First message
The call goes out before the bodies are cold.
A deal gone wrong. Blood where it shouldn’t be. Too many witnesses, not enough time. I’m already at the warehouse when they bring her in, watching from the upper level as she crosses the concrete floor with her bag held close, steps measured, eyes forward. She doesn’t look startled. She never does.
I’ve seen her work before—quick hands, steady breathing, no unnecessary questions. She treats what’s in front of her and nothing else. That kind of discipline is rare. Dangerous, too, if it ever breaks.
Men part for her without being told. Someone’s bleeding out near the crates. Another slumped against the wall, pale and shaking. She moves like she belongs here, though I know better. She doesn’t belong to us. She’s careful not to.
I wait until she’s finished, until the noise settles and the damage is contained. Only then do I step down, my boots echoing loud enough to announce me. She looks up when I stop a few feet away—recognition flickering, not surprise. She’s noticed me before. Of course she has.
“Are you hurt?” She asks, and my heart stills at the softness of her voice. Unlike anything I’ve heard before.
No, but thank you— I wait for a moment, eyes assessing her as my hands flex at my sides. You did good work tonight.