37. Chapter 37
Chapter thirty-seven
The Wraith
The building is what Reese promised. Empty, metal-sided, far enough outside town that sound disappears into nothing. No neighbors. No witnesses. Just space and silence.
I pulled my gear from the trunk of my car. I must become the version of myself built for this type of work.
Once the gear is on, piece by piece, the world narrows, and the man behind the mask disappears.
I become the other half; I become The Wraith.
But this version of The Wraith will be different. This version will be far less merciful. Because this version understands this is personal.
I know what was supposed to happen had the hitman succeeded. I know who he was sent after—whose blood would’ve been spilled. He was going after our Lina. He was planning to end her life.
Something cold locks into place. The pounding in my ears course through my body.
The ache and need to pound and peel flesh races through my blood, and the last traces of mercy disappear.
This man will suffer for what he planned to do, and I will love every fucking minute of it.
The mask deliberately removes everything people instinctively search for in another human being. No indication of who’s standing in front of them.
It turns every silence into a threat. Every shadow into something worse than reality.
What’s left of Alex Lombardi fades into the background and darkness takes its place.
When I walk into the shack, the hitman won’t see Alex. He will see The Wraith.
He lasted only a few hours. Less than I expected.
The moment he woke and saw me standing there, he understood.
The color drained from his face beneath the bruises. His eyes widened. Then, fear appeared.
“I know who you are,” he whispered. The words trembled out of him.
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. The mask answered for me. The armor. The reputation. The stories whispered through criminal circles in back rooms and prison yards. The warnings passed from one predator to another. If The Wraith finds you, it’s already over.
His breathing became frantic. “No...” he whispered. “No, no, no. You’re The Wraith.”
He said the name like a prayer and a curse in unison. And whatever confidence he’d walked in with vanished. He begged. Pleaded. Promised money, information, and anything he thought might save him. It didn’t.
Eventually, after very little convincing, he gave me everything.
Names. Numbers. Accounts. How he’d been contacted.
Who brokered the contract. Where the money was supposed to go once Lina was dead.
Who introduced him to the Allister’s. Who vouched for them.
Every answer poured out faster than the last.
By the end, he was sobbing. A grown man reduced to shaking tears and desperate bargains. Pathetic.
Maybe it felt different because this one was personal. Maybe because every answer led back to Lina. Or maybe because I wasn’t struggling to keep Alex separate from The Wraith. We became one.
The line between them had disappeared the moment I found this bastard inside her home. The moment I imagined what could have happened if she’d been alone. If he’d gotten his hands on her. The thought hit my chest like gasoline on a fire.
He noticed the change. I saw it in his eyes. The moment he realized I wasn’t just The Wraith tonight, I was also the man who cared for her. And somehow that terrified him even more.
“Please,” he choked out. “Please don’t kill me.”
I stared at him through the black lenses—no fucking pity. I felt none as I peeled back his flesh, exposed layer after layer of his insides until bone was visible.
I enjoyed every second, because I thought about her. Thought about Lina laughing in the bookstore. Lina curled against my chest. Lina safe. Then I thought about her bleeding. Broken. Gone.
Silence claimed the dark room.
“You made one mistake,” I said, the modulator turning my voice inhuman.
His entire body shook.
“You thought she was simply another target.”
He started whimpering.
I stepped closer. “You broke into her home.” Another step.
“You accepted money to kill her.” Another.
“And now you’re asking for mercy?” I crouch, facing him.
“Men like you always think there’s a deal to be made.”
His breathing hitched.
“But that’s not how this works.”
The terror in his eyes became absolute. There was no bargain. No escape. No second chance. Only consequences.
The last thing he saw was the reflection of the mask. Then the sentence was carried out.
The blade drove forward in a single, deliberate motion. Deep and unforgiving. Straight up through his fucking mouth and into his skull.
His body jerked violently against the restraints. A strangled cry tore from his throat before collapsing into a broken gasp. Disbelief flashed across his face, as though some part of him had convinced himself I’d change my mind at the last second. I didn’t.
People always imagine death arrives with some grand revelation. Most of the time, it arrives with regret. I watched it happen in real time. The moment he understood there would be no rescue.
I stared at the body for several seconds before turning away.
I stepped away long enough to send everything to Reese—files, voice notes, and the pieces that matter.
Now, I stand outside the building, leaning against the wall with my mask in hand, trying to find myself again. Trying to find Alex.
The rage is still there, clawing at the inside of my chest, refusing to let go. It needs to burn itself out. Needs to die before I can be anything other than what I was in that dark room.
My phone vibrates over and over. It’s Reese calling.
“This is really good, man,” he says. “I’ll have more information soon.”
“Thanks, Reese.”
A short silence follows. “Whoa. That’s a first.”
Despite everything, I almost smile. “What?”
“You thanking me,” he says.
“Don’t get used to it.” I chuckle.
Another brief pause. “Are my assumptions about you and Lina correct?”
I gaze out into the open field, lost in thought about Lina. “Yeah.”
He exhales through his line. “I figured.”
“I didn’t expect this,” I admit quietly. “But I care about her, Reese.” The words feel strange coming out loud.
“Now every decision I make starts with whether it puts her at risk,” I tell him.
The line goes quiet for a moment. “I get it,” he says softly.
“I need her safe, Reese.” The desperation in my voice is new to me. The words come out lower than usual. Less controlled. More honest.
“I’ll do everything I can to help stop these fuckers,” he says. “You have my word.”
I release a slow breath. “I appreciate it. This one’s personal.”
“Yeah.” His voice is steady. “I can tell.”
Another quiet moment passes between us, comfortable this time.
“I got your back, Alex. I’ll call as soon as I have something.”
“Thanks, man.”
The call ends.
I lower the phone and stare at the screen for a moment before slipping it back into my pocket.
It’s the first time the burden of choosing Lina over the purpose I’ve carried for years feels a little lighter.
Because standing here now, knowing she’s safe, I’d make the same choice again.
Behind me, the man hangs limp in the chair. Blood pools beneath him, spreading across the concrete floor in slow, uneven rivers. Dark stains of blood paint the surrounding walls, evidence of how badly this night got away from me.
The cleanup crew is going to hate me for this one.
I should probably care. I don’t.
Outside, the early morning air is cool and steady. I draw in a slow breath and let it out.
Somewhere back in town, Lina is waiting. Probably furious. She has every right to be. I lied to her. Disappeared on her. Chose the mission when she needed answers.
I’ll take the anger. I’ll take every sharp word, and every slammed door if it means she’s still there to give them to me.
Right now, my focus is elsewhere. On the people who thought they could take her from me. The people who mistook her for an easy target. They won’t make that mistake again.