Jane Sharp and Leo Justice knew they had to tread carefully. With Victor Van Spin now aware of their moves, the stakes were higher than ever.
They couldn’t afford any mistakes, especially since they suspected someone at Noble Headquarters might be watching them. So, they decided to take their planning off-site.
The chosen location? A nondescript diner on the outskirts of town, where the smell of frying bacon and stale coffee masked any whispers of conspiracy.
Leo took a sip of his coffee, grimacing as he set the cup down. “You know, Jane, if this place served anything better than burnt motor oil, I might actually enjoy these covert meetings.”
Jane gave a half-smile, her eyes scanning the nearly empty diner. “It’s not about the coffee, Leo. It’s about staying off the radar. Besides, I’ve had worse.”
Leo chuckled. “If you say so, but this is still worse than that time Barney the intern made the coffee. Still, let’s get to it—we’re not here for the ambiance.”
Jane leaned in, her voice low. “We can’t just wait for Victor to make the first move. We need to draw him out, but it has to look like it’s his idea.”
Leo, now more at ease away from Noble, began to think out loud. “We need bait, something irresistible. We have to make it personal for him.”
“Exactly,” Jane agreed. “But it can’t be obvious. We need to create a scenario that plays right into his ego, something that makes him think he’s outsmarted us.”
Leo’s eyes lit up with a familiar glint. “So, we build him a trap that he walks right into, convinced he’s the genius in the room—until he realizes he’s the only one there.”
Jane chuckled softly. “That’s the idea. But it needs to be subtle. He can’t see it coming until it’s too late.”
Leo nodded, leaning forward. “Izzy-O’s already got under his skin. What if we feed her a story about a mole in his operation? Something so explosive that it makes him paranoid, outraged even. He’d be desperate to find out where she got that info.”
Jane’s eyes narrowed as the plan began to take shape. “And in his desperation, he might come after Izzy directly. If we can make him believe she’s his biggest threat, he’ll come to her thinking he can shut her down. That’s when we spring the trap.”
Leo grinned. “We’ll set it up so that when he confronts her, he starts spilling his guts—like every classic villain. He’ll tell her everything, from his dirty deeds to the journalists he’s silenced. And all the while, we’ll be recording every word.”
Jane leaned back, satisfied with their progress. “It’s risky, but if we pull it off, we’ll have everything we need to bring him down.”
Leo smirked, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Just make sure Izzy knows what she’s in for. We don’t want her going rogue and trying to take him down by herself.”
Jane nodded. “I’ll brief her. But we need to move fast. Victor’s not going to sit around and wait.”
With their plan set, they knew the next move was Victor’s. And when he made it, they’d be ready to catch him—along with all his secrets.