He closed his eyes for a second. Do it now, or it’ll eat you alive later.Bain pushed open the door.Cassie looked up, her dark eyes still sleepy, her hair tied loosely as she nursed their baby. The moment she saw him, her face softened.“You okay?” she asked gently, adjusting the blanket over the baby’s small body.He nodded. “Yeah… yeah, I just needed to see you both.”She tilted her head, studying him. “Something’s wrong.”Bain didn’t answer right away. He walked toward them, crouched beside her, and reached out to brush his thumb along the baby’s cheek.“There’s something I need to tell you, Cass.”The air shifted.She blinked slowly, brows furrowing. “What is it?”He exhaled, steadying his voice. “Petrov finished the background investigation… on Valeria’s right-hand man. The one she’s using to recruit underground killers.”Cassie watched him closely, tension building behind her eyes.“His name is Darius,” Bain continued. “And he’s not just some mercenary. He’s your father.”Every
The warehouse was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of oil and gunpowder. Darius stood at the center, his presence commanding, as he surveyed the array of weapons laid out before him. Each piece was a testament to the chaos he intended to unleash.He turned to his lieutenant, a scarred man known only as Vex. “Begin the outreach. I want the best—no, the worst. The kind of men who make the devil himself shudder. Money is no object. Tell them Valeria is assembling an army, and their skills are required.”Vex nodded, pulling out a secure satellite phone to begin the calls.Darius walked over to a map pinned to the wall, red pins marking locations across the globe—Kyiv, Caracas, Mogadishu, Bangkok. Each represented a potential recruit, a harbinger of death.He paused at a pin in Lagos, his gaze lingering. A name scribbled beside it: “The Widowmaker.” A Nigerian assassin known for her ruthlessness and discretion. She would be a valuable asset.As the night wore on, Darius continued to
The compound was silent, the weight of war pressing into every stone, every shadow. Inside his private study, Bain stood with arms crossed, staring down at the map spread across the long mahogany table. Red ink marked the latest intelligence from Viktor—names, locations, movements. Darius’s recruits were converging like wolves around a kill.Cassie’s soft humming from the baby’s room drifted faintly down the hall, grounding him for a moment. But then his eyes hardened again.“We strike first,” Bain muttered to himself.Viktor entered without knocking, his expression grim. “Lagos confirmed. The Widowmaker is en route to Eastern Europe. Caracas Twins were seen leaving Venezuela. Someone paid their blood price in full.”Bain’s jaw clenched. “And Kain?”“No trace. But he’s out there.”A low growl rumbled in Bain’s throat. “Then it’s time we send a message.”He stepped away from the table and opened a locked steel case in the corner of the room. Inside, a single black coin rested atop a ve
It happened fast.Too fast.The early morning stillness shattered as alarms wailed through the compound like sirens in hell. Red lights pulsed along the halls. The sound of boots pounding against marble echoed like war drums. The air was thick with smoke and chaos.Cassie clutched her son tighter to her chest, her heart thundering like a war drum as she crouched behind the nursery’s overturned dresser. The baby whimpered, sensing the fear vibrating off her. Outside the room, gunfire cracked in rapid bursts, each one like lightning slicing through her nerves.Then the door burst open.Luca.His shirt was soaked in sweat, a rifle slung over his shoulder, eyes feral and scanning. “Cassie! We’ve been breached—they’re inside.”She didn’t ask questions. She just nodded.He rushed to her side and grabbed the baby carrier with one hand, helping her up with the other. “Stay behind me. No matter what. Do you understand?”“Yes,” she whispered, her voice tight with fear.They moved.Luca led them
Valeria’s Estate — MidnightThe ornate wine glass in Valeria’s hand shattered as she crushed it against the side of her throne-like chair. Crimson droplets slid down her palm, but she didn’t flinch. Her eyes were locked on the video looping across the screen in front of her—the Caracas Twins, mercenaries she’d paid a fortune to lure, now headless corpses, their severed heads mailed in a black velvet box with Bain’s seal burned into the lining.Next to the box had been a note:“Your’re losing princess”.Darius stood in the corner, tense. “He’s sending a message.”“No,” Valeria snarled. “He’s taunting me. This isn’t a war anymore. This is personal.”Her phone buzzed. A voice from her private network whispered across the line. “Confirmed. Kain’s returned. But the Widowmaker… she’s turned.”Valeria’s lips curled into a sneer. “Of course she has. She smelled survival. But they’ll all see—I don’t lose.”She spun to face Darius. “I want more recruits. Not assassins. Butchers. Fanatics. Give
Romanian Mountains – 2:00 AMThe snowstorm was blinding. Ice crackled under Viktor’s boots as he crouched behind the outcrop overlooking the secluded mountain lodge. Inside, the Romanian syndicate—contracted killers with ties to Valeria—laughed around a long oak table, their breath misting in the frigid air.Viktor’s voice was calm through the comms. “Target confirmed. Twelve inside. All armed.”From a nearby ridge, Petrov’s sniper clicked into position. Bain’s orders had been simple: “No survivors.”Viktor gave a low whistle.The first shot rang out, shattering the skull of the leader mid-toast. The room descended into chaos—men diving, weapons drawn—but it was too late.Viktor stormed through the front door, twin pistols raised.Three fell before they even reached cover. Another tried to escape through the kitchen and was met by an assassin’s blade from the snow. Blood stained the white floors.It was over in five minutes.Viktor knelt beside the last man gasping on the floor. “Tell
Underground Safehouse – LagosThe screen flickered to life.The Widowmaker sat in the dim glow of her workstation, face blank as the video marked PROJECT SIREN played.A young Valeria—barely seventeen—was strapped to a metal chair in a concrete room. Her wrists were bruised. A voice off-camera asked, “What is your purpose?”Her voice, soft but cold: “To seduce, control, eliminate.”“Who created you?”No answer.Then the sound of electrocution.Widowmaker paused the feed.Her fingers hovered over the keys, hesitating—for the first time in years.“Valeria wasn’t born a monster,” she whispered to herself. “She was manufactured.”She encrypted the file again and sent it to Bain with a single message:“This is where she was made. Destroy it.”Bain’s Compound – War RoomBain watched the grainy footage. His jaw clenched. The coldness in Valeria’s teenage eyes was too familiar—it was the same look she wore now. But seeing her origin… it changed things.Viktor stood by his side, arms crossed.
