The city never slept, not truly. Its veins pulsed with crime, secrets, and whispers that carried farther than gunshots.
The man who slipped through the back alleys moved like smoke, blending into shadows as though he belonged to them. His arm still throbbed where Adair's wrench had struck, but he kept his pace steady. Pain was nothing compared to the prize he carried: knowledge.
He reached a black sedan parked on the edge of the docks. A figure waited inside, cigarette glowing faintly in the dark.
"They're together," the man rasped as he slid into the seat. "The Wolfe and the girl. She fought beside him."
The figure exhaled a stream of smoke, lips curling into a slow, knowing smile. "So the great Dominic Wolfe bleeds for someone."
"They're a weakness," the spy pressed. "If we take her—"
The cigarette ember flared brighter, silencing him. "Patience. A wolf is most dangerous when cornered. We don't just take his woman. We make him bring her to us."
The car engine purred to life, vanishing into the night.
Back at the warehouse, Dominic and Adair moved through the aftermath of the fight in silence. Blood pooled across the concrete floor, the stench heavy in the air. Dominic dragged the bodies into a corner, then poured gasoline over them with ruthless efficiency.
Adair watched, her throat tight. "Do you ever… stop feeling it?" she asked quietly.
His movements faltered for a fraction of a second before resuming. "Feeling what?"
"The weight of it. Every life. Every choice."
He struck a match, fire sparking to life in his hand. Shadows danced across his sharp features. For a moment, he looked like the devil himself, holding judgment.
"No," he said at last, throwing the flame onto the bodies. The fire roared, heat licking the walls. "You don't stop feeling. You just learn to carry it."
Adair stepped closer, the glow of the flames painting her face in gold. "Then let me carry it with you."
His chest tightened at her words, a pain sharper than any bullet. He didn't answer—not yet. The walls around his heart were still too high, too heavy. But as the fire consumed the dead, Dominic felt the truth settle in his bones.
The enemy had seen her. They had felt her defiance. And that made her more than his lover now. She was a target.
And Dominic Wolfe knew one thing for certain: he would burn the world before he let them take her.