A WEB OF DECEIT

chapter 33

Nkosikhona

We had been watching the Mthembus , carefully scouting each of their company's branches, logging their every move. Patience was key in this game. You couldn't rush it. Sipho and I knew we had to be smart-there were too many eyes, too many cameras. We weren't just playing with fire; we were dancing in it.

Our van had become something like a second home-packed with high-tech equipment that could bypass any firewall, intercept emails, even tap into security feeds if we wanted to. We'd park in their lots, blending in with all the other cars, and get to work. It wasn't glamorous, but we were determined. The Mthembus had taken enough from me already. This wasn't just about revenge anymore. This was about reclaiming everything they'd taken... and more.

Today was no different. We were stationed at their main branch-the heart of their empire. Thabo was behind the wheel, and I was seated in the back with the laptop, going through some of the company's latest transactions, trying to piece together their security patterns.

"Nkosi," thabo muttered, eyes glued to the dashboard. "How long we planning to sit here? We've been parked for over an hour."

"Patience," I told him. "We need to watch their timing. See when their high-level employees leave and enter. We're almost ready, but we can't afford to slip up. Not with these bastards."

But then something changed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her. A woman stepping out of her car, her presence radiating like the sun breaking through thick clouds. She was breathtaking-no, mesmerizing. It wasn't just her beauty. There was something about her. Something familiar.*

Her smile caught my eye first. It was soft but confident, the kind of smile that could light up a room. Her hair fell in waves over her shoulders, and her eyes... they sparkled with something that made me stop in my tracks. I didn't even realize what I was doing when I jumped out of the van, racing towards her. Her files had slipped from her hand and scattered across the ground. Without thinking, I crouched down to help her pick them up.

"Hi," I said, extending my hand to her, my voice sounding almost foreign to my ears. Why did I suddenly feel nervous? Like a damn teenager.

"Hi," she replied, her voice soft yet strong. "Thank you so much."

I handed her the last of the papers, and she took them with a quick smile, before hurrying off. I watched her walk away, disappearing into the building. And for a moment, I forgot everything. The plan. The Mthembus. The mission. All I could think about was her.

She was beautiful-there was no denying that-but there was something else. Something deeper. It was like I'd seen her before, but I couldn't place it. I stood there, rooted in place, until...

"Nkosi! Nkosi, bro!" Thabo's voice jolted me back to reality. "What the hell are you doing, man?"

I blinked, suddenly aware of how exposed I was. Cameras were everywhere. I cursed under my breath, rushing back to the van.

Once inside, thabo glared at me from the driver's seat. "What the hell was that? You can't be running around like that. They got cameras all over the place, man! You trying to get us caught?"

I ran a hand over my face, trying to shake off whatever had just happened. "I... I don't know, thabo. It's like she had some kind of pull on me. Like I've seen her before."

Thabo gave me a look, his eyebrows raised. "Man, don't tell me you've gone soft on some chick you just met in a parking lot. You're here for one thing-taking down the Mthembus. Focus."

I sighed, leaning back against the van's wall. He was right. I couldn't afford distractions-not now, not when we were this close. But I couldn't shake the image of her fromI couldn't shake the image of her from my mind, no matter how hard I tried.

Her face lingered in my thoughts like a dream that refused to fade away with the morning light. Every detail of her-her smile, her eyes, the way she moved-had imprinted itself on me. It was maddening. I had never been the type to let a woman get under my skin like this, especially not one I barely even spoke to.

And yet, there she was, occupying every corner of my mind as though she belonged there.

I tried to focus. Thabo and I still had work to do, and the Mthembus weren't going to take themselves down. But my thoughts kept drifting back to her. Who was she? Why did I feel like I knew her from somewhere? I wracked my brain, searching for any memory that could explain it, but nothing came up.

*"You good, Nkosi?"* Thabo asked, his voice softer this time, almost concerned.

I forced a nod. "Yeah. I'm good." But I wasn't. Not really.

Thabo sighed and gave me a pointed look. "Look, if you're not focused, this thing's going to blow up in our faces. You can't afford distractions, especially not now."

"I know," I said, rubbing my temples. "I'm focused. Let's stick to the plan."

Thabo looked at me for a long moment before finally relenting. "Alright. We'll head out in a few hours once things quiet down. Make sure you've got your head on straight by then."

He turned back to his equipment, but I could tell he was still keeping an eye on me. I didn't blame him. This wasn't the time to lose focus-not when we were so close to striking. But how could I focus when that woman was still lingering in my thoughts, her presence so vivid that I could almost feel her standing next to me?

I glanced out the van's window again, hoping to catch another glimpse of her. But she was long gone, swallowed up by the corporate world inside that building. A part of me wondered if I'd ever see her again. Another part of me was almost certain that I would.

And as much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, the truth was undeniable: I *wanted* to see her again.

I leaned back in my seat, staring at the ceiling of the van, trying to force my mind back to the mission. This wasn't the time for distractions. I had a plan. We had a plan. And I needed to see it through, no matter what-or who-tried to get in the way.

But even as I told myself that, I knew the memory of her wouldn't let me go that easily.