Chapter 3 The Ambushe.

Laith was walking home in the middle of the night. It was a dark alley, and he could barely see where he was going. Suddenly, he received a phone call from an unknown number. Curious about who it might be, he answered the call, but the other end was silent. Initially, he thought it was just someone messing with him. However, before he could hang up, he felt something strange-the phone suddenly heated up. Alarmed, he immediately threw it away, but it was too late; the phone exploded mid_air, the explosion burning his hand.

The next day, he was in the hospital with an injured hand. The doctor informed him that he was lucky to have reacted quickly before the explosion caused more serious harm.

Angry and bewildered, Laith couldn't believe someone had managed to toy with him like that. He instructed Kelly to find out who was behind it immediately. Kelly assured him that he was already on it.

Laith then asked Kelly about their men. Kelly said " They were attacking the restaurant chains as you ordered them"

Then he offered to show Laith a live broadcast of the incident. He had arranged for one of the men to film everything live so that he could supervise the operation and issue commands if anything went wrong.

Eager to see the chaos unfold, Laith told Kelly to show him. Kelly handed over his phone, and Laith watched as his men beat up the staff, broke windows, and wreaked havoc throughout the restaurants. It was total mayhem. Laith laughed, enjoying the spectacle as if he were watching a football match.

Suddenly, the police arrived at the scene. Laith was taken aback; usually, the police only showed up after his men had finished because the officers in this area were too cowardly to confront them directly. This time, however, the police came heavily armed and in tactical gear, as if they were prepared for war.

"What should we do sir?" Kelly asked.

"Tell the men not to be scared. Just pull back, I'll handle the situation with the police later" Laith ordered.

Kelly relayed the message, but it was too late; the police had locked down all exits, trapping Laith's men inside the restaurants. With no choice but to fight, a chaotic exchange of gunfire erupted.

Unable to sit idly by any longer, Laith turned to Kelly and said, "Let's go. We need to save our men." Without hesitation, they rushed to one of the locations to intervene.

The night air was thick with tension as Laith positioned himself on the rooftop, his gloved hands steadying the sniper rifle. Below, the police had barricaded the building, their flashlights cutting through the darkness as they secured the perimeter. His men were inside, and this was the only way to give them a chance.

He exhaled slowly, finger resting lightly on the trigger. He didn't want to kill a cop and complicate things with the police. He just needed chaos.

A single shot rang out, the bullet striking the concrete mere inches from a police officer's head. The man flinched violently, shouting as his colleagues scrambled for cover.

"Sniper! Sniper on the rooftops!" one of them yelled, their formation breaking as they turned their attention toward the buildings.

Laith smirked, watching through his scope as the officers near the entrance fanned out, their focus shifting from the door to the unseen threat above.

Over the comms, his voice was calm but firm. "Go. Now."

Inside, his men moved swiftly. The moment the police turned their attention away, they slipped through the unguarded exit,. Within seconds, they vanished into the maze of alleyways, leaving the officers none the wiser.

Laith didn't linger. He dismantled the rifle with practiced ease, slinging the case over his shoulder. The chaos below was still unfolding-shouted orders, radios crackling, the distant wail of more sirens approaching. But his job here was done.

He tapped his earpiece. "This location is clear. Move to the next location and help the others. We're not done yet."

Without another word, he melted into the shadows, his men already regrouping for the next phase of the escape.

The warehouse was tense as Laith stepped inside, his boots echoing against the concrete floor. His men stood in scattered groups, some nursing minor wounds, others checking their gear. The mission had gone sideways, and the air was thick with unease.

Kelly fell into step beside him, his sharp eyes scanning the room. He didn't need to say it-they'd both reached the same conclusion on the ride back.

Laith stopped in the center of the room, arms crossed. The chatter died instantly.

"We're all back in one piece,"he began, voice low but carrying. "That's the only good thing about tonight."

A few of the men shifted, exchanging glances. They knew what was coming.

"The police were waiting for us," Laith continued, his tone hardening. "Not just a patrol. Not just a few fat coward middle aged officers. They had gear and actual weapons, they came prepared!."

Kelly stepped forward his voice icy. "They knew before we even moved. Which means someone here snitched."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the room. One of the men, Ra'ed scowled. "Are you saying one of us is a rat?"

Laith's gaze didn't waver. "I'm saying the evidence doesn't lie. That ambush was set up. So now, we must find out who sold us out."

Silence stretched, heavy and charged. Then, from the back, a nervous laugh. "This is bullshit," muttered Dari wiping sweat from his brow. "We risked our necks out there, and now we're getting accused?"

Kelly's eyes locked onto him. "You got something to say, Dari? Or just sweating 'cause you're guilty?"

Dari's face twitched. "I didn't-"

Before he could finish, Laith took a step toward him. "Then you won't mind answering some questions."

The room went still. The hunt for the traitor had begun.

The warehouse was thick with tension as Laith and Kelly moved through their men, their voices sharp, their eyes burning with suspicion. One by one, they questioned them-where did you go after the meeting? Who did you talk to?

Dari insisted that he was innocent his voice shaking. "I went straight home. I Didn't talk to anyone, I swear."

Laith didn't blink. "Phone." He ordered.

Dari's hands trembled as he unlocked it and handed it over. Laith passed it to Kelly, who scrolled through it with ruthless efficiency before shaking his head.

Next was Sameer, who flinched as Laith grabbed him by the collar. "Why are you sweating, huh?" Laith growled.

Sameer's voice cracked. "I didn't snitch, man, I swear!" He gave his phone to Laith, his hands trembling before Laith even demand it. Kelly took it without a word.

One by one, they went down the line-interrogating, searching, dismissing-until Laith's gaze landed on Qais.

He was the youngest member, a 16 year old kid, he was sitting cross-legged on the concrete floor, leaning against the wall like he was bored. Unlike the others, he wasn't fidgeting. Wasn't even paying attention to the whole ordeal. Laith smirked. "Are you enjoying the show?"

Qais met his gaze, unfazed. "This is pointless." He said.

The room went dead silent. A few of the men shifted, uneasy. One of them, Malik, stepped forward. "Boss, he didn't mean anything by-"

Laith shoved him back without looking and crouched down in front of Qais, their faces level."You got something to say, kid?"

A murmur rippled through the room. Some of the men tensed, ready to jump in, but Laith held up a hand, silencing them. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Do you know something?"

Qais exhaled, like he was tired of explaining the obvious. " The ones who snitched aren't even here."

Laith's smirk faded. "Who Are you talking about?"

"Badir and Shams" Qais said.

A beat of silence. Then Laith barked out a laugh. "Badir and Shams were locked in the refrigerator during the meeting. They couldn't have-"

"They weren't in there this morning," Qais cut in. "I went to let them out as you told me and they were gone."

Everyone fell silent.

Laith's expression darkened. He slowly stood, his voice dangerously quiet. "You're telling me... that they managed to escape from the refrigerator?"

Qais nodded. "And they heard everything."

Kelly's grip tightened around the phone in his hand. "I'll kill them."

Laith turned, his voice a razor's edge. "Find them." He ordered. The hunt had just begun.