Page 25 of Unmasking Mayhem (Behind the Mask Duet #2)

My heart races, knowing that any misstep could lead to exposure—not just mine, but that of every person in this game.

The weight of my decisions presses against me as I realize that I’ve just crossed a threshold.

With every second that ticks by, I’m deeper in this world—more entangled than I ever wanted.

As we speed toward the next bend, I recognize that this night is about more than just survival.

It's about reckoning and redefining who I am. And as I glance over at Havoc, a flicker of resolve ignites within me. If I’m going to survive this, I’m going to have to fight—fight for my cover, my friends, and a future I’m desperately trying to protect.

With the distraction from the masked gunman firing at the other racers—masked gunmen who are a part of Masked Mayhem—we sneak out of the crowd with Crow and a few others close by and pull over about five houses down from our target.

We suit up in bulletproof vests and face masks under our helmets and slip into the darkness, blending in perfectly.

By the time we get to the target house, my jaw drops as I realize where I am and whose house we're about to rob: my captain's.

This has got to be a fucking joke, right?

Or is it a coincidence? Perfect fucking irony?

If I wasn't nervous about the op before, I sure as fuck am nervous now, especially since I know that he's home.

It’s time to step into the unknown.

My heart pounds in my chest as we approach the mansion, this op taking on a new layer of insanity.

The sprawling estate looms before me, a monument to wealth and authority, completely at odds with everything I stand for right now.

The shadows stretch around us as we survey the perimeter, the flickering lights inside indicating that the captain is indeed home.

Every instinct in me screams to pull back, to abandon this course of action and find another way to salvage whatever remains of my cover.

But I can’t. Not now. Not when I’ve gone this far.

“Are you ready?” Crow whispers, his voice laced with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

The other members of our group nod, their eyes glinting with that same reckless thrill that has driven them into this life. I wish I could feel that rush, but instead, I find only cold dread.

“Makes you wonder how many details we’re missing,” I mutter, trying to quell the rising tide of anxiety. “Are you sure the guy isn't home?”

Havoc's expression tightens under his mask. “He wouldn’t give up a big score like this without sticking around to watch it all unfold,” he says, adjusting his vest. “We need to hit him fast and keep our heads down.”

A horrible thought strikes me: if King and D, my superiors, found out I was at the captain’s house, it wouldn’t only be my cover at stake—it could send Carter straight into the lion’s den too.

“And if things go south?”

He shrugs; the casualness of the act almost makes me physically recoil. “Do what we came to do and get out. There’s no point in second-guessing now. Let’s just stay focused.”

The growing roar of outside chaos is a constant reminder of the stakes, reminding me that time isn’t on our side.

“All right, let’s move,” I finally say, clutching the edge of my mask, stepping out from our cover in the shadows.

As we creep toward the house, the unmistakable sounds of a party echo from within—laughter, music, and clinking glasses.

It’s bizarre to think that right under the nose of our righteous captain lies this world of excess, a facade that conflicts with everything he's sworn to uphold.

We approach the back entrance, ducking low and positioning ourselves out of sight.

Havoc motions for us to be ready as he crouches beside the door.

He glances back, his eyes fierce and intense beneath his mask.

“On three. One… Two… Three."

With a swift push, Havoc kicks in the door, alerting everyone inside. I almost stumble as the door swings open with a bang, the sudden rush of adrenaline surging through my veins.

“Go! Go! Go!” he shouts, and we flood inside, the warm air of the party hitting me like a tsunami, engulfed by waves of shock from the startled guests around us.

Their startled faces reveal panic, laughter dying into silence as the room becomes a scene from a twisted movie. The kind where the good guys wear masks, but the chaos is still an honest reflection of danger.

“Everyone on the ground, NOW!” Crow barks, his voice booming through the room.

My mind races as I take in the opulent surroundings.

Silken drapes surround a grand chandelier, marble floors gleam under the illumination, and.

..there, against the wall, staring at me with a mixture of confusion and recognition, is the captain.

His jaw drops as he realizes we’re intruding in his home.

“What?” He croaks, his voice barely audible as if he's been blindsided.

“Shut up!” I snap back reflexively, my heart hammering against my ribs.

This wasn’t part of the plan, and now the lines between duty and the personal stakes of this heist are dangerously blurred .

The tension in the room thickens. Some guests scream and run, while others drop to the floor, all caught up in a madness neither they nor I expected.

Even through the chaos we still remember our roles; some members stand guard with the hostages, pointing their weapons in their faces to frighten them, while the rest of us run to the room where the safe is, armed with more duffel bags than we can count.

I focus on the job, quickly getting into the safe since I know the code, and stepping aside while the guys fill the bags with money, drugs, and jewelry—all the shit the captain stole from the evidence room, and the only way they know that is because me and Carter flipped and told them all about it and how dirty the captain was.

As the bags fill up, a sick sense of satisfaction creeps into my chest. I'm doing what I swore to fight against—stealing from someone who’s supposed to uphold the law. The bitter irony is almost exhausting, and I push the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand.

“Quickly! We’ve got to move!" I hiss, glancing nervously back toward the main room.

The sounds of chaos continue to swirl around me like a storm, an unsettling symphony of panic.

Havoc stands guard by the entrance, eyes darting around, his breathing quickening with each passing moment.

Crow shouts orders, but I can sense his own unease.

The captain has yet to move, his gaze fixed on me with a mix of betrayal and confusion. I can’t afford to falter now.

