Chapter 52 The mission is about to end

Linda stared at Isaac's message, totally floored. She bolted to the restroom and dialed his number, her fingers trembling.

Isaac picked up after just one ring, already in fresh pants.

"What the hell do you mean by 'retreat'?" she blurted out, her voice shaky.

"It's pretty clear we've been made. We gotta bail before they nab you," Isaac replied, sounding way too chill for the situation.

Linda's heart sank. They'd followed his plan to the letter, setting everything up meticulously, and after George waltzed in, Isaac said they were busted, and told them to scram? No way.

"You knew what kind of guy he is. Why'd you go head-to-head with him? We poured so much time and effort into this, and you blew it with a couple of sentences. Who's gonna pay for that?"

Isaac chuckled. "You seriously think a few words from me wrecked everything?"

Linda held her breath, her mind racing. All this panic and pressure, it was because George had his eyes on Isaac from the start. Back then, Isaac hadn't even done anything...

"Don't say I didn't warn you. The Bureau moves fast on the seventh op. We might already be in their crosshairs, or George wouldn't have come at us like that."
Linda's heart skipped a beat, and her lips quivered. "H-How is that possible? He's only been back for three days, and you said everything was normal on his end."

"Surveillance can only catch his daily moves, but it can't track everywhere he goes.Not knowing his whereabouts, we can't be sure if he's already spotted the surveillance and is playing us while setting a trap," Isaac said.
Linda felt her knees buckle and leaned against the wall for support.

Trembling, she asked, "What do we do now?"

"Run."

Isaac hung up after that single word, leaving Linda with a dead line and a head full of chaos. She quickly pulled herself together and dialed Assistant Lee's number, while Isaac had already slipped out of the training center unnoticed.

Meanwhile, Ellie stepped out of the building, with George trailing her at a ten-meter distance. Both were on their phones.

Ellie was fuming. What was this? Now, he even had the nerve to make phone calls!
Who the hell was he calling at a time like this?

"The entire training center, everyone from management to staff to students—if they're not locals, round 'em up first. I'll handle the questioning later, so don't worry about spooking them... But keep public safety in mind, there are still a lot of people inside... Especially that dance instructor, Richardson, keep a close eye on her... Alright, that's it for now..."

George hung up and quickly closed the gap between him and Ellie, grabbing her wrist.

Still fuming, Ellie tried to yank her hand free, twisting sideways, but George's grip was ironclad. She pulled with all her might.

It was peak hour, and the scene immediately drew a crowd. Ellie, still in her dance outfit, was quite the spectacle.

"Let go!" she hissed, her voice low and furious.

George frowned and lowered his voice too. "Those people are criminals."

???

Ellie, still brimming with anger and confusion, tilted her head, completely baffled.
Seeing her bewildered look, George stepped closer and whispered, "The folks from that training center, including Linda, are part of a criminal organization. I just called the criminal investigation team to set up surveillance and make arrests."

Ellie froze, her breath catching. "Are... are you serious?"

"Did you ever tell me that Linda's full name is Linda Abigail?"

Ellie's heart skipped a beat, her body going rigid. She had always called her Linda, never mentioning her real name was Linda Abigail!

Her mind flashed back to yesterday in the car when George asked about Linda's situation, why she wanted to start dancing, and his odd behavior. A wave of fear washed over her.

Had she been mixed up with a criminal organization for over a month? How could she not be scared?!

At this moment, Ellie had no doubt George was dead serious. "H-how... how did this happen? Why would they..."

"It's too crowded here. Let's get back to the car. I'll explain everything once we're inside."

"Okay!" she agreed, letting George lead her away. But after a few steps, she hesitated. "They are just upstairs. Would it be dangerous for us to go back now?"
George released her wrist, placing his arm around her shoulders to reassure her, "It's fine. The Criminal Investigation Team should already be upstairs keeping watch."
"So quickly? Didn't you just make the call?"
"They've been keeping an eye on Linda for a while. The surveillance team must have gone upstairs to keep an eye on her to prevent an escape."
"... I see..."Ellie nodded, shrinking into George's embrace as he escorted her back the way they came. The people who had originally stopped to watch the commotion on the street were left baffled.
Everyone was extremely curious about how the man managed to calm down an agitated woman within two minutes, transforming her into a docile quail nestled in his arms.
As George had predicted, no sooner had he ended the call than the Criminal Investigation Team informed the two officers tracking Linda to proceed upstairs and keep watch, preventing her from fleeing before they swiftly dispatched.
Thus, when George and Ellie returned to the building's parking lot, two officers were already stationed at the entrance to the training class, just as Linda finished her call and stepped out of the restroom.