LETT

ain and adrenaline. My dress that was once pristine white lace, was now torn and streaked w

ching the ground for anything I could use as a weapon. A loose stone. A broken branch. Nothing. "Hard is the only way I know how to do things, Cross!" I shouted back. Another gunshot. Closer this time. I needed a plan. The problem? I was in the middle of nowhere, barefoot, and wearing a wedding dress that now looked like it had gone through a shredder. Perfect. I risked a glance around the boulder. Three of Xavier's men fanned out, their guns raised. Xavier himself stood near the idling car, arms crossed, watching like this was all some entertaining game. Then I saw it. A motorcycle. Parked near the edge of the road, its chrome gleaming under the fading sunlight. Mine. I didn't hesitate. I bolted, my bare feet

ER'S

knew by heart. It rang once before a familiar voice answered. "You lost her." It wasn't a question. I smirked. "Temporarily." A pause. Then, "She's heading for the city. The Vaughn safe house near the docks."

Vaughn was too good. Too smart. Too damn reckless. And I

ARL

photos. Bank records. Notes scribbled in my own handwriting. He remembers. The words from the text haunted me. Remembered what? Our paths had crossed before-briefly, violently, but nothing that would explain this obsession. Unless... I froze. There was a photo missing. A single shot, taken three years ago in Berlin. Me, standing in an alley, blood on my hands. And Xavier, watching fr

Later Th

. Then I saw her. Scarlett moved through the crowd like a blade through silk-effortless, deadly. She had changed out of the wedding dress, opting for bla

." I reached into my jacket and slid a photo across the table. Her breath hitched. It was her. Standing over a body. The wrong body. "You were set up, Scarlett," I said quietly. "And I'm the only one who can prove it." She stared at the photo, her fingers trembling slightly. Then, in a flash, she had a knife pressed to my throat. "Tell me why I should not kill you right now." I didn't move. "Because