Sophia Sullivan drove through the bustling streets.
Two black sedans tailed her closely in the rearview mirror.
They alternated between speeding up and slowing down, maintaining a dangerous distance.
Sophia's eyes turned icy.
She suddenly jerked the steering wheel.
Tires screeched against the pavement.
The car shot off the overpass like an arrow.
The labyrinthine alleys of the old district came into view.
Sophia deliberately steered into a dead-end street.
No surveillance cameras—the perfect spot for a confrontation.
She parked smoothly and stepped out with ease.
The two black cars screeched to a halt behind her.
Tattooed thugs spilled out of the vehicles.
Gold chains glinted under the sunlight.
A bleached-blonde punk swaggered forward, cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Hand over the meds, sweetheart. Make it easy on yourself."
His gaze roamed over Sophia's figure.
Sophia cracked her knuckles lazily.
"Come at me together. Save time."
The punk's face twisted in rage. "You asking for death!"
His lackey grabbed his arm. "Boss, the higher-ups said no violence."
The punk shoved him away and spat.
"I'm doing this my way today!"
He marched to the passenger seat and reached for the bag.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Sophia's slender waist.
Before his dirty thoughts could form, a scream pierced the air.
The punk whirled around.
One of his men knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach.
Blood seeped between his fingers.
Sophia stood inches away, having closed the distance in a blink.
She seized the punk's wrist, her voice glacial.
"Don't touch what isn't yours."
Crack.
His shoulder dislocated with a sickening pop.
Before his scream faded, her knee slammed into his leg.
He crumpled to the ground, twitching in pain.
"Get her!" the punk howled.
The thugs exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to move.
"She... she's trained or something..."
Sophia advanced step by step.
Shadows swallowed the alley.
The punk suddenly remembered something and yelled, "Use the bats!"
The thugs snapped out of their daze and grabbed their weapons.
Wooden bats whistled through the air toward Sophia.
She sidestepped effortlessly, dodging each swing.
The punk felt a searing pain in his back before flying face-first into the wall.
One by one, the thugs hit the ground, moaning in agony.
Sophia crouched before the punk.
Her smile didn't reach her frosty eyes.
"Did Liam Winston send you?"
The punk gritted his teeth. "No!"
A blade flashed.
The dagger embedded itself in the ground, grazing his fingers.
The punk shuddered.
"Last chance. Who ordered this?"
"It was Mr. Winston! Liam Winston!"
Sophia stood and dusted off her clothes.
"Tell Liam Winston to watch his back."
The thugs scrambled out of the alley like rats.
Sophia checked the time and frowned.
She needed to reach the Sullivan estate fast.
The engine roared as her car vanished down the street.