Chapter 5 Bait and Switch

"This is a terrible idea," Aveline said, examining her reflection in the full-length mirror of Hawk's safe house apartment. The woman staring back was barely recognizable—her usual tailored suits replaced by a midnight blue evening gown that clung to her curves before cascading to the floor in a waterfall of silk. Her dark hair was swept up in an elegant chignon, revealing the graceful line of her neck.

"It's our best option," Hawk replied, his voice steady as he removed a velvet box from a secure case. "Vincent Gray may be in custody, but his network is still operational. The organ trafficking hasn't stopped."

"And you think they'll believe I'm suddenly Eliza Rothschild, grieving widow of a tech billionaire in need of a heart for her ailing brother?" Aveline turned from the mirror, skepticism evident in her raised eyebrow.

"They'll believe it because we've spent the last week building your cover," Hawk said, opening the box to reveal a stunning sapphire pendant on a platinum chain. "Bank accounts, medical records, social media presence—everything checks out if they look."

Aveline eyed the necklace warily. "And that?"

"GPS tracker, encrypted communications device, and emergency beacon all in one." Hawk lifted the necklace from its velvet bed. "Plus, it matches your eyes."

The unexpected compliment caught her off guard, a faint flush coloring her cheeks before she could suppress it. "How thoughtful of the FBI to consider fashion while wiring me for sound."

Hawk stepped closer, the necklace dangling from his fingers. "Turn around."

There was something in his tone—not quite a command, not quite a request—that made her hesitate before complying. She turned, presenting her back to him, suddenly conscious of her exposed skin where the dress dipped low.

She felt him step closer, his presence a tangible force behind her. The pendant settled cool against her skin, just below her collarbone. Hawk's fingers brushed the nape of her neck as he fastened the clasp, lingering perhaps a moment longer than necessary.

"The sapphire contains a miniature explosive," he said, his voice low near her ear. "Powerful enough to create a diversion if needed. Trigger phrase is 'beautiful evening for stargazing.'"

Aveline turned to face him, finding him closer than she expected. "You're putting an explosive around my neck and sending me into a den of organ traffickers. Your confidence in my acting abilities is flattering."

"It's not your acting I'm confident in," Hawk replied, his eyes meeting hers with unexpected intensity. "It's your survival instinct."

His hands moved to adjust the pendant, fingers brushing against her skin with clinical precision. Yet there was nothing clinical about the way her pulse jumped at the contact, or the way his eyes darkened as he noticed.

"The team will be monitoring everything," he continued, stepping back with visible reluctance. "I'll be in the surveillance van two blocks away. Any sign of trouble, we move in."

Aveline touched the sapphire, feeling its weight against her skin. "And if they recognize me as the lawyer who helped put Vincent Gray away?"

"Then you improvise," Hawk said simply. "That's what you do best, isn't it? Finding leverage where none exists?"

She couldn't tell if it was a compliment or a criticism. Perhaps both.

---

The Thornfield Club occupied the top three floors of a historic Chicago skyscraper, its art deco elegance a relic of a more glamorous era. Tonight, it hosted an exclusive charity auction—ostensibly for medical research, but Hawk's intelligence suggested it was a front for matching wealthy clients with "donors" for illegal organ transplants.

Aveline moved through the crowd with practiced ease, champagne flute in hand, playing the role of the wealthy widow seeking discreet medical solutions. The sapphire pendant felt heavier than its actual weight, a constant reminder of what was at stake.

"Mrs. Rothschild," a silken voice addressed her from behind. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure."

She turned to find herself face to face with Vincent Gray.

Not in prison. Not in custody. But here, immaculate in a tuxedo, watching her with the predatory smile of a man who had just caught someone in a lie.

Aveline's mind raced even as her expression remained perfectly composed. Gray should have been in federal custody awaiting trial. His presence here meant either a catastrophic security breach or corruption at levels Hawk hadn't anticipated.

"Mr. Gray," she replied smoothly, raising her glass in acknowledgment. "Your reputation precedes you."

"As does yours, Ms. Stone." His emphasis on her real name was subtle but unmistakable. "Or should I continue the charade of calling you Mrs. Rothschild?"

Through the earpiece concealed beneath her upswept hair, she heard Hawk's voice, tense with urgency: "We've been compromised. Extraction team is four minutes out. Stall him."

"I'm impressed," Aveline said, maintaining her poise despite the adrenaline flooding her system. "Not many men recognize me when I'm not in a courtroom."

Gray stepped closer, his smile never reaching his eyes. "I make it a point to remember those who interfere with my business. Particularly when they're wearing a tracking device to an invitation-only event."

