:
<b>92 </b>
“We’ve managed to stabilize him for now,” Morrison exined to Mrs. Haxton<b>, </b>whose perfectly manicured nails dug into her designer handbag. “But we’re still trying to identify the exactpound used in the poisoning. <b>It’s </b><b>unlike </b>anything we’ve seen before.”
At the far end of the corridor, Ethan Haxton stood alone, staring out the window. A cigarette<b>–</b>an unexpected <b>vice </b>for someone so disciplined–burned between his fingers<b>, </b>the smoke curling upward in delicate spirals. The lights <b>of </b>Cloud City spread out below, twinkling against the night sky like earthbound stars.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Ethan checked the caller ID, then answered immediately.
“Are you alright?” he asked without preamble, concern evident in his voice.
Jade’s voice came through, unnervingly calm. “I need to borrow someone to handle a body.”
Ethan’s posture stiffened, the cigarette momentarily forgotten between his fingers<b>. </b>“Where are you<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“My apartment.”
“I’m on my way.”
He ended the call and immediately motioned to Connor, who detached himself from the group of Haxton security personnel stationed discreetly along the hallway.
“We need to go,” Ethan said quietly<b>, </b>crushing the cigarette in a nearby ashtray.
“Ethan?” His mother called from down the hall<b>, </b>concern etched on her face. “Where are you going? The doctor <b>hasn’t </b>
finished-”
“Business emergency,” Ethan replied, already moving toward the elevator.
Before she could protest further, the elevator doors closed, cutting off her worried expression.
Forty minutester, Ethan’s <b>car </b>pulled up outside Jade’s mansion. He brought Connor and three of his most discreet security personnel. The building was quiet, with most residents asleep at thiste hour.
Jade opened the door before Ethan could knock. Her expression remained impassive, but he immediately scanned her for injuries<b>, </b>his eyes sweeping over her with practiced precision.
“You didn’t have toe yourself,” she said, stepping aside to let them in.
“I was worried about you,” Ethan replied simply, his voice low.
<b>11:09 </b>Wed<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>24 </b>
:
<b>92 </b>
The room looked like a war zone. Furniture had been overturned, ss shattered across the floor. Ampy broken in the corner, and there was a distinct dent in one wall that looked suspiciously human–shaped. Curtains hung torn from their rods, and sshes of blood marked the cream–colored carpet in dark patterns.
In the center of the chaosy the body.
The man had been stripped of his tactical gear, which was piled neatly nearby. His back was covered in bruises and defensive wounds, telling the story of a violent struggle. His neck had an unusual wound–not a clean <b>cut</b><b>, </b>but something more precise, almost surgical in nature. Ethan recognized a tattooed code between the man’s shoulder
des–the mark of the Shadow Organization. The body was still warm.
“Jesus,” Connor whispered, taking in the scene, his normallyposed face showing shock.
“Sorry about the mess,” Jade said, gesturing vaguely at the destruction. “I was testing his skills.”
Ethan knelt beside the body, noting the single fatal wound that had pierced directly through the heart. A small ss vial containing an unidentifiable liquid caught his eye, the clear substance inside thick and <b>viscous</b><b>. </b>
“My men will handle this,” Ethan said, motioning to his security team. They immediately began the efficient process of body removal, working with practiced precision that spoke of previous experience.
Jade nodded. “I was going to deal with it myself, but there are too many people outside. Too many witnesses.”
“Connor,<b>” </b>Ethan said, “help them clean up.”
When Connor moved to join the others, Ethan turned to Jade, his voice dropping so only she could hear. “How did you get mixed up with someone from the Shadow Organization?”
“I didn’t get mixed up with someone from the Shadow Organization,” Jade corrected him, her voice eerily calm. “I got mixed up with the Shadow Organization.”
Ethan opened his mouth to ask for rification<b>, </b>but Jade suddenly frowned, her nose wrinkling slightly.
“You smoked,” she said, the observation catching him off guard.
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