Shadow Reckoning

The first guard never saw it coming.

Shade snapped his neck in a single, precise motion, lowering the body silently.

A second guard turned, confused. Shade was on him before he could scream, driving a knife into his ribs. He twisted the blade, feeling the life drain from the man's body.

Two down.

The others were panicking, flicking on flashlights.

Big mistake.

Shade used the light to his advantage, weaving between shadows, striking with surgical precision. A gunshot rang out, but he was already gone, slipping behind a rusted pipe.

More screams. More bodies.

Then—

An alarm blared.

Sable knew he was here.

Good.

Shade kicked down the nearest door and moved fast. He found the stairwell leading to the basement, where Sable kept his prisoners.

Where Jade was.

He was halfway down when gunfire erupted below.

Shit.

He had to move now.

Basement – Interrogation Room

Sable's men scrambled as the gunfire echoed through the facility. The air was thick with tension.

Jade used the distraction. She rocked her chair back, using momentum to tip it over. She hit the ground hard, pain jolting up her side—but the chair cracked on impact.

Good enough.

She twisted her arms, working at the ropes. The sounds of death filled the air—Shade was close.

The last guard standing turned to her, raising his gun.

Then a shadow dropped from the ceiling.

Shade landed behind him and slit his throat in one fluid motion.

Jade exhaled. "Took you long enough."

Shade knelt, slicing her bindings. "You're welcome."

She rolled her shoulders, wincing. "You're such a gentleman."

Footsteps thundered outside.

Sable's men.

Shade handed her a knife. "You up for this?"

Jade grinned, spinning the blade between her fingers. "Try and keep up."

Then they tore through the door, side by side.