CHAPTER 79

CHAPTER 79
Chapter 79
Kane’s POV

Diane Ross died at 3:42 AM.

I didn’t need confirmation from the encrypted message on my phone. The moment the screen lit up, something cold settled in my bones. A silence inside me that hadn’t existed since the last time I buried someone I hated and still didn’t want dead.

Caroline was already dressed, pulling her hoodie over her shoulders, zipping up the duffel bag with quiet efficiency. No wasted motion. Just survival instinct kicking in.

“She’s really gone?” she asked, eyes not leaving the zipper.

“Yeah,” I replied, voice low. “Confirmed twenty minutes ago.”

There was no victory in it. Diane might’ve been cruel, manipulative, obsessive—but she was predictable. Strategic. Alive, she was a chess player. Dead, she left a void. And chaos loved a void.

“I thought we’d have more time,” Caroline muttered.

I walked over to the corner of the room, checking my gear. “Time was never on our side. Raymond made his move. He’s not playing anymore. He’s hunting.”

Caroline stared at the floor. “And now Diane’s just another name on the list.”

I looked up. “She was more than a name, Caroline. She was a wall. Between us and him. And now that wall’s been shattered.”

“I’m tired of walls,” she said. “Tired of waiting for someone else to keep us safe.”

I watched her walk to the hallway cabinet—the one I never thought she’d remember.

She keyed in the code to the small black lockbox hidden inside.

My breath caught.

She opened it slowly.

Pulled out the Glock inside.

My Glock.

I hadn’t used that one in months. I forgot it was even here.

She held it like she knew exactly what she was doing. Not confident. But committed.

“I didn’t sleep after we got back,” she said softly. “I sat up staring at that door, waiting to hear footsteps. Every shadow looked like him. Every creak sounded like a goodbye.”

I stepped closer. “You don’t have to do this. I can protect you.”

Her jaw clenched. “I’m not a damsel, Kane. I’ve been kidnapped, nearly raped, betrayed by someone I trusted my whole life. I’m done letting the world decide what happens to me.”

Her voice broke.

Then she took a breath. Steady. Strong.

“I want to know how to use this. I want to be more than the girl you have to shield.”

I looked at her—really looked.

The cuts on her wrist had healed. The bruise on her shoulder was fading. But her eyes…

Her eyes were fire.

I stepped forward and gently placed my hand over hers. “Then I’ll show you.”

Her fingers tightened around the grip. “You trust me?”

“With my life,” I said. “But more importantly… with yours.”

A silence stretched between us. Not awkward. Not heavy. Just full.

Full of things we hadn’t said.

Full of fear. And maybe love.

Maybe something more dangerous than either.

I kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes.

When I pulled back, I saw her tears.

She didn’t wipe them away.

Neither did I

My phone buzzed.

Unmarked number. No ID. But I knew.

The second I saw it, I knew.

I answered, jaw tight. “Kane.”

There was no pause.

No dramatic breath.

Just a voice, low and razor-sharp.

“You’ve been busy.”

Caroline turned toward me slowly. I didn’t take my eyes off the wall.

“Cleaning up what’s left of Diane,” the voice continued, calm as a scalpel. “Not bad. Cold. Efficient. Almost made me proud.”

“Raymond,” I said. Not a question.

“You’re catching on faster than expected. Must be the bloodline finally waking up.”

Caroline took a step closer, but I raised my hand. I needed to hear every word. Needed to listen past what he was saying.

“You came after her,” I said, voice low. “You killed Diane.”

“Correction,” he replied. “I replaced her. She was a piece. A loud one. I prefer silence.”

I didn’t speak. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of dragging me into a conversation I didn’t start.

Raymond filled the quiet himself.

“She was always looking backward,” he said. “At you. At what she lost. That’s why she failed.”

His voice turned colder.

“But I don’t look back. I look forward. And you, Kane? You’re in my way.”

I felt Caroline’s hand brush mine. Grounding me.

Raymond continued. “You should run. Take her. Disappear. Pretend you can win. Pretend I won’t find you.”

A short pause.

Then the line clicked off.

Gone.

Just like that.

I lowered the phone slowly, the weight of the call sinking in. The room felt colder now. The air, thinner.

Caroline’s voice was barely above a whisper. “It was him.”

I nodded once.

“He’s done hiding,” I said. “And he’s not playing anymore.”

Caroline gripped the Glock tighter, her eyes steady. “Then neither are we.”


Raymond’s POV

I dropped the phone.

Kelly leaned against the far wall, arms folded, watching me like he was still deciding whether to laugh or shoot me.

Gina stood by the windows, pale. Her hands were clenched at her sides, still stained with Diane’s blood.

I turned to face them, slowly.

“Well,” I said casually, brushing imaginary dust off my jacket. “That went better than expected.”

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “You always monologue after threats, or was that just for Kane’s benefit?”

I smiled. “He needed to know what’s coming.”

Then my gaze slid to Gina.

Her face was stone, but her eyes trembled.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I said, stepping closer. “Still mourning your dear Diane?”

She didn’t answer.

“You know,” I continued, circling her like a wolf, “she always thought she was irreplaceable. That she had the fire. The rage. The leadership.”

Gina flinched slightly.

“But the truth?” I leaned close, voice dropping. “She was always looking in the wrong direction. Backwards. At Kane. At revenge. At you.”

Gina’s nostrils flared, but she stayed still.

“She cared for you, Gina,” I whispered mockingly. “Even loved you, in her own sick little way. Which is why she died the second she questioned me.”

Kelly made a sound—half scoff, half laugh. “So now what? You wear her perfume and pretend you’re Queen?”

I turned to him, smiling wider. “No, Kelly. I’m not a queen.”

I stepped back, arms stretched slightly.

“I’m the new king.”

Gina’s voice cracked. “You really think you can lead what she built?”

“I don’t think,” I said, expression cold. “I know. Because unlike Diane, I’m not here to make statements. I’m here to win.”

She swallowed, fists shaking.

“Let her death fuel you,” I added. “Use it. Make it count.”

“And Kane?” Kelly asked, voice unreadable.

Raymond looked between them, a glint of fire in his eyes.

“Kane doesn’t walk away from this,” he said simply. “Neither does the girl.”

Silence followed. Heavy. Loaded.

I turned back to the desk, slipping on my gloves.

“I’ll lead the next strike myself,” I said. “I want them to see my face before they fall.”

Kelly gave a slight nod. “Then tell us where to start.”

I didn’t look back. But I smiled.

“Their safehouse.”