CHAPTER 86

CHAPTER 86
Chapter 86:
Reynolds’ POV
The early morning mist hadn’t yet burned off the highway. It clung to the cracked asphalt like a veil of secrets. Traffic had resumed on the far side, a sluggish crawl of oblivious strangers. But the blood trail told me where to look.
I stepped out of the black SUV, ignoring the officer’s nervous chatter beside me.
“There was no ID, sir. Bus driver swears he didn’t see him until the last second.”
I already knew.
I didn’t need an ID. I didn’t need a face.
The smell of fire still lingered on his skin.
My boots clicked against the cold pavement as I approached the tarp. A medic was muttering something about spinal trauma, internal bleeding, blunt force impact—
“Move,” I said flatly.
The man hesitated. Then he obeyed.
The tarp peeled back.
And there he was.
Raymond.
Or… what was left of him.
His chest didn’t rise. His eyes were half open, lips parted like he still had something clever to say but didn’t quite get the chance. Blood had dried along the edges of his face, caking into the curves of his jaw. One arm was twisted unnaturally beneath him.
I stared for a long time.
No anger.
No sorrow.
Just silence.
“You always thought you were the brightest one in the room,” I murmured.
The medic shifted uncomfortably nearby. I ignored him.
“You killed Diane. Burned half my network. Pretended to be your dead brother like it was some twisted joke.”
I crouched down, inspecting the wound on Raymond’s temple. The skin had split open from the impact. Bone visible. Pulp where strategy once lived.
“But you forgot the simplest rule.” My voice dropped. “Pawns are expendable.”
A cold wind whipped past the road, and for a moment, it was just me, him, and the sound of an indifferent world.
He wasn’t breathing.
And this time… he wouldn’t be getting back up.
I stood and turned to the officer.
“Clean this up.”
He blinked. “Sir, what should I file him as?”
I didn’t even flinch. “John Doe. No family. No name. No legacy.”
The tarp was pulled back over his broken body.
I walked back to the SUV.
Pulled out my phone.
Dialed Kelly’s number.
It rang once. Then twice.
He didn’t answer.
I stared out the window as the engine hummed back to life.
The game wasn’t over.
But one piece had been removed permanently.
Raymond — the imposter, the traitor, the fool — was gone.
And now, the final move was mine.
The wind outside howled like it knew what was coming.
I sat in the backseat, one hand resting on the leather armrest, the other tapping slowly against my thigh.
Raymond is gone.
He served his purpose — distractions, chaos, thinning Kane’s alliances. But the boy got greedy. Sloppy.
And now, there’s no more noise.
Only the endgame.
“Drive,” I said.
The driver nodded and pulled onto the road. I pulled out my encrypted tablet, eyes narrowing on the digital map of the city. Dots blinked in red and green — safehouses, power grids, surveillance nodes, comm relays.
Kane was smart.
But like most smart men… he had a weakness.
Her.
Caroline.
I tapped her name on the screen.
Face recognition. Past addresses. Hospital records. Every alias, friend, coffee shop, childhood trauma.
Love is the easiest leash to pull.
My lips curled.
“They’ll be watching every route. Expecting a direct hit. But we won’t give them one.”
I called my logistics lieutenant. “I want silent infiltration. No bombs. No dramatic stunts. This time, we don’t chase Kane…”
I paused, letting the idea take root.
“…we herd him.”
“Sir?” the voice on the line asked.
“Cut the power to their building. Block exits three and four. Funnel movement toward East Grange. Send a decoy pursuit to the north—make it messy. Force them into the alley route.”
“And what’s waiting in the alley?”
“Me,” I said flatly. “And six men with authorization to kill anyone who doesn’t look like Caroline.”
“Yes, sir.”
I ended the call.
You see… people like Kane prepare for war.
But they forget the basics.
No matter how many guns you carry…
No matter how many traps you lay…
You can’t prepare for betrayal coming from behind.
Especially when it comes wearing the face of mercy.
And I still had one more card.
I tapped the encrypted app and sent a message.
“It's time. Activate the sleeper. Deliver the gift to Caroline.”
Kelly’s POV
“I don’t like the silence,” I muttered.
Gina arched a brow from where she sat, cross-legged on the floor, reassembling her pistol with quick, practiced fingers. “You never like silence.”
“Not this kind.” I leaned back against the window ledge, eyeing the skyline through the dusty blinds. “The city's holding its breath. Either they’re regrouping…”
“Or preparing to strike,” she finished for me.
I nodded once.
She set the pistol aside and stood. “You think it’s Reynolds?”
“Who else?” I said. “He’s the last bastard standing. And the smartest of them.”
Gina walked over, crossing her arms. Her voice lowered, thoughtful. “He knows Kane will protect Caroline no matter what.”
“Which makes her the target,” I said grimly.
A heavy pause settled between us.
“Do you regret it?” she asked suddenly.
I glanced at her. “What?”
“Turning against them. The others. Diane, Raymond… even Reynolds.” Her voice was quieter now. “You were one of them once.”
“I still am,” I said, pushing off the window. “That’s the part no one wants to admit.”
She gave a humorless smile. “And what about me?”
“You?” I stepped closer. “You were always a survivor. You joined them to survive. Now you’re choosing to live.”
Her eyes flicked to mine. “Big difference?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Living means you’re finally fighting for something real. Someone.”
Gina hesitated—then reached into her jacket, pulled out a thin paper envelope. “Intercepted this from one of Reynolds’ couriers.”
I took it and opened it carefully. Inside: a map. Hand-drawn. Marked routes. And a single red X.
East Grange.
I swore under my breath. “That’s where Kane said he was moving Caroline if things got worse.”
“He’s funneling them,” Gina said.
“A trap.”
She nodded grimly. “And if Kane takes that route…”
“He won’t make it out.”
I folded the map quickly. “We need to warn them.”
“I already tried his secure line,” she said, moving fast, pulling on her coat. “No signal.”
“Then we don’t wait.” I grabbed my gun, checked the chamber, and looked at her. “We find them ourselves.”
Gina smiled faintly. “Now you sound like him.”
I smirked. “Kane?”
“Yeah,” she said.
Her eyes softened for a moment. And so did mine.
For the first time, I let my fingers brush hers.
“Let’s finish this,” I said.
“For Diane,” she murmured.
“And?” I added.
She leaned in. “And for us.”