The Thief and The Smuggler

8: A Web of Lies

A Web of Lies

The house was unusually quiet when Alina slipped through the halls of the mansion, her footsteps barely audible against the plush carpet. It was late—well past midnight—and most of the staff were either gone or asleep. She had been in and out of the mansion for months now, but tonight, something felt different. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was off, and the longer she stayed, the more that feeling grew.

She wandered down the hallway towards the study, the door ajar, casting a faint sliver of light into the dark corridor. Gabriel's voice was low, but unmistakable. She had learned by now that when Gabriel was speaking to someone important, he was never loud. Always measured. Always in control. But it was his conversation tonight that caught her attention.

Alina paused just outside the door, the shadows hiding her form. Gabriel was speaking to someone—his lawyer, Zach Montana. The name sent a flicker of recognition through her mind. Zach was always around when things were getting serious, when the law had to be twisted in Gabriel's favor.

"I need this to look clean, Zach," Gabriel was saying, his voice smooth, but there was an underlying tension in his words. "I can't have the Interpol sniffing around here. We both know how that ends."

Zach's voice was lower, hushed, as if he were speaking in a way that was meant for only Gabriel to hear. "I get it, Gabe. But you've made a lot of moves lately. You need to play it safe this time. If you get too close to this, it'll burn you."

Alina frowned, instinctively leaning closer to the door. She couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just a regular conversation. There was something more at play.

"I have to send someone to India for the ruby," Gabriel continued, pausing before adding with deliberate precision, "but it can't be me. Too much attention. Too many questions. I need to keep my distance."

Alina's breath caught in her throat. So, they were going to India. But Gabriel wouldn't go himself? That was... unexpected.

"And I need to make sure Toro doesn't attract any suspicion," Gabriel said, a slight edge to his voice. "I'll send Alina with him. She'll keep a low profile."

There it was. The words that made her freeze in place.

Alina had been working alongside Gabriel for months now. She had played her part, followed his rules, trusted him. But the thought that she was being used to play a bigger game without her knowledge... it stung. She wasn't naive. She knew how Gabriel worked—he had never been upfront with her. But to hear him so casually discuss sending her into a foreign country, to deal with a dangerous cartel, all to throw off suspicion... it felt like a betrayal.

Zach's voice broke through her thoughts. "You're sure she can handle it? You don't want to put her in harm's way. Not for this."

Gabriel's answer was quick, too quick. "Alina's resourceful. She'll be fine. She knows how to keep her head down, blend in. Besides, this isn't the first time she's taken on a risky job. I wouldn't have hired her if I thought she couldn't handle it."

Alina's pulse quickened. The words stung more than she expected. He wasn't just sending her to India to work with Toro—he was using her as a pawn in his game. To play his enemies and distract everyone while he stayed safely behind the scenes.

"And Toro?" Zach asked, his tone more cautious now. "Can we trust him?"

Gabriel's laugh was low, almost amused. "Toro's loyal. Besides, he's good at keeping things under the radar. He's a tool I use, just like Alina. This is how we've always done things."