Badass in Disguise
<b>Chapter </b><b>199 </b>
…
Author’s POV:
:
97
Ace of Spades lounged on a leather sofa, his rxed posture contradicting the sharp alertness in his eyes. He gestured for Jade and herpanions to sit across from him. Three men stood behind him, fingers hovering near their weapons. But it was the lean man to his right that caught Jade’s attention – Eclipse. His cold, predatory gaze tracked her movements with professional precision.
“Crimson Valley’s quite unstable these days,” Ace of Spades remarked, swirling amber liquid in a crystal ss. The ice clinked softly against the side. “Even my territory has been attacked by unknown assants. You should be
careful.”
Night started to respond, but Jade nudged his arm discreetly with her elbow. The pressure was light but deliberate.
“I heard Scorpio family’s casino was bombed,” he said instead. “Aren’t you two feuding?”
Ace of Spades‘ lips curved into a thin smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Scorpio’s casino was blown up by those arms dealer fellows. Haven’t you heard?”
Night raised an eyebrow, his expression deliberately puzzled. “Is that so? Then perhaps they bombed your ce too.”
The tension in the room thickened like smoke. Jade could practically taste the suspicion in the air. Ace of Spades studied Night for a moment before introducing himself.
“I’m Mchai ckthorn,” he said, his tone dripping with false warmth. “What brings you all to Crimson Valley?”
“Business,” Night replied vaguely.
Ethan straightened his cuffs. “Tourism,” he said smoothly.
Chris adjusted his sses. “This ce is quite chaotic. I’m looking for potential legal cases.”
Ace of Spades turned his prating gaze to Jade,
“School assignment,” she said with a casual shrug. “I’m looking for inspiration.”
Ace probed Night about potential coboration, but Night kept his responses deliberately ambiguous. When Ace invited them to stay for dinner, Jade declined and they made their exit.
<b>The </b>cold night air hit Jade’s face as they stepped outside, a wee relief from the suffocating tension indoors. Once they were a safe distance away, Night turned to her.
“Why didn’t you take him out right there?”
<b>8:22 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
97
“The odds weren’t in our favor,” she admitted, scanning their surroundings for any followers. “Eclipse’s skills surpass yours, Chris’s, and Connor’s. His speed rivals mine. Even if you three could distract those three men, I’d still have <b>to </b><b>deal </b>with both Ace and Eclipse simultaneously.”
She nced back at thepound, its windows glowing like predatory eyes in the darkness. “With my current physical condition and reflexes, that would be a suicide mission. And that’s not counting the three skilled killers standing guard.”
“So what now?” Night asked, his fingers tapping impatiently against his thigh.
“Tonight I’ll pay Eclipse a visit,” Jade decided. “Eliminate him first.”
Ethan’s face tightened with concern. “That’s too dangerous.”
“Definitely too risky,” Chris agreed. “Given their capabilities, if they detect you, escape would be nearly impossible.”
“Can’t we use poison like we did with Warren Mitchell?” Ethan suggested, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
“This old fox is too cautious,” Jade replied. “Besides, our visit today has already put them on alert. Poison won’t work.”
“Who’s Warren Mitchell?” Night asked, his curiosity piqued.
“King of Hearts,” she answered simply.
Night’s eyes flickered to Ethan, a question in them that he didn’t voice.
Back in hispound, Ace of Spades dismissed his men but kept Eclipse by his side. As soon as the room emptied, he pulled out a secured tablet. A new encrypted message from JOKER had arrived.
“I’m right,” he read aloud, eyes narrowing. “The girl. Seemingly harmless but the most dangerous of the group. She’s the one who eliminated King of Hearts, Umbra, and Silhouette.”
Eclipse’s face remained impassive.
“Is she a gic clone?” Ace wondered, studying the attached photo of Jade. “Or perhaps Shadow’s secret protégé? Coming to avenge her<b>?</b>”
–
<b>He </b>set <b>the </b><b>tablet </b>down, turning to Eclipse. “Tonight, you’ll eliminate the girl. The others leave them alone. We don’t need unnecessaryplications.”
Eclipse nodded, a silent promise <b>of </b>death.
<b>Later </b>that night, Jade stood by her window, checking her weapons. The tactical knife felt familiar in her palm, <b>its </b>
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<b>8:22 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
:
weightforting. A soft ping from her phone drew her attention Too dangerous.”
–
a message from Ethan: “Don’t act on your own.
She almost smiled. His concern was touching, but unnecessary. She’d faced worse odds in her previous life.
The whisper of movement outside her window was her only warning. Jade dropped to the floor as the ss shattered inward. A dark figure slipped through the opening with serpentine grace Eclipse. The moonlight glinted off the de in his hand.
–
She moved without thinking, muscle memory taking over. Her knife met resistance as it sliced across his arm. He hissed but didn’t slow, pivoting to strike again. Their des shed, the sound sharp in the quiet room.
He was good very good. Each movement precise, economical, lethal. They circled each other in the darkness, two predators recognizing a worthy opponent. Blood dripped from his arm, but his eyes showed no pain, only cold calction.
Jade feinted left, then dropped low, aiming for his leg. He anticipated the move, jumping back and countering with a sh that missed her face by millimeters. She could smell his sweat, see the slight tremor in his injured arm. One more good strike and she’d have him.
A sudden pounding on her door broke her concentration. “Jade!” Night’s voice called out.
Eclipse used that split–second distraction to disengage. Before Jade could pursue, he dove through the broken window and disappeared into the darkness.
Cursing under her breath, she moved to the door, unlocking it to find Night, Ethan, and Chris standing there, faces tense with concern. Night was poised to kick the door down.
“Eclipse,” she exined tersely, aware of the bloody knife in her hand. “He came to kill me.”
“Did you get him?” Night asked eagerly.
“I could have,” she replied, not bothering to hide her irritation. “If someone hadn’t started hammering on my door.”
Chris immediately threw Night under the bus: “He knocked on the door.”
Night shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry for caring too much about you, darling.”
“What now?” Ethan asked, his eyes moving from the broken window to Jade’s face. There was something in his expression a mixture of concern and something deeper.
–
“Now,” <b>Jade </b>said, examining <b>the </b>blood on her knife with cold satisfaction, “I finish what I started. He’s injured- better to end this tonight than let him recover.”
The taste of the hunt was already in her mouth, metallic and familiar. Eclipse had made his move. Now it was her
turn.