His hand moved toward her necklace, but Aveline was faster. In one fluid motion, she pressed the pointed stiletto heel of her shoe against his femoral artery, the razor-sharp metal tip—a modification courtesy of Hawk's technical team—dimpling the fabric of his trousers.

"Careful," she murmured, her voice pitched for his ears alone. "This heel contains enough pressure-activated neurotoxin to stop your heart in thirty seconds. Not even your black-market surgeons could save you."

Gray froze, his expression flickering between anger and grudging admiration. "You continue to surprise me, Ms. Stone."

"Where are the organs, Vincent?" she asked, maintaining steady pressure with her heel. "We know about the auction. We know about the buyers. What we need is the location of your storage facility."

A cold smile spread across his face. "You think I'd tell you that? Even with your little toy pressed against my leg?"

"No," Aveline admitted. "But I thought I'd give you the chance to cooperate before things get unpleasant."

Around them, the elegant charity auction continued, guests oblivious to the lethal standoff occurring in their midst. Through her earpiece, Aveline could hear Hawk coordinating with the extraction team, their estimated arrival now two minutes away.

Too long.

Gray's eyes flicked to something over her shoulder, and Aveline sensed rather than saw someone approaching from behind. Security, undoubtedly.

"It seems we're at an impasse," Gray said, his confidence returning. "In moments, my security team will escort you to a private room where we can continue this conversation without your FBI friends listening in. I'm particularly interested in how you managed to fake my arrest so convincingly."

Aveline felt a chill that had nothing to do with the room's temperature. If Gray believed his arrest had been faked, it meant someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to release him while making the FBI believe he remained in custody.

The corruption went deeper than they'd imagined.

"Beautiful evening for stargazing," she said clearly, meeting Gray's eyes with defiant calm.

Confusion flickered across his face for a split second before understanding dawned. By then, it was too late.

In her ear, Hawk's voice was sharp with alarm: "Aveline, no! We don't have confirmation on—"

The sapphire at her throat grew warm, then hot against her skin. Gray lunged backward, away from both her heel and the pendant, but Aveline had already turned and was moving swiftly toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased Chicago's nighttime skyline.

The explosion was controlled but powerful, shattering the nearest window and sending guests screaming in panic. In the chaos, Aveline caught a glimpse of Gray fleeing toward a service elevator, followed by two security guards.

"He's heading down!" she shouted into her comm, knowing Hawk could hear her. "Service elevator on the east side!"

"Stay where you are!" Hawk ordered. "Extraction team is entering the building now!"

But Aveline was already moving, slipping through the panicked crowd with single-minded determination. She caught the service elevator just as the doors were closing, jamming her weaponized heel between them and forcing them back open.

The security guards reached for concealed weapons, but Aveline was faster, driving her heel into the first man's thigh and sending him collapsing to the floor, his face contorting in agony as the neurotoxin entered his system. The second guard hesitated just long enough for her to deliver a precise strike to his throat, leaving him gasping for air.

Gray backed against the elevator wall, his composure finally cracking. "You have no idea what you're interfering with," he snarled. "This goes beyond organ trafficking. Beyond anything you can imagine."

"Then enlighten me," Aveline said, keeping her distance as the elevator descended.

Gray's laugh was hollow. "Why would I do that when you're about to join our donor program? Your heart would fetch a premium price, Ms. Stone. Ironic, considering how many believe you don't have one."

The elevator stopped, doors opening to reveal not the lobby, but a sub-basement level not shown on the building's official plans. Beyond the doors, Aveline glimpsed a sterile corridor more suited to a medical facility than a historic club.

"The storage facility is here," she realized aloud. "Under the club."

"Very good," Gray mocked, backing out of the elevator. "Unfortunately, you won't live to share that information."

As he spoke, more security personnel appeared in the corridor, weapons drawn. Aveline knew she was outnumbered, outgunned, and cut off from Hawk's extraction team.

"Hawk," she said into her comm, her voice steady despite the dire situation. "I've found it. The facility is beneath the club. Sub-basement level, unmarked on the building plans."

"Get out of there now!" Hawk's voice was urgent in her ear. "We're three minutes from your position!"

"Too late for that," she replied, watching as Gray's men advanced. "But I can make sure they don't move the evidence before you arrive."

"Aveline, don't—"

She removed her earpiece, dropping it to the floor and crushing it beneath her heel. Then she turned to Gray with a smile that contained no warmth.

"You mentioned stargazing earlier," she said conversationally. "Did you know the sapphire in my necklace isn't the only explosive Agent Hawk provided?"

Gray's eyes widened as Aveline reached into her clutch and removed what appeared to be a compact mirror.

"Backup plan," she explained, flipping it open to reveal a small digital display. "In case the primary device was discovered."

"You wouldn't," Gray said, his voice losing its confidence. "You'd die too."

