she turned and walked away without saying another word.

***

Dimitri brought Eve to a private office in the back of the yoga studio.

The sounds of the interrogation and the aftermath were muffled behind closed doors.

Eve sat down on a chair and Dimitri stood in front of her, watching her.

"Tell me everything," Eve finally said. "Tell me how you knew. Tell me why you didn’t tell me."

Dimitri took a breath.

"Marco identified Angela the moment she met you at the charity event," Dimitri began. "He ran a complete background check. We found her connections to Dante. We understood immediately that she was an infiltrator."

"You knew," Eve repeated. "From the beginning."

"From the beginning," Dimitri confirmed. "We put listening devices in your phone, your bag, your earrings, your clothing. We heard every conversation between you and Angela. We monitored every piece of intelligence she was gathering."

Eve felt something twist in her chest.

"You were listening to me?" Eve asked.

"Yes," Dimitri said, and he didn’t try to soften it. "We were listening to you."

"Why didn’t you tell me?" Eve asked.

"Because if you’d known, she would have known," Dimitri said. "She’s trained. She would have read your expression, your tone, something would have given it away. And the moment she suspected that we knew, the entire operation would have changed. The Covenant would have pivoted. We would have lost the opportunity to catch them."