16
Selene sat in the dim light of the safe house, the glow from her laptop screen casting sharp shadows across her face. Stanton's death had set the city on fire. Headlines were everywhere—Corrupt Mogul Found Dead, Blackmail Files Leak, Authorities Investigating, Gang War Imminent—but none of them told the whole story.
She had ripped the head off the snake, but the body was still thrashing.
And now, someone new was reaching for the throne.
The mystery caller from earlier still echoed in her mind. His voice—calm, confident, certain. Whoever he was, he had been waiting for Stanton to fall.
And now, he wanted her on his side.
Selene closed her laptop and exhaled. Not happening.
A groan from the couch caught her attention.
Damian shifted, eyes barely open, his face pale. "What's with the deep-thinking face?"
Selene leaned back. "We have a problem."
Damian scoffed. "We've had problems for a while now." He winced as he tried to sit up, his hand pressing against his wound. "How bad?"
Selene hesitated. "Someone called me. Said Stanton was a 'disease' and that I did him a favor."
Damian's brows furrowed. "That's… not comforting."
"They want me to work with them."
Damian let out a breathless chuckle. "Yeah? And you told them to go to hell, right?"
Selene nodded.
Damian grinned. "Good. Then we just need to figure out how to kill this guy, too."
Selene smirked. "You make it sound simple."
"I like to think positive." He grimaced, shifting. "Alright, so who the hell is this guy?"
Selene frowned. "I don't know yet."
But she was about to find out.
A Name in the Dark
Selene pulled out her burner phone and dialed a number from memory.
After two rings, a voice answered.
"This is bad timing," the woman on the other end muttered.
"I need information," Selene said.
A pause. Then, a sigh. "Of course you do. What's the target?"
Selene hesitated before speaking the words. "I need to know who's making a move on Stanton's empire."
The woman on the line, Leona, was one of the best info brokers in the city. Expensive, untrustworthy, but always accurate.
Leona didn't answer right away. "You don't waste time, do you?"
"No."
A pause.
"Alright," Leona said. "I'll give you a name. But you owe me."
Selene clenched her jaw. "Fine."
Leona exhaled. "The man you're looking for is Vincent Cade."
Selene's stomach dropped.
She knew that name.
Damian's eyes flicked toward her, sensing her reaction. "Who is he?"
Selene's grip on the phone tightened. "Vincent Cade ran black ops for Stanton years ago. He was supposed to be dead."
"Well," Leona said, "he's not. And he's making a power play."
Selene inhaled slowly. "Where is he?"
Leona chuckled. "Oh, sweetheart, you don't find Vincent Cade. He finds you."
The line went dead.
Hunted
The safe house suddenly felt smaller. Colder.
Selene set the phone down, her mind racing.
Vincent Cade wasn't just another crime boss trying to take Stanton's place. He was trained. Dangerous. The kind of man who didn't just kill enemies—he erased them.
And now, he had his sights on her.
Damian ran a hand through his hair. "Well… that's bad."
Selene stood, pacing. "We need to move. Now."
Damian groaned. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm not exactly in running condition."
Selene shot him a look. "Then I'll carry you."
Damian grinned. "Tempting, but I'd rather not look pathetic before I die."
Selene rolled her eyes. "You're not dying."
She grabbed her guns, stuffing them into a bag. "We can't stay here. If Cade knows we're alive, he's already sending people."
Damian struggled to his feet. "Alright, let's go before—"
A loud crash echoed from downstairs.
Selene froze.
Footsteps. Multiple.
A car engine outside.
Damian muttered, "Shit."
Selene pulled her gun. "We're out of time."
The Fight in the Dark
The door exploded inward as two men stormed in, guns up.
Selene fired first.
Bang. Bang.
One man dropped instantly, blood spraying the wall.
Damian, despite his injury, grabbed his gun and shot at the second. His bullet grazed the man's arm, but it was enough to throw him off—long enough for Selene to put a shot between his eyes.
The bodies hit the floor.
Then—more footsteps.
Selene cursed. "There's more."
She grabbed Damian, helping him toward the fire escape.
They burst onto the rooftop, just as more men rushed into the safe house below.
Damian leaned against a rusted pipe. "I'm guessing talking is off the table?"
Selene scanned the streets below. Black SUVs. Headlights cutting through the dark.
"We need a car," she said.
Damian nodded weakly. "Preferably one with doors."
Selene spotted their best option—a motorcycle parked in the alley.
"Can you hold on?" she asked.
Damian gave her a weak smirk. "I always do."
They dropped down into the alley, moving fast. Selene hotwired the bike in seconds.
Gunfire erupted behind them.
Selene gunned the engine.
The motorcycle roared to life, and they tore through the streets as bullets whizzed past them.
On the Run
They didn't stop for miles.
Not until they were deep in the city, hidden in the industrial district, where no one would find them.
Selene parked the bike in an abandoned lot and turned to Damian.
"Still alive?"
Damian coughed. "Barely."
Selene exhaled.
This wasn't over.
Vincent Cade had just made his move.
And now, it was her turn.