The morning sun broke through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the secluded cabin they had chosen as their temporary refuge. Miel, Jasmine, and Nina had spent the night hidden away, the adrenaline of their escape finally starting to ebb.
Miel sat at the table, the remnants of their hastily prepared breakfast spread out in front of her. Jasmine and Nina were poring over the notes they had taken the night before, their expressions serious.
"What's our first move?" Jasmine asked, looking up from the list of contacts they had compiled. "Do we try to reach out to anyone on this list, or do we lay low for a while?"
Miel leaned back, crossing her arms as she considered their options. "We need to gather more information about Simon's connections. If he's as dangerous as Nina said, we can't just wait for him to come after us."
Nina nodded, her brow furrowing in thought. "We should consider our options carefully. The last thing we want is to lead him straight to us. We can't underestimate how connected he is."
"I say we start with Derek," Jasmine suggested, tapping a finger on the name. "He's always had his ear to the ground, and he might know something about Simon's dealings."
Miel exchanged a glance with Nina, who seemed to consider Jasmine's suggestion. "Derek is a risk, but he might be worth it," Nina said slowly. "He has a history of being on the right side, but you can never be too sure."
"Agreed," Miel said. "We can reach out discreetly, but we need to be careful. If Simon has people watching us, it could lead to more trouble."
"What if we create a diversion?" Jasmine proposed, her eyes lighting up with an idea. "We could stage something to draw Simon's attention away from us while we reach out to Derek."
Nina raised an eyebrow. "What kind of diversion?"
"Maybe we could make it look like we're trying to contact him or set up a fake meeting," Jasmine suggested. "Something to make him think we're still playing his game."
Miel felt a rush of excitement at the plan. "That could work. It would buy us time to gather information without putting ourselves directly in harm's way."
"Let's do it then," Nina said, a fierce glint in her eyes. "But we need to set it up carefully. I can help with the details. We'll need to make it convincing."
As they mapped out their plan, Miel felt a renewed sense of purpose. They were no longer running; they were fighting back. Together, they would face Simon and whatever else lay ahead.
They spent the rest of the day refining their strategy, preparing for the risks ahead, but fortified by the knowledge that they were in this together. Whatever lay in store, they would confront it as a united front.