Page 156 of Auctioned Innocence
“Cut the philosophical bullshit,” Kira says, moving to flank Rouge’s position. “You know why we’re here.”
Rouge’s gaze shifts to Kira with something like approval. “Ah. The diplomat’s daughter. Your father’s connections have served you well, I imagine. Though I doubt he would approve of your current”—she eyes Kira with distaste—“extracurricular activities.”
“My father taught me that some debts must be paid in full,” Kira replies coldly.
“Indeed. Debts.” Rouge glides to her desk, settling into her chair like she’s holding court rather than facing execution. “Though one might argue that you benefited considerably from our…association. You learned skills, developed capabilities you would never have acquired in your pampered diplomatic existence.”
“At what cost?” I ask, keeping my weapon trained on her.
“At the cost of innocence, naturally. But innocence,ma chère, is vastly overrated. It is merely ignorance dressed in prettier clothing.” She leans into her chair with deliberate calm. “Look at what you have become. Look at the empire you could build with what I taught you.”
“You taught us nothing but cruelty,” I snarl.
“I taught you survival. I taught you that the world takes what it wishes from those too weak to defend themselves. And now? Now you take what you wish from those who cannot stop you.” Her smile turns predatory. “We are not so different, you and I.”
“We’renothingalike,” I say, but something cold settles in my stomach at how easily the words come, how natural this feels.
“Non? Then why are you here, armed and dangerous, rather than reporting me to your various authorities? Why hunt me personally rather than trust in justice?” Her head tilts slightly. “Because you understand, finally, that some things require a more…personal touch.”
The truth in her words makes me sick, but I don’t lower my weapon.
“For Maisie,” I say quietly, thinking of my friend who died because of this woman’s greed. “For Jessica, Ava, Natalie, Zoe. For every girl whose life you destroyed for profit.”
“Ah yes, dear Maisie. Such a waste. She had such potential.” Rouge’s expression doesn’t change. “Though I understand you’ve honored her memory in the most intimate way. Your daughter carries her name, does she not?”
My finger tightens on the trigger. “Don’t.”
“Such fierce maternal instinct. How beautifully primal.” She steeples her fingers together. “Your daughter will grow up knowing exactly who her mother is—what her mother is capable of. Do you imagine she will thank you for this legacy?”
“She’ll grow up safe,” I say through gritted teeth. “That’s what matters.”
“Safe, yes. But from what? From people like me? Or from the knowledge of what her mother became in pursuit of that safety?” Rouge’s smile is sharp as broken glass. “The sins of the mothers,ma chère, echo just as loudly as those of the fathers.”
I study her for a long moment, then smile—not the cold, predatory expression she’s trying to provoke, but something warmer. Something she could never understand.
“You still don’t get it, do you?” I say quietly. “You think you’re in my head, but you’re not. You’re just…pathetic. A broken woman who convinced herself that cruelty was strength.”
Her composure flickers for the first time.
“My daughter will grow up knowing exactly who her mother is,” I continue, my voice steady and sure. “She’ll know I’m the woman who stopped monsters like you. Who protected innocent girls. Who chose love over fear, family over profit, justice over cruelty.”
“You’re a killer—” Rouge starts.
“I’m a mother,” I interrupt. “I’m a protector. I’m someone who refuses to let evil flourish because good people do nothing.” I raise my weapon with absolute certainty. “And you? You’re just another monster who thought she was untouchable.”
“When you kill me, as we both know you will, how will you explain?—”
“I’ll explain that sometimes protecting the innocent requires eliminating the irredeemable.” My finger tightens on the trigger. “And I’ll sleep perfectly well knowing that sixty-three girls won’t become your victims. That Jessica, Ava, Natalie, and Zoe can truly move on. That my daughter will grow up in a world with one less predator.”
Understanding finally dawns in Rouge’s eyes—not just that she’s going to die, but that her psychological games have failed completely. She has no power here. No control. No final victory.
“For Maisie,” I say simply and pull the trigger.
The shot is clean, final. Madame Rouge crumples behind her desk, and with her falls the last shadow from my past.
“Target neutralized,” I report through comms, feeling lighter than I have in months. “Beginning data extraction.”
As we download her files and prepare for extraction, Kira touches my shoulder. “How do you feel?”
