LOGINMorning light, pale and fragmented, filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, scattering across the cold tiles in a pattern of soft silver. The storm had finally passed, leaving behind a washed-clean sky and the lingering scent of rain-soaked earth. A few scattered clouds still drifted lazily across the pale blue expanse, remnants of the night's fury.
Avery dropped the used syringe into the disposal box. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against the skin where she had just remov
Evening descended on Sunset City without warning, the light fading so quietly that Avery barely noticed the transition from gold to grey.Evan's car pulled up slowly in front of the apartment building, the tires crunching softly against the worn asphalt. Avery pushed open the door and stepped out, a carefully wrapped insulated pastry box in her hand.She had made a detour before leaving Obsidian City, driving across town to the dessert shop Dorothea loved most, the one with the long queue that snaked around the block every afternoon. She had waited in line for nearly an hour, holding her place against the impatient crowd, just to buy a cream cake that had survived the journey intact. The box was still cool to the touch, the condensation beading on its surface proof that the cold pack had held.
The sunlight in Sunset City was thinner than in Obsidian City. Around three in the afternoon, the light filtered through the tinted glass and spread across the arrival hall floor in a warm, pale glow.When Avery walked out of the exit, she spotted Evan immediately among the crowd waiting at the pick-up area. He was leaning against a pillar, wearing a dark grey coat with no tie, a half-empty cup of coffee in his hand. He wasn't scanning the crowd. He just stood there, the kind of man who clearly wasn't in a hurry.She walked up to him. Evan looked up, set his coffee cup on the nearest trash bin, and straightened."The flight was easy to track. Obsidian City to Sunset City, only one flight this afternoon. I guessed right."
Buzz—Buzz—The vibration cut through the silence of the study like a blade. Dominic turned his head slightly, his hand finding the private communicator on the edge of the console with unerring precision. He pressed the receive button without hesitation.Avery pulled out her own phone, the cold glow of the screen illuminating her face in the dim room. She saw Drake's message immediately and opened it without a second thought.The communicator crackled with static before Drake's voice came through, slightly distorted but sharp and urgent. "Boss, we've confirmed Wenger's whereabouts in Sunset City. He was staying at a small hotel on the outskirts, but he checked out two hours ago. We searched the room. Found something hidden in the
The vehicle had been silent for about three minutes. The only sound was the low hum of the engine and the occasional crackle of gravel under the tires.Drake glanced down at the chamber's readings every few seconds, his fingers resting on the edge without moving. His posture was alert, ready to react at the first sign of trouble. When the tires rolled over the seams in the road, the chamber stayed locked in place. The mounts held firm, the base connectors intact.Avery leaned against the rear wall, her back pressed against the cold metal. She could feel the lateral force each time the vehicle turned, the subtle shift of momentum pushing her against the paneling. She closed her eyes and ran through the route from the private box to the rolling shutter one more time.
The red light kept flashing. Not fast. Steady, rhythmic, like something breathing.The entire auction hall had fallen into dead silence. No one spoke. Every eye was fixed on the bio-seal chamber on stage. The liquid inside was turning red, creeping upward layer by layer, like blood flowing back into a tube.Avery sat in the private box, her fingers pressed flat against her knees. She didn't even glance at Drake. Instead, she calmly calculated the distribution of security forces below. Thirteen men. Arc formation. Three crossfire points. Two elevated positions. She had memorized all of this over the past three nights. Now it lay before her like a translucent web, every line and angle burned into her memory."Don't blink." Dominic's voice came through the earpiece, steady and controlled. "He's waiting for you to make the first move."On stage, the auctioneer raised his gavel for the third time. His lips were moving, but his voice was already lost beneath th
The Obsidian City Grand Theater loomed before her—a grand facade masking the dark dealings that took place within its walls.The air was thick with expensive perfume, cigar smoke, and the cold sweat of nervous power players. Crystal chandeliers cast fractured patterns of light across the marble floors, illuminating faces that wore masks of ambition and greed. The walls were lined with dark velvet, absorbing sound and creating an almost tomb-like stillness that pressed down on every guest.Avery stood at the bottom of the entrance steps, tilting her head upward. Tonight, she wore a sharply tailored black long coat, its clean lines falling to her knees. The collar revealed a sliver of crisp white silk shirt beneath, a single silver button catching the dim light. Her hair was pinned up with precision, every strand in place. A pair of frameless silver-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. The cold metal pressed against her temples, grounding her, keeping her
Dorothea was still standing in the hallway, a tiny, spectral figure in the gloom.Avery walked over and scooped her up. The child’s skin was like ice; there was no telling how long she’d been rooted there."Sweetheart, why are you out of bed?"Dorothea didn't answer. She buried her face in the croo
Avery couldn't sleep.She watched the sky bleed from ink-black to a bruised, pale gray. She lay there, eyes wide, as Dominic's words played on a loop in her mind: “I wanted to see if you would use Wenger's method. To kill me.”Beside her, Dorothea's chest rose and fell in a rhythmic, innocent slumb
"You're afraid of me."He moved closer as he spoke. Close enough that she could smell the cedar on him.Dominic reached out and pinched her chin, tilting it up. Her head was forced back. Her throat exposed.His thumb pressed down on her lower lip."All talk."She raised her hand to slap his away. He
Avery was shoved into a car. The door slammed shut behind her.The cabin was dark. Dominic sat across from her.Before she could catch her breath, he spoke."Your daughter is with me."Avery's fists clenched. "What did you say?""Wenger's men grabbed her. I intercepted them." Dominic's voice was fl







