Rhea chuckled, shaking her head as if disappointed by our response. “Don’t be so arrogant, Zeno. It’s always your downfall. It wouldn’t be the worst thing if we all went down. Let Vegas fall into the hands of a new breed of power-hungry assholes.”
I stepped forward. “We’re not about to die with you.”
“Oh, Daphne. You look so pretty playing soldier,” Rhea scoffed, her gun never wavering. “But tell me, does the silk leash Thalassios bought you feel better than the leather one Zeno used? You aren’t a partner, darling. You’re the currency they’re spending to buy their own survival. Once I’m in a bag, do you really think these men will let their 'investment' just walk into the sunset?”
Her words hit like a physical blow, but I didn't let my aim falter. “The only person walking away tonight, Rhea, is me. You’re leaving in a bag.”
Her insults and provocations wouldn’t work. I refused to let her have that victory.
We watched as she stepped back toward the door.
“I’m leaving. If you try to follow me, you know what will happen.” She tightened her grip on the grenade in a silent warning, then retreated, her eyes never leaving ours.
I looked at Thal, worry flickering inside me. We couldn’t afford to let her get away again, not after everything she had done.
This was too much. Rhea’s destruction in this city had been too widespread, her influence too deep. We couldn’t let her go unpunished this time. Not again.
I was once again considering handling the problem myself when Thal stepped forward, rushing toward her, and firing shots. But she was as fast as a cheetah, disappearing into the darkness before we could leave the room ourselves.
Thal kept firing, Aidon joined in, and Zeno and I covered the rear, both of us scanning the space for any sign of her.
“She couldn’t have gotten far,” Thal muttered, shooting into the darkness.
“Back the fuck off!” Rhea’s voice rang out, followed closely by a storm of bullets flying through the air and another group of footsteps approaching.
Just as quickly as we had outnumbered her, the tables had turned, and her last remaining group of guards began attacking us.
We ducked for cover, popping out just long enough to fire, then crouched into cover. We took out half of her guys, and to my surprise, instead of fleeing, Rhea stood her ground, fighting right alongside them.
I was so caught up in my own strategic moves that I lost sight of Thal.
My stomach flipped when I finally spotted him. He wasn't playing it safe. He rushed one of Rhea’s largest enforcers, his gun leveled. Thal tackled the man mid-stride, aiming low for his legs. The two of them crashed to the ground with a bone-jarringthud. In the impact, Thal’s gun skittered across the floor, sliding into the shadows.
He didn't hesitate. He pinned the guard’s wrists to the concrete, the two of them locked in a brutal, straining struggle for dominance.
Then I saw her. Rhea materialized from the darkness behind Thal, her face twisted in a mask of cold malice as she leveled her weapon at the back of his head. I bolted from my hiding spot, a scream of pure rage building in my throat. I wouldn't let this witch touch him.
But I was too far.
A gunshot rang out, sharp and deafening, followed by a second. I froze, my heart stopping as the world slowed.
Thal let out a choked cry as his strength failed, shoving the now lifeless guard off him. He rolled onto his side, his body curling inward.
“Fuck!” he gasped, his voice a ragged edge of pain.
Bright crimson ribbons of blood began pouring from his side, cascading over his fingers as he collapsed fully onto the floor. The sound of the bullet hitting him hadn’t been a metallic crack, but a sickening, wet thud, the sound of lead tearing through muscle and bone.
I didn’t scream. The Ghost had no voice for grief, only for execution.
I collapsed to my knees beside him, my hands already plunging into the heat of his blood as he lay sprawled on the cold floor.
I pressed my palm hard against the entry wound, feeling the frantic, staggered pulse of his heart vibrating through his ribs.
“Don't you dare die on me, Thalassios,” I hissed, leaning over him, my hair shielding us from the chaos as I tried to stem the bleeding. “I didn't burn my entire world to the ground just towatch you bleed out on a warehouse floor. Stay with me, or I swear to God I’ll follow you into hell to drag you back.”
Aidon and Zeno lunged forward from the darkness like unleashed hounds.
Zeno leveled his gun at Rhea as she turned to flee. He fired in a rapid, blurring succession, but she was a shadow, weaving through the crates as his shots splintered the wood behind her. Her remaining guards flooded the hallway, forming a wall of lead and flesh to protect her retreat.
