The taste of blood lingered in Ethan's mouth.
He stared.
He couldn't breathe. Couldn't blink. Couldn't move.
The mask lay shattered on the cracked concrete, and the woman who had tried to kill him now stood before him, her face exposed by firelight.
It was her.
"…Serena?"
"No… No no no…" he muttered. "You… it's you?"
Blood dripped from his lips. His arm hung limp, broken. Ribs screamed in agony. His body was torn. But none of it hurt more than the sight in front of him.
His voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper. But it echoed louder than any gunshot in his ears.
His thoughts spiraled.
She's the one I've been searching for. The one who told Sasha and that old couple she was trying to protect me…
So why?
Why the hell was she the one trying to kill me tonight?
He looked up, gasping. "Why… Serena?"
Serena didn't respond. Her expression didn't change.
But one of the five men behind her did.
