Chapter 3 - The Shadow of the Orchid
The safehouse was located in the industrial heart of the docks—a converted warehouse disguised as an abandoned shipping terminal. Inside, however, it was a fortress. High-tech monitors lined the walls, tracking security feeds from across the city, and racks of high-caliber weapons gleamed under harsh halogen lights.
Bishop immediately trotted over to a leather sofa, hopped up, and rested his chin on his paws, his eyes never leaving Mara.
Lucian poured two glasses of neat whiskey. He didn’t offer her one. Instead, he slammed his glass onto the steel table between them.
“Talk,” Lucian commanded. “And if you lie to me again, I’ll let my men find out who you are the hard way.”
Mara walked over to Bishop, gently scratching him behind his ears. The dog closed his eyes in pure bliss. “Your men wouldn't survive the attempt, Lucian. And as for Bishop... dogs know energy. They know when someone is a predator, and when someone is a protector. He didn't protect me because he likes me. He protected me because he recognized a fellow monster.”
Lucian leaned back, crossing his arms. “You’re an operative. Red Sparrow? The Syndicate? Or maybe the ghost everyone whispers about—the 'Wraith of the Adriatic'?”
Mara let out a soft, humorless laugh. “I was a cleaner, Lucian. When governments or men like you made mistakes that left too many bodies, they called me to make those bodies disappear. I did it for twelve years. But then I made a mistake of my own. I spared someone.”
“Who?”
“You,” Mara said softly, looking him dead in the eye.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed. His mind raced back through the dozens of assassinations, turf wars, and near-death experiences of his past decade. “I’ve never seen your face.”
“Because I was the one who pulled you out of the burning car in Geneva seven years ago,” she said. “The night your brother betrayed you. I was sent to ensure you burned to ash. Instead, I pulled you out, dragged you to a clinic, and disappeared. I took the name Mara Vale to hide from my employers. I wanted peace. I wanted to serve drinks and pretend the blood on my hands was just cheap wine.”
The revelation hit Lucian like a physical blow. The mysterious 'angel' of Geneva had been a myth in his organization for years—a nameless savior he had spent millions trying to track down. And she had been wiping down his tables, taking his drink orders, and enduring the insults of his associates for months.
“Why hide in my restaurant?” Lucian asked, his voice dropping to a low growl.
“Because the safest place to hide from the devil is in his own church,” Mara replied. “But they found me. The men tonight... they were Vanguard. My old unit.”
Suddenly, the monitors in the room flickered. The security cameras outside began to cut to static, one by one.
May you like
Bishop bolted upright on the couch, a vicious snarl ripping from his throat.
Hook: A cold, synthetic voice echoed through the warehouse's intercom system: “Target Mara Vale identified. Collateral Lucian Draven authorized for elimination. You have sixty seconds to surrender the asset, or we level the harbor.”