The skies over Vulture’s Domain burned gold with the rising sun, casting a regal light on the vast fortress hidden deep in the mountains of northern Italy. The sprawling estate stood like a myth brought to life—black stone walls lined with thorn-covered vines, watchtowers manned with elite guards, and a grand courtyard paved in dark marble that shimmered in the morning light.The transport arrived in silence, cloaked and armored, as it rolled through the massive gates. Cassie stepped out first, cradling her one-month-old son to her chest, her face tight with exhaustion but alert. The Widowmaker followed, her hand never far from the pistol on her hip. She gave a nod to the guards—men who didn’t flinch even at the sight of her. Respect ran deep here.From the main doors of the mansion emerged the Vulture himself. Cloaked in a long black coat, his presence was as chilling as it was charismatic. His silver-streaked hair framed sharp eyes that missed nothing. But when his gaze fell on Cass
The storm outside the Pyrenees stronghold had eased to a cold, eerie stillness, but within the war room, tension was rising by the minute.Vulture stood near the window, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. The conversation with General Arturo de la Cruz lingered in the air like smoke—both men had been soldiers, commanders, survivors of bloodied decades. But even Arturo couldn’t deny what his daughter had become.“He said he just wanted to see Elias one last time,” Vulture muttered, facing the others. “And he did. But he also said something else… that Valeria always hid her worst obsessions behind the ones people could see.”Bain’s jaw tensed. “Meaning?”Liang stepped forward. He’d been quiet through most of the night, eyes sharp, watchful. But now, he unfolded a paper-thin map from his coat and smoothed it across the table.“It means this isn’t just about your son. Or Cassie. Or even you,” Liang said. His tone was calm, but his gaze was hard as stone. “I’ve been watching her patt
The night air in the Pyrenees was crisp and silent, blanketing the stronghold like a second skin. Snow clung to the high peaks beyond, a deceptive quiet before the next wave of violence.Inside the war room, Viktor—Bain’s right-hand man, sharp as a blade and loyal beyond question—entered with a satchel full of sealed folders and encrypted drives. His eyes, always cold with calculation, softened briefly when he locked eyes with Bain.“Intel from the Montenegro vaults,” Viktor said, handing over the satchel. “Valeria’s logistics. Weapon routes. Hidden accounts. Communications trails. All verified.”Bain took the satchel, nodding once. “You went dark for four days. That wasn’t part of the plan.”“She has eyes in France,” Viktor muttered. “Two of my contacts are dead. One screamed her name before he died.”Cassie, who had just entered to feed Cassian, paused at the doorway, holding the baby close to her chest. Her eyes met Viktor’s. Wary. Respectful.“You okay?” she asked quietly.“I will
The call had been days in the making—encrypted, untraceable, set on a secure satellite frequency only known to the oldest survivors of past wars. It wasn’t a call made lightly. Not to a man like —Valeria’s father, once a general feared across Eastern Europe. A ghost who rarely emerged from the shadows of old power.Now, his weathered face appeared on the screen, lit by the dim yellow light of some hidden estate. Lines carved deep into his skin. Eyes sharp as broken glass.Vulture leaned forward into the camera. The same steel threaded through him. Age hadn’t dulled him either.They stared at each other for a moment. Not as enemies. Not yet. Just as two old wolves measuring the distance between instincts and ruin.“She’s not well,” Vulture began, voice low. “And I’m not just talking about ambition or vengeance. I’m talking about cruelty for pleasure. About butchered girls, stolen infants, and soldiers she’s trained like war dogs since they were children.”He didn’t flinch. “I’ve heard…
The encrypted radio crackled to life in the strategy room beneath the Pyrenees stronghold, its steel walls humming with quiet tension. Vulture adjusted the dial, narrowing his eyes as the FBI’s voice came through, garbled but clear enough to send chills.Bain stood beside him, arms folded. Petrov leaned against the wall, face carved from stone. Sokolov tapped his fingers slowly against the steel table. Liang stood motionless in the shadows, unreadable as always.“We’ve managed to secure most of the girls,” the voice from the other end said. “Some were reunited with their families already. Others are under our protection—surveillance detail, social workers, clean documentation. We’ve kept them safe.”Everyone in the room felt the invisible exhale of relief.“But there’s more,” the FBI agent continued, voice hardening. “We found a body this morning. Young. Fifteen, maybe. Fished from the Tiber. Her hands were bound, her ribs shattered. There was a message carved into her skin.”The room
