Chapter 1 : The Shadows Move
Matt Cross cut through the drenched, narrow alleyways like a predator stalking prey, his soaked clothes clinging to him, but he didn’t give a damn. The rain was just background noise, a relentless downpour that drowned the city in gloom. His mind was sharp, locked onto the task ahead: another target, another faceless bastard about to get wiped off the planet. His blue eyes darted through the darkness, every nerve on high alert, trained for this kind of shit.
It was supposed to be a routine hit. Get in, take out the small-time arms dealer who’d gotten too comfortable running operations in a shithole warehouse on the edge of town, and get out. The dealer was just another rat scurrying in the empire of Leo Kane—a crime boss whose name was a whispered threat in every dark corner of the underworld. But to Matt, Kane was just another asshole in a long line of assholes. He'd taken down worse.
He slipped past the guards like they were fucking amateurs. Their boots thudded on the wet concrete, but Matt’s were silent, moving through the space like a ghost. The warehouse was a mess—rusted metal, cracked windows, and an air of decay. Perfect place for a scumbag like this arms dealer to hide.
He saw the guy slouched over a desk through the grime-smeared window of an office. The dealer looked oblivious, hunched over stacks of paper and a glowing monitor. Matt didn’t hesitate. He took out his gun, aimed with a steady hand, finger hovering on the trigger.
Then, a creak.
The faint fucking sound of a door opening behind him.
Matt whirled around, weapon cocked and ready to blow someone's brains out. But it wasn’t some goddamn guard or another lowlife looking to make a move.
It was her.
A woman stood there, wrapped in black from head to toe, nearly indistinguishable from the darkness she seemed to command. Her eyes were like pits—dark, empty, and goddamn dangerous. A smirk curled at her lips, like she wasn’t staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.
“Who the fuck are you?” Matt snarled, his voice a low growl, finger itching to pull the trigger.
She didn’t even flinch. Hell, she barely reacted. “I could ask you the same,” she said, her tone way too calm, like they were having a casual chat over drinks instead of in a situation where she could get her head blown off.
Matt’s patience snapped. This wasn’t some random chick who’d wandered in by mistake. There was something in the way she moved—smooth, dangerous, like she’d been in situations a lot deadlier than this.
Before he could react, she fucking moved. Quick as a flash, she slipped past him, her movements faster than anything he’d seen before. And just like that, she was on the dealer, taking him out in one swift, brutal motion. Blood sprayed across the desk as the man slumped forward, dead before he even knew what hit him.
Matt was left standing there, gun still drawn, useless in the face of her brutal efficiency. He was pissed.
She turned back to him, all casual and smug as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re welcome,” she said, her voice dripping with arrogance.
“You fucking kidding me?” Matt spat, lowering his gun but his body coiled tight, ready to strike. “I’m giving you five fucking seconds to tell me who the hell you work for, or I swear to God, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.”
She laughed, soft and infuriating. “Leo Kane,” she said, like it explained everything. “But we’re not on opposite sides, darling. Not tonight.”
Before Matt could get another word in, she was gone, swallowed up by the darkness as if she’d never even been there. The only evidence she’d existed was the dead man on the desk and the goddamn questions bouncing around in his head.
Matt holstered his gun, rage burning in his gut. This was supposed to be a clean fucking job. In and out, nothing complicated. But now? Now it was fucked beyond repair.
And somehow, he knew this wasn’t the last he’d see of her.
