Reyes was done playing defense.
After a week of coordinated chaos—fake heists, vanishing cash houses, and humiliated guards—he finally ordered a counterstrike. Not on banks. Not on assets. But on people.
He wanted blood.
Early morning fog crept over Rio's southern piers, mixing with the salt of the sea and the smoke of burned tires. Leonardo stood near a shipping container, arms folded as Dom, Brian, Han, and Tej examined blueprints spread out on a crate. Koko was on comms, watching every dock camera within a five-mile radius.
"This is the route," Dom said, tapping the map. "If Reyes is moving his last stash, it's here. He's desperate, but not dumb."
Brian nodded. "They'll keep it low-profile. Smaller convoy. Probably nighttime."
Leonardo added, "But he'll be watching for us. So we need to be ghosts until we become shadows."
Just then, Koko's voice crackled through the speaker. "We've got movement. North end. Three black SUVs. Unmarked. Tactical gear."
Tej frowned. "That's not a transport unit. That's a kill squad."
Leonardo's eyes narrowed. "Who's their target?"
Halfway across the city, Gisele and Mia were out running errands in a bulletproof SUV Leonardo had loaned them. They were on the expressway near the eastern favela district when they noticed they were being followed.
Gisele caught it first.
"Two o'clock. Black truck. Same one from the last mile."
Mia's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. "How many?"
"Three in the front, more in the back. Guns, definitely."
Mia didn't flinch. She downshifted and took the next exit hard, tires screeching. Gisele reached under her seat, pulling out a compact machine pistol from a false compartment.
"Time to stretch our legs."
Leonardo's voice came sharp over comms. "Reyes made a move. He's coming for the people, not the plan. I want boots on the ground near Sector Eight now. Dom, Brian, with me. Han and Tej, get the second vehicle and cut them off."
The team moved fast. Within minutes, two intercept vehicles were in motion, splitting through Rio's traffic.
Mia and Gisele's SUV took damage fast. A bullet hit the rear tire, causing them to swerve into a stack of crates in an open-air market. Locals screamed and ran. Gisele kicked open the passenger door and fired off a quick burst, keeping the attackers pinned behind their vehicle.
"You alright?" she shouted.
Mia nodded, shaken but steady. "Yeah. Car's not."
"They'll flank soon. We hold until Leo gets here."
Leonardo arrived three minutes later in a matte-black off-road vehicle. He didn't wait for Dom or Brian. He stepped out, walked directly toward the open market gunfight, and drew a custom pistol from under his jacket.
The air around him was charged. Controlled. Cold.
He didn't fire wildly. He fired surgically—three shots, three kneecaps.
The last attacker panicked and tried to run.
Leonardo let him.
Dom's Charger screeched in seconds later. Brian jumped out, scanning the area, his pistol still drawn.
"Everyone okay?"
Gisele helped Mia to her feet. "Shaken, not stirred."
Dom walked up to Leonardo, who was now crouched beside one of the downed attackers.
"You let that one go on purpose."
Leonardo stood. "He'll run back to Reyes and tell him we don't break. We don't bleed. We retaliate."
Dom nodded slowly. "Message received."
That night, the team regrouped. The tension in the warehouse was thicker than before. There were no jokes. No bets. Just silent planning.
Leonardo sat alone with Gisele in the upper office.
"You saved her," she said quietly. "And me."
He didn't look up. "I've already lost people. I don't intend to lose more."
Gisele stepped closer. "You always carry it like that? All of it, by yourself?"
Leonardo looked into her eyes for a long second before answering. "Someone has to."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not anymore."
The next day, Reyes' cash movement pattern changed again. The paranoia worked. His guards doubled. His trucks became faster, less predictable. And now, the crew had just one shot left to pull off the heist.
Leonardo stood at the edge of the warehouse mezzanine, watching the team below finalize the plan.
Koko stepped beside him. "You're going in this time, aren't you?"
He nodded. "They've seen the ghost. It's time they met the storm."