I grab another bag, stuffing it full enough to begin weighing heavily in my hands, then nod to the group. “Let’s go!”

But just as we turn to make our exit, the unexpected happens.

The sound of sirens slices through the air, drawing closer with alarming speed.

Adrenaline floods my system as the realization hits.

If we don’t get out soon, we're going to be stuck in a nightmarish situation that has shifted from a heist to an armed standoff.

“Shit! The cops!” Crow yells, his voice suddenly frantic. The atmosphere shifts, and I can feel the tension reaching a boiling point.

“Get the rest of the bags! We need to move!” Havoc barks, his fierce demeanor morphing into one of urgent desperation.

We scramble, nearly knocking into each other as we race to gather whatever we can carry. My heart races. I can see the internal struggle reflected in the captain's expression; he's trying to process the betrayal and the chaos of the moment.

“Don’t,” I warn, keeping my voice low yet firm. “It’s not worth it. Just get on the fucking ground like everyone else and stay out of it.”

With one last look at him—the authority figure I once respected, now a lawbreaker tangled in his own web of deceit—I turn back to the task at hand. I shove a wad of cash into one bag and shove it toward Crow, who shoves it into the oversized duffel bag slung over his back before he takes off.

“We need to go now!” Havoc’s voice draws me back.

Gunshots suddenly echo from outside, punctuated by the shouts of officers barking orders—a dangerous reminder that we don’t have much time.

“Let’s fucking move!” I shout, adrenaline surging through me, each thump of my heart synchronizing with the urgency of the moment.

In a flash, I push past the captain one last time, knowing there’s no chance I’ll get caught here—not with my own safety and cover on the line. Outside, shadows dart around as figures in police uniforms join the fray, ready to converge on the mansion as chaos unfolds in the street.

“Shut the door, you fucking idiot!” I yell at one of the members still lingering behind.

As the person finally slams the door shut, I pull the nearest duffel tighter against my shoulder and motion to the others to follow me.

Utilizing every ounce of training I’d acquired, I lead us through the back alleyway behind the house, dodging the growing spotlight of law enforcement that drew closer with each passing second.

The thrill of the escape takes precedence over the dire situation unfolding in the mansion.

Just as we navigate the tight space between two buildings, I catch a glimpse of the captain rushing to a nearby window, uncertainty etched across his features.

But there’s no turning back now. I’m no longer just a cop; I’m a part of this mob, a player in this deadly game.

“Over here!” Havoc motions, pointing toward a side exit that could lead to the main street.

The sirens grow louder, and I can feel every pulse in my body urging me forward.

Crow veers off toward a fire escape while I break away from the main group and end up closer to the street.

The moment our feet hit the pavement, I realize how fast my mind is racing.

The captain nearby would have undoubtedly remembered my face, and now I am shoulder-deep in the very corruption I vowed to dismantle.

With police forces converging all around us, I step to the edge of the street, adrenaline pumping blood through my veins, leaving behind everything I ever stood for.

This is madness, and yet…there's no going back.

“Red!” Havoc yells, urgency spilling over. “Get moving—we need to blend in!”

As we continue ahead, chaos engulfs us. Law enforcement officers are scattered, desperately trying to get a handle on the situation, pointing their weapons around as bystanders are left bewildered by the eruption of violence.

This is it—my heart races not from fear but from a newfound exhilaration, the thrill of a high-stakes escape fueling my instincts.

Fragments of my former life flash before my eyes, the lines of right and wrong distorted beyond recognition.

There’s no time to dwell on the choices I’ve made.

“Take that alley there!” Havoc shouts, steering me toward a narrow passageway.

A thought hits me—I need to get away from here and away from my past as quickly as possible.

It’s safe over where I belong now. We dart into the alley, the darkness wrapping around us like a blanket.

I hear sirens wailing in the distance, but it’s the sound of my own intensifying breathing that overwhelms me.

This is not the life I envisioned, but somehow, it feels like a sick twist of fate has pushed me into this moment, a moment where everything is fragile yet electric.

We reach the end of the alley, jumping over debris and fleeing into the obscured safety of the streetlights about four blocks from the heart of the action, stashing the bags in the waiting cars and watching them speed off.

Every moment is a test, and with every step, I realize that I'm no longer just playing a role—I’m living it.

As the chaos fades into the background, I catch sight of Havoc and Crow, who seem to have evaded the turmoil alongside me.

“Did we get it?” Crow breathlessly asks, looking at all of us as the bulging bags disappear in the dead of night to a safe house.

My chest heaves with the weight of emotions—a rush of guilt, satisfaction, and fear intertwining into one.

“Yeah,” I manage to respond, glancing over my shoulder as the distant sound of sirens continues but grows fainter. “But at what cost? They’re going to come for us, and the longer we stick around, the more dangerous it becomes.”

“What’s done is done. Now we need to get out of here before they find us,” Havoc says, his voice steady even though his mask can’t hide the adrenaline coursing through him.

With the adrenaline inside me beginning to subside, I feel the very weight of my choices approach.

I want to reach out to Carter to see if he’s okay.

But each step forward into the night is also a step deeper into this underworld, a reality I never anticipated being part of.

Tonight marks a shift, a breaking point in my undercover life, and as I move swiftly alongside two of the most unpredictable people I’ve ever met, I can’t help but wonder what more I might lose—what else I might become.

“Let’s go,” I finally say, rallying my focus back to the mission at hand. I can’t falter, not now. My cover is still hanging by a thread, and the repercussions of this night are far from over.