Chapter 46
Ace
That branch snap?
Not the wind.
“Contact,” I whisper.
Everyone locks in.
Weapons up. Breathing slows. Focus sharpens.
“There,” Beast murmurs.
Movement—right side treeline.
Fast.
Too fast.
“Don’t lose him,” I snap.
And then we’re moving.
I take off, pushing through the trees, branches snapping underfoot.
Tessa is behind me—I can hear her—but I don’t look back.
I trust she’s there.
I trust my team more.
The guy runs like he knows the terrain.
Cuts left. Then right. Never slowing.
“Splitting left!” Trigger calls.
“Cut him off!” I shout.
We fan out.
Box him in.
He veers—
Straight toward the river.
Bad move.
The trees break.
Water roars ahead. Dark. Fast. No clean crossing.
He skids to a stop.
Turns.
Weapon up.
Hands shaking.
Not military.
Not trained.
Not the one pulling the strings.
“You’re done!” I call.
“Drop it!”
He hesitates.
Beast moves first—fast, precise.
The guy fires once.
Wild.
Misses.
Trigger slams into him from behind, driving him into the ground.
Weapon goes flying.
“Got him!”
I close the distance, kicking the gun away, dropping to a knee beside him.
Rip the mask off.
Recognition hits.
Local.
Maintenance.
Town access.
Damn it.
“Told you not to run,” I say coldly.
He’s breathing hard. Eyes wide. Terrified.
Good.
He should be.
Tessa steps in closer.
Careful. Watching.
Smart.
“You know him?” she asks.
“Works maintenance. Town properties.”
Which means access.
Keys.
Movement.
She sees it too.
“You helped him,” she says.
The guy shakes his head fast. “I didn’t— I didn’t know—”
“Don’t,” I cut in.
Sharp. Final.
“You knew enough.”
“I just moved things—messages—money—he said it was nothing—”
“Who?” Tessa presses. “Who gave you the orders?”
He breaks.
“I don’t know his name!”
Everything stills.
“He never told me,” the guy rushes. “Always messages. Calls. Different numbers—masked—”
Blaze’s voice cuts through. “That tracks. Professional routing. He’s not the guy.”
No.
He’s not.
I grab the front of his shirt and haul him up just enough.
“You planted the device.”
He nods frantically. “I was told to set it and leave—just a scare—”
“Yeah?” I lean in. “Felt like more than a scare.”
“I swear—he said not to kill anyone—just send a message—”
That lines up.
Too clean.
“This guy’s a middleman,” Trigger mutters.
“Yeah,” I say. “And we’re not at the top of the food chain.”
I shove him back down.
Frustration burns through me.
We ended one threat.
But not this.
Not even close.
I glance at Tessa.
She’s scanning the treeline.
Not scared.
Focused.
Cold.
“He’s still out there,” she says.
“Yeah.”
Her jaw tightens.
“Then we find him.”
I study her for a second.
Then nod.
“We will.”
Blaze’s voice comes through again.
“Ace… we’ve got another problem.”
Of course we do.
“What now?”
A pause.
Then—
“The florist shop… there’s movement inside.”
Everything in me goes still.
And then—
It ignites.
“Everyone move,” I snap.
Because this?
This isn’t over.
It’s just getting started.