Louis’s POV The confirmation arrived at dawn, as the first grey light crept across the bedroom ceiling. A single word on the encrypted channel, followed by a data packet of fabricated but flawless police reports, witness statements from nonexistent bystanders, and meteorological data supporting the “icy conditions” narrative.***Terminated.***I read the word on my phone’s screen, the glow etching the letters into the dark room. A life, ended. A threat, neutralized. A transaction, complete. There was no feeling attached to it. It was a line item on a balance sheet. The part of me that should have felt horror was buried too deep, armored by a decade of colder calculations and the absolute priority that was Sierra and Katie, sleeping beside me.I slipped from bed carefully. Sierra was curled on her side, her breathing deep but not entirely peaceful. Her eyelids fluttered. She knew. The realization had settled between us last night, unspoken but palpable, coloring every touch, every si
Last Updated : 2026-01-13 Read more