Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 95: The Rescue

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Chapter 95

~Kael’s POV~

A Day Ago

The warehouse looked even worse up close.

Rust coated the metal siding in jagged patches, and the smell of oil and chemicals lingered faintly in the air as Raiden and I crouched beside the shadowed corner of the building.

From here, the faint hum of machinery vibrated through the ground beneath my boots.

So the bastard had been telling the truth. This place was active.

I glanced toward the loading dock one last time before shifting my attention to the narrow metal hatch half-hidden beneath a stack of discarded pallets.

Raiden tapped the edge of it lightly with the toe of his boot.

"Supply hatch," he murmured. "Just like I said."

The dim security light from the dock barely reached us here, leaving the area swallowed in shadows.

I studied the hatch carefully. There were no visible alarms or cameras, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any.

"You sure this leads underground?" I asked quietly.

Raiden crouched beside the hatch, already pulling a slim set of lock tools from the pocket of his jacket. "Positive."

His fingers moved quickly and confidently as he worked.

"You know how these operations run," he continued. "They keep the flashy entrances guarded and the boring ones forgotten."

A faint metallic click followed. Raiden glanced up at me with a grin.

"Which makes boring entrances perfect for people like us."

The hatch opened slowly with a dull creak. A narrow metal ladder descended into darkness. Warm air drifted up from below, carrying the unmistakable scent of processed narcotics.

I reached into my jacket and pulled out the tactical flashlight, keeping the beam low as I aimed it downward.

Concrete walls stared in my face, followed by a dim corridor. There was no immediate movement.

Raiden slipped his pistol free from its holster. "After you, Beta."

I rolled my eyes slightly but stepped onto the ladder anyway.

The metal rungs vibrated faintly beneath my weight as I descended into the underground corridor. Raiden followed silently behind me, closing the hatch once we were both inside.

The darkness swallowed us instantly. Only the faint beam of my flashlight cut through the shadows.

The corridor stretched forward for several meters before turning sharply left. Pipes lined the ceiling overhead, dripping occasionally with condensation that echoed softly against the concrete floor.

I moved carefully, keeping my footsteps light while Raiden stayed close behind.

Neither of us spoke. The deeper we moved into the facility, the louder the distant hum of machinery became.

Then voices drifted faintly through the corridor.

The sound of two men laughing filled the air. I immediately raised a hand, signaling Raiden to stop.

The voices were getting closer.

I stepped quietly against the wall just before the corner, drawing my pistol as Raiden mirrored the movement on the opposite side.

The footsteps approached. Three... two... one.

The first guard rounded the corner, but he never had time to react.

Myy arm shot forward, grabbing his collar as I slammed him against the wall while Raiden stepped in smoothly and drove the butt of his pistol into the back of the second guard’s head.

Both men collapsed instantly. Raiden caught one before he hit the floor.

I lowered the other quietly. "No alarms," Raiden whispered.

I nodded once. "Keep moving."

We dragged the unconscious guards into a storage alcove before continuing deeper into the facility.

The underground layout became clearer the farther we went.

This wasn’t just a hideout. It was a full operation.

Rows of metal tables lined a larger processing room where plastic containers and chemical equipment sat scattered across the surface. The harsh smell of synthetic drugs hung thick in the air.

Fortunately, the workers appeared to be on the opposite side of the facility.

Which meant we had a small window.

Raiden pointed toward a reinforced metal door near the back of the room.

"Storage cells."

My eyes narrowed.

That was where they would keep someone they didn’t trust. We moved quickly but quietly toward the door. Another guard stood outside it.

He barely turned his head before Raiden’s knife flashed once in the dim light. The man dropped without a sound.

I caught his body and lowered him to the ground.

Raiden wiped the blade clean against the guard’s jacket before nodding toward the door.

"Your source better be worth this."

I pulled the door open slowly. The room inside was dimly lit. Concrete walls, a single hanging light bulb swaying gently from the ceiling, and in the center of the room was a man tied to a metal chair.

My source.

His head hung forward, dried blood streaking across his face and soaking into the collar of his shirt.

"Shit," I muttered.

Raiden stepped inside behind me as I crossed the room quickly. The man lifted his head weakly when he heard our footsteps.

His swollen eyes widened slightly when he recognized me. "M-Mr. Kael..." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Hold still," I told him as I pulled a knife free and cut through the ropes binding his wrists.

The man winced as circulation returned to his arms.

"Can you stand?" I asked. He nodded weakly.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, supporting most of his weight against my shoulder.

That was when his hand suddenly shot up and grabbed the front of my jacket.

His grip was surprisingly strong. "Kael," he rasped. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he forced the words out. "It’s... a trap."

My stomach tightened instantly. "What?"

"They didn’t want you... to find me," he coughed violently. More blood splattered onto the floor.

"I do not understand a word you are saying. Talk to me, explain." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He shook his head. "They wanted... y-you out of the capital."

Raiden’s head snapped toward the door. "What the hell does that—" The rest of his sentence vanished beneath the deafening roar of an explosion.

The entire warehouse above us shook violently as dust rained down from the ceiling as the concrete walls trembled around us.

"MOVE!" Raiden shouted.