Chapter 10: The Hunt Begins
The city didn't sleep, but tonight, it held its breath.
Elira stood at the edge of Ares's penthouse balcony, her soaked hoodie clinging to her skin, the rain blurring the neon lights below. The pain in her chest wasn't just from the fight—it was from the truth unraveling inside her.
Delgado had created her. Crane had activated her. And now… the entire underground world knew her name.
A bounty worth ten million had been placed on her head.
Noah burst into the room, breathless. "It's everywhere. Every channel. Every deepweb feed. 'Bring her in dead or alive. Preferably breathing. Bonus for no damage.' That's what Crane wrote."
Luka leaned against the counter, loading rounds into his pistol. "He's not playing anymore. He's sending professionals now. The kind that eat mercenaries for breakfast."
Ares entered from the side hall, shirtless, bruised, still wiping blood from his jaw. "Let them come. We'll bury every single one."
Elira didn't say anything.
Her hands trembled—not from fear, but from something awakening inside her. Flashes. Memories. Needles. Screaming. A woman's voice singing in another language. And then—a lullaby.
She blinked. "I remember… a song."
Ares looked up. "What kind of song?"
"Russian," she whispered. "A woman used to sing it to me... not in a lab. Somewhere warmer. Somewhere—safe."
Luka froze. "Do you remember her face?"
"No. Just her voice."
He looked down. "Then we might have a problem."
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A Cold Name – Salem Vex
The penthouse alarm beeped.
Noah looked up from his laptop, face pale. "We have company."
"Crane?" Ares asked.
Noah shook his head. "Worse. He hired Salem Vex."
Luka tensed. "Hell no."
"Who is she?" Elira asked.
Ares's voice dropped. "An elite bounty hunter. Former assassin. Cold, calculated, emotionless. She doesn't miss. She never fails."
Luka added grimly, "She has one rule: she only hunts prey that fights back."
The lights flickered.
A bullet shattered the glass next to Elira's head.
"DOWN!" Ares tackled her as another bullet sliced through the air.
Luka dove across the couch, returning fire toward the rooftop across the street.
Noah shouted, "She's got thermal optics—she's watching through the walls!"
"We need to move," Ares growled. "Now."
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The Escape
They escaped through the underground panic tunnel beneath the penthouse, emerging two blocks away in a parking garage.
Elira's lungs burned. "Where are we going?"
"Safehouse," Ares said. "One only I know."
But Luka slowed behind them, his phone buzzing. He checked the screen—and went still.
"What is it?" Elira asked.
Luka's face was unreadable. "Nothing."
But Ares narrowed his eyes. "You sure?"
"I said nothing."
---
Safehouse – Brooklyn Docks
The place was a warehouse turned hideout. Rusted walls, flickering lights, and crates full of illegal weapons. Elira stood at the window, arms wrapped around herself.
Luka handed her a blanket. "You're shaking."
"I'm remembering things I didn't ask to remember."
He nodded. "Sometimes memories are poison."
She turned to him. "You seem to know more than you're saying."
Before he could answer, Noah stormed into the room. "We've got another problem."
He placed a tablet on the table. A video played.
Crane.
> "To the world watching: Elira Delgado is a ticking bomb. She is not human. She is a weapon. If you care about your cities, your children, your future—you will help me bring her in."
The message cut out.
Ares stared at the screen. "He's turning the world against her."
Elira's voice broke. "Am I really a weapon?"
Luka looked down. "You were designed to be. But that's not all you are."
---
Betrayal at Midnight
Later that night, Ares stepped outside to secure the perimeter. Noah was asleep, headphones still on. Elira stood by the window, watching the rain again.
That's when she saw Luka.
Whispering.
Speaking into a small communicator hidden in his coat.
"She's here," he said. "She trusts me. But Ares is catching on. You need to move—soon."
Elira's blood ran cold.
She stepped back, heart pounding.
Luka… had betrayed them.
---
A Sudden Attack
An explosion shattered the windows.
Flames erupted across the warehouse.
"AMBUSH!" Ares yelled, dragging Elira down behind a crate.
Salem Vex appeared through the smoke like a ghost. Black suit. Silver eyes. Calm.
"Target acquired," she said.
Luka froze in her line of fire.
"I said alive, Zorin," she snarled. "Unless you lied to Crane too."
Elira stepped out from the shadows. "You want me? Come and get me."
Salem raised her gun—then stopped.
Her expression twitched, just slightly. "You look like her…"
Elira blinked. "Like who?"
Salem tilted her head. "Your mother."
Ares lunged and tackled Salem. The two of them crashed into crates, fists flying.
Luka shouted, "Go! Run!"
"You told them where we were!" Elira screamed.
"I had no choice," he shouted back. "They have someone. Someone important. Someone who might be your mother."
Elira's eyes widened.
That hesitation was all Salem needed—she flipped Ares over, gun to his throat.
But Elira fired.
Bang.
Salem dropped the gun, blood seeping from her side. She stumbled back, glaring at Elira.
"Next time, I won't be so generous," she hissed before throwing a smoke bomb and vanishing into the night.
---
Aftermath
Silence returned.
The fire flickered in the corners. The warehouse was ruined.
Ares stood, bruised and furious. "You betrayed us."
Luka looked at him, exhausted. "I saved your life more than once. Doesn't that count for something?"
"Not anymore."
Elira stepped between them. "Stop. We need answers."
Luka nodded slowly. "Crane has someone in custody. A woman. Around fifty. Russian. She was Delgado's wife. Your mother, Elira."
She froze. "What?"
"I think she's alive. But they're using her to control me."
Elira's voice broke. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't trust Ares."
Ares laughed bitterly. "Neither did I."
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