The sound of fists hitting sandbags echoed through the Pyrenees stronghold. The air smelled of sweat, oil, and sharpened steel. Bain was relentless—sweat glistened on his brow, his fists red from impact. He wasn’t just training—he was preparing for war.Outside the training ring, Cassie walked into the courtyard with purpose. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid, a soft smile tugging at her lips as she approached Vulture, who was lounging in a shaded corner, baby Cassian resting comfortably in his arms like a tiny warlord.“I came to feed him,” Cassie said, hands on her hips.Vulture looked at her and grinned, raising a brow. “Oh, now you remember you have a son? He’s been ruling the courtyard for an hour. Everyone bowed twice.”Cassie chuckled, stepping closer and scooping Cassian gently into her arms. “Don’t fill his head with lies.”“He prefers my beard,” Vulture added with a mock sigh. “Yours doesn’t tickle the same.”She rolled her eyes but smiled wide. As she settled in to fee
The box arrived in silence.No return label. No markings. Just a single white ribbon tied in a perfect bow.Vulture had seen enough war to know: when evil sends a gift, it’s never empty.He opened the box in the war room. Inside were two small, bloodied hands—clearly from a young girl. They were nailed to a crude wooden stake, with a note pinned beneath them.“If you will not give me back my son, I will take children from the world and burn their names into your hearts. —V.”Cassie gagged. Elias looked away, face pale.Bain’s jaw clenched as he grabbed the table edge so hard his knuckles went white. “She’s using children. Again.”Vulture nodded grimly. “She trained those assassins since they were twelve. She’s unleashing them now—Bone Circle’s final litter.”As if on cue, Bain’s encrypted line buzzed. It was Agent Ramirez from the FBI.“Vulture,” the agent said immediately, voice sharp. “We have to work together. Valeria just crossed into sovereign red territory. We intercepted one of
The Bone Circle’s hideout stank of decay and blood. Valeria stood at the head of a long, steel table, where a map of the Pyrenees was spread out—covered not in markers or pins, but in dried blood smears and jagged carvings. Around her stood her most trusted killers, the Bone Circle. Dressed in bone-white uniforms, they looked more like reapers than assassins.Beside Valeria stood a row of girls, barely women, scarred, emotionless, their eyes dead from years of training and torment. She had raised them since adolescence—trained them to be shadows, to kill silently, beautifully. They were her legacy. Her wrath made flesh.“This time,” she whispered, “we don’t strike with force. We slice their hope. Piece by piece.”One of the girls approached, carrying a wooden pole. At the top of it hung a severed hand—small, delicate—belonging to one of the trafficked girls Vulture’s forces had recently freed. A brutal message. Valeria smiled coldly.“Deliver this to the edge of the Pyrenees. Let Bain
The war room inside First Choice’s Pyrenees stronghold was dim, atmospheric, and alive with quiet tension. Surveillance monitors cast a bluish glow across the dark wooden panels, and a large tactical table sat pulsing at the center, marked with glowing zones and encrypted flags.Bain stood at one side of the table, arms folded, eyes sharp. Across from him was Liang, the Triad’s commander—slender, severe, immaculately dressed in charcoal silk with a dragon pin glinting at his collar. His demeanor was unreadable, but his presence was felt like an unsheathed blade.“Five of my best men are already positioned along the outer ridge,” Liang said calmly. “Two are specialists. You will not see them unless they want you to.”“I like ghosts,” Vulture muttered from his lounge chair beside the fireplace, Cassian nestled on his chest like a tiny prince. “So long as they don’t try to touch my bourbon.”Liang ignored him. “Another team will establish blind zones in your satellite perimeter, so nothi
The Pyrenees fortress stood silent under a veil of mist, its stone walls blending seamlessly with the rugged mountainside. Inside, the atmosphere was tense, the air thick with anticipation.Vulture sat in the command room, eyes fixed on the surveillance monitors. A soft chime signaled an incoming encrypted transmission. He tapped the console, and Petrov’s stern face appeared.“We’re approaching the designated coordinates,” Petrov announced. “The Triad operatives are with me. Five, as discussed.”Vulture nodded. “Ensure they follow the safe passages. The mountain watches every step.”Petrov smirked. “They know the drill. No missteps.”Moments later, the fortress’s outer sensors detected movement. Vulture switched views, observing five figures navigating the treacherous terrain with practiced ease. Their movements were precise, almost choreographed—a testament to their training.Inside the fortress, Bain and Cassie stood by the entrance, awaiting their arrival. As the group entered, the