Page 60 of Lone Wolf

As we turn to leave, Scarlett steps forward. “Get some rest,” she advises us, her voice gentle. “Tomorrow will be a long day.”

As we leave the war room, I take Ariadne’s hand again. It feels so natural, like we should always have been like this: lovers instead of rivals.

“Are you really okay with this?” Ariadne asks quietly as we head downstairs. “I’ll believe you if you tell me you are—but I want to make sure.”

I squeeze her hand. “I’ve never been more certain of anything. This is what I came here to do. And now, I have something Mari never had—backup.” I stop and look into her eyes. “We dothis together. Right? No matter what happens, we face it side by side.”

She nods, her expression softening. “Side by side.”

CHAPTER 22

Ariadne

The armored SUVcarries us through Chicago’s North Shore, and I check my weapons methodically—primary, backup, blades. The familiar ritual centers me, brings clarity.

“Five minutes to target,” our driver announces.

Beside me, Sunny is still, focused, but I can feel the tension radiating from her. She’s been different since Hadria told her about her sister—grief is there, obviously, but also a new kind of resolve. I’ve watched her channel her pain into purpose. It’s a transformation I understand all too well, and I’m going to make sure it makes her stronger instead of…

Well. What happened to me.

My pinky finger brushes against hers on the seat between us. Not quite holding hands—we’re professionals on a mission—but I hope it’s enough to remind her I’m here. That she’s not alone.

“You good?” I ask quietly.

“I’m good,” she replies, and I can tell she means it. Mostly.

The vehicle slows as we approach our staging area, concealed from the main road by dense foliage. Zach and Elijah sit across from us, while Mario drives and Lyssa rides shotgun, dividing her attention between the tactical overlay and our surroundings. The other vehicles arrive shortly after, and Hadria emerges from the lead vehicle, gathering us for the final briefing. Twenty-eight heat signatures, ten likely victims, the rest security. Delta team—Lyssa, Zach, Elijah, Sunny and me—will enter through the pool area, secure the women, clear the path for extraction. The other teams have their assignments to take out security.

“Rules of engagement as briefed,” Hadria concludes. “Kill on sight. And make no mistake—these are dangerous people who will kill you without hesitation.”

As the group disperses, I catch Sunny’s arm. “Remember.”

“I remember,” she assures me. “I’m your anchor, you’re mine.”

My mouth twitches in what might almost be a smile. “And no heroics.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

For a brief moment, we’re just us—two broken people who somehow fit together. Then Lyssa calls for Delta team to go, and we slip into our tactical mindset.

We approach from the west, using the landscaping as cover. Zach disables the security sensors on the perimeter wall, and we scale it silently, dropping into the trimmed shrubbery on the other side.

The pool area is elaborate—infinity edge so that the pool seems to merge into the lake beyond, expensive loungers, fully stocked bar. Nothing but the best for these monsters.

“Two targets, northwest corner,” Lyssa whispers.

I spot them—low-level muscle, not particularly alert. Lyssa signals with two fingers. Sunny and I move in perfect synchronization. I take the guard on the right, quickly putting a silenced bullet in his brain before helping him fall quietly to the ground as Sunny does exactly the same with her target.

The back entrance yields to Zach’s tech and Lyssa’s expertise. We enter through the kitchen—industrial appliances gleaming in the darkness, faint smells of cooking lingering in the air. Elijah stays in the shadows by the glass sliding doors, watching to make sure we have no one sneaking up on us.

“Delta team, status?” Hadria’s voice in our comms.

“We’re in,” Lyssa reports. “Proceed.”

We move methodically through the first floor—dining room, living area, study. All the trappings of legitimacy, meant to disguise what happens upstairs.

“Heat signatures still concentrated on the second floor,” Zach confirms. “East wing.”

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