"Maybe," Aveline conceded. "But then, I've always been willing to go further than most people expect."

Her finger hovered over the activation button. "Last chance, Vincent. Order your men to stand down."

For a tense moment, no one moved. Then Gray raised his hand, signaling his security team to lower their weapons.

"You're bluffing," he said, but uncertainty had crept into his voice.

"Am I?" Aveline's finger moved fractionally closer to the button. "Care to bet your life on it?"

Before Gray could respond, the lights in the corridor flickered, then went out completely, plunging them into darkness. Emergency lighting activated seconds later, casting everything in an eerie red glow.

A new voice spoke from behind Aveline, calm and deadly serious: "I wouldn't test her, Gray. She doesn't bluff."

Hawk stood in the elevator doorway, tactical gear replacing his surveillance van attire, weapon trained on Gray with unwavering precision.

"You're three minutes early," Aveline observed, not taking her eyes off Gray.

"I took the express route when you went off-script," Hawk replied, moving to stand beside her. "Rappelled down the elevator shaft after you disabled your comm."

"Touching," Gray sneered. "The FBI's attack dog coming to rescue his new pet."

Hawk's expression didn't change, but something dangerous flickered in his eyes. "Aveline, step back into the elevator."

"His facility is down that corridor," she said instead. "All the evidence we need."

"And it's not going anywhere," Hawk assured her. "The building is surrounded. FBI tactical teams are securing every exit. It's over, Gray."

For a moment, it seemed Gray might surrender. Then his eyes shifted, focusing on something behind them, and a smile spread across his face.

"I don't think so," he said, just as Aveline sensed movement at her back.

She turned to find the elevator now occupied by three more of Gray's security personnel, weapons aimed directly at her and Hawk. They had been outmaneuvered.

"Now," Gray said, his confidence fully restored, "I believe you were about to join our donor program, Ms. Stone. And Agent Hawk will make an excellent addition as well. Healthy organs are always in demand."

Hawk's eyes met Aveline's, a silent communication passing between them. She gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Beautiful evening for stargazing," Hawk said clearly.

This time, it wasn't the sapphire at Aveline's throat that responded, but something deeper in the building. A rumble shook the floor beneath them, followed by a series of explosions that seemed to come from multiple directions at once.

"Secondary charges," Hawk explained as Gray's face contorted with rage and disbelief. "Planted throughout the facility while you were busy at your auction. Set to detonate on that specific phrase."

The corridor behind Gray began to fill with smoke as alarm systems activated, sprinklers raining down water that mixed with the emergency lighting to create a hellish scene.

"You've destroyed everything!" Gray shouted over the wailing alarms.

"No," Hawk corrected, his voice deadly calm. "We've destroyed your illegal organ storage. But we've preserved enough evidence to put you away for multiple lifetimes."

As if on cue, the sound of FBI tactical teams breaching the sub-basement echoed through the corridor. Gray's security personnel, recognizing the futility of their position, lowered their weapons.

In the chaos of the arrest that followed, Aveline found herself standing beside Hawk, watching as Gray was led away in handcuffs—for real this time.

"That wasn't the plan," Hawk said quietly, his eyes on her rather than the retreating figure of their adversary.

"Plans change," she replied simply. "You should know that by now."

His hand moved to her throat, fingers brushing against the now-harmless sapphire pendant. "You could have been killed."

"So could you," she countered, suddenly aware of how close they were standing, of the residual adrenaline making her heart race. "Rappelling down an elevator shaft? That wasn't in the protocol either."

Something shifted in his expression—concern giving way to something more complex, more personal.

"Some risks are worth taking," he said, his voice low enough that only she could hear.

The double meaning hung between them, neither acknowledging it directly yet both acutely aware of its presence.

Around them, the FBI tactical team secured the scene, but for that brief moment, it was as if they existed in a bubble of their own making—adversaries turned reluctant allies turned... something neither was ready to name.

"We should get you out of here," Hawk said finally, his hand falling away from the pendant. "Medical team needs to check you for neurotoxin exposure from those heels."

Aveline nodded, allowing him to guide her toward the exit, his hand at the small of her back—protective, possessive, professional all at once.

As they stepped into the elevator that would take them back to the surface, back to their separate worlds and opposing sides, Aveline caught his reflection in the polished metal walls.

"Next time," she said, a hint of challenge in her voice, "try telling me about the secondary explosives before I walk into a death trap."

Hawk's reflection smiled, a rare genuine expression that transformed his features. "Next time," he echoed, "try not crushing your comm link when I'm trying to keep you alive."

The doors closed on their unexpected moment of understanding, carrying them upward toward the complications that awaited—and the unspoken recognition that whatever existed between them had irrevocably changed.