Chapter Thirty Six: The Mastermind Revealed*

Marie blinked groggily, her head pounding as consciousness slowly returned. The bright light in the room sent sharp stabs of pain through her temples, and it took her a moment to orient herself. As her vision cleared, she realized she was handcuffed to a chair, her wrists aching from the tight restraints.

The room around her was unexpected—ornate, elegant, almost luxurious. Rich mahogany furniture, velvet drapes, and an enormous crystal chandelier hanging overhead. It was more suited to a mansion than the dark and grimy places she had been investigating. Across the room, a large desk stood as the centerpiece, polished and gleaming in the low light.

And in front of that desk, Rolf knelt, his body trembling as he groaned and pleaded.

"I brought her to you, didn't I?" Rolf stammered, his eyes wide and desperate. "I thought that would please you!"

Marie's gaze slowly moved from Rolf to the woman behind the desk. Naz. She sat in a high-backed chair, one leg crossed over the other, a picture of calm control. Her blonde hair fell sleekly over her shoulders, and her hands rested neatly on the desk, her fingers steepled in quiet contemplation. Despite her composed exterior, there was something undeniably dangerous about her presence—something cold and lethal.

Naz's expression didn't change as Rolf groaned pitifully before her. If anything, her gaze became more detached, as though she was simply watching an insect squirm under a magnifying glass.

"You think this will save you?" Naz's voice was soft but commanding. "You think bringing me *her* will make up for your failures?"

Rolf's pleading grew more frantic. "Please, I'm loyal! I've done everything you've asked! It was Kevin—he was the one losing control, not me!"

Marie's heart raced as she realized what was happening. Rolf was trying to save his own neck, hoping that delivering her to Naz would be enough to keep him alive. But as she looked at the cold, calculating expression on Naz's face, she knew it wouldn't work.

Naz rose slowly from her chair, her movements deliberate and controlled. She circled the desk, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor, and came to stand in front of Rolf, looking down at him with quiet disdain.

"You think I didn't see this coming?" Naz asked, her voice still calm, still measured. "You think I didn't know Kevin would start unraveling? That you would, too?"

Rolf's eyes widened in terror as Naz pulled a sleek, black pistol from the drawer of the desk. She examined it casually, as if it were just another item on her desk, before looking back at him.

"I don't need liabilities," she said coolly. "I need loyalty."

Without another word, Naz raised the gun and shot Rolf point-blank in the head.

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, sharp and deafening. Marie flinched as Rolf's body crumpled to the floor, blood pooling around him in a widening circle. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she strained against the cuffs, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Naz, however, didn't so much as blink. She calmly placed the gun on the desk, her attention now fully focused on Marie.

"I knew Kevin was getting sloppy, Johnathan has been watching him closely," Naz said as she moved gracefully toward the window, her back to Marie. "Men like him always do. They get greedy, start thinking they're invincible. But they're just pawns in the bigger game."

Marie glared at Naz, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way out. Her body still ached from the rough treatment, but her mind was sharp, cataloging every word, every detail of the room.

Naz turned to face her, the faintest hint of amusement playing at the corner of her mouth. "I've been running this operation for years, and none of them ever suspected a thing. The fight club, the gambling, the smuggling—it was all so easy. Men like Kevin, Rolf, even Sheriff Langley, they're all so easy to manipulate. Dangle a little power in front of them, make them feel like they're the ones in control, and they'll do anything you ask."

Marie narrowed her eyes. "So you're the mastermind. You've been pulling all the strings."

Naz nodded, a predatory smile crossing her lips. "It's funny, isn't it? They always underestimate women. They think we're too soft, too emotional to handle something like this. But while they were fighting each other for scraps of power, I was building an empire."

Marie's pulse quickened. "And Kevin? You had him killed, didn't you? He was a loose end."

Naz shrugged nonchalantly. "Kevin was becoming a problem. After his little stunt with the whore that looked like you, I knew I needed an exit strategy. He started to think he could run things his own way, and that simply couldn't be allowed. So, I removed him from the equation."

Marie clenched her fists, trying to keep her composure. "And now what? You're just going to shut everything down?"

Naz tilted her head, her smile turning colder. "Not yet. There's one more fight left. One final show for the crowd, something to go out with a bang. Then I'll disappear."

Marie's blood ran cold as Naz's meaning became clear. "You mean me."

Naz's smile widened. "Oh yes. The cops, the Feds, they're all closing in, and I know when it's time to cut my losses. But before that happens, there's one last opportunity to cash in. The crowd will love it—the ex-FBI agent that thought she could stop us, fighting for her life in the ring. It's poetic, really."

Marie's heart raced as she stared at the woman who had orchestrated it all. She knew Naz was serious, that she fully intended to throw her to a brutal. But Marie wasn't about to go down without a fight. She only needed to last long enough for her team to find her.

Naz crossed the room again, standing over Marie, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "I hope you're ready, Marie. This is your last chance to prove yourself. And who knows? Maybe you'll even survive."

Marie's jaw tightened as she glared up at Naz, her mind already working on an escape plan. She wasn't going to play into Naz's twisted game. She wasn't going to be anyone's pawn.