Chapter 170 – Liam's POV
"The ghosts we let in don't always leave quietly."
The rain tapped lightly against the office window like a subtle warning, too soft to be heard unless you were already on edge. Liam Blackwood leaned back in his leather chair, eyes fixed on the gray sky outside, though his thoughts were a thousand miles away—four years in the past to be exact.
He should've deleted the message the moment he read it, but instead, he'd stared at it for ten full minutes.
"She's alive."
"We found Valkyrie."
It wasn't from a number saved in his phone. Just a coded message from his most trusted enforcer—Raven. No names. No risks. But Liam knew what it meant. The phantom from his past had resurfaced. And no matter how calm he appeared, the storm had already begun inside him.
---
Four Years Ago
She walked into his life like a mystery dressed in fire—sharp wit, silver eyes, jet-black hair, and a tongue that made grown men stutter. Valkyrie wasn't soft, not by any stretch, but Liam had liked that. Too many women had tried to win his attention with charm and sweetness, but she challenged him. Met him toe-to-toe. Called him out when no one else dared.
She'd joined the club as an "unaffiliated mercenary"—recommended by someone whose name Liam could no longer remember. She didn't just blend in; she rose quickly. Tactical, focused, deadly. Liam had watched her from the shadows at first, testing her loyalty, pushing her limits.
It wasn't supposed to turn into anything more.
But it did.
She'd shared his bed. His trust. His secrets.
He remembered the way she whispered his name after missions, when adrenaline still buzzed in her blood. The way her hand fit over his heart when she thought he was asleep. The way she smiled like she had a hundred secrets but chose to give him one.
And he had been stupid enough to believe it was real.
Then everything shattered.
One of his best men—Zev—had gone down during a mission that was compromised. They'd walked into a trap. Ambushed. Barely escaped. Zev had bled out on the floor of the safehouse, whispering apologies to a god Liam wasn't even sure existed.
It hadn't taken long to trace the leak.
Encrypted comms. A hidden transmitter. And Valkyrie—goddess of war and liar of hearts—had vanished the same night.
He didn't rage. He didn't scream. He simply broke.
Not in front of his men. Not where the blood ran deep and loyalty ran deeper. But alone, in the same room she used to call theirs.
Then came the message. From an unknown line, weeks later.
"You were never supposed to love me."
No explanation. No excuses. Just a ghost's goodbye.
That's when he learned the truth. Marcus.
Her brother. His enemy. The same man who had tried to take down Liam's syndicate for years. While Liam built alliances in silence, Marcus sowed chaos.
Sending Valkyrie was his masterstroke.
She didn't owe Marcus anything. No, they weren't enemies with each other. In fact, Liam later found out they were close—he had trained her himself. Trusted her as only family could.
That trust had become Liam's downfall.
---
Present
The warehouse loomed in the shadows of the city's edge, its rusted exterior blending perfectly with the night. Liam leaned against the hood of his black SUV, arms folded across his chest, his expression unreadable as he stared at the entrance.
Minutes passed.
Then a shadow peeled away from the darkness—tall, lean, dressed in all black.
"Boss," the man greeted with a slight nod. Shadow.
"You're late," Liam said, voice calm but heavy.
Shadow gave a small shrug. "Had to be careful. We're not the only ones sniffing around tonight."
That made Liam's jaw tick. He stood straight, nodding once. "Talk."
Shadow handed him a small flash drive and a folded piece of paper. "We traced the encrypted number that messaged your private line this afternoon. It pinged off a tower downtown—only once—and then the signal went dead. But not before we caught the coordinates."
Liam took the paper, his eyes scanning the numbers. "And?"
"There's more," Shadow said, stepping closer. "I ran the timestamp. Right after that message hit your phone, a girl matching Valkyrie's description was spotted on a security cam three blocks away. Hood up. Face blurred. But her gait, height, and movement pattern—all match."
A slow breath escaped Liam's nostrils. "So it was her."
"We can't say for sure," Shadow replied carefully. "But we're close. She wants to be seen, boss. You don't send a message to the man you betrayed unless you want something."
Liam clenched his jaw, the image of her face flashing through his mind—those eyes, that soft voice that used to whisper his name like it was sacred.
"She knows the protocols," Liam muttered. "She knows how we track. Every blind spot, every hack, every camera route—she knows."
"And yet, she let herself be seen," Shadow added. "It's a trap or a cry for something."
Liam pocketed the flash drive and paper. "Then we'll give her what she wants. Let's play her game."
Shadow's eyes narrowed. "You're sure you want to do this?"
"I want every blind alley watched," Liam ordered, ignoring the question. "I want my eyes on every unmarked building in a five-block radius. If she's walking through our city again, she's already made a mistake."
"And if it's not a mistake?" Shadow asked, his voice low.
Liam's smile was humorless. "Then we remind her who she left behind."
A gust of wind rattled the metal roof above them, but neither man flinched.
"Shadow," Liam said, turning back to the car, "send Raven. Tell her to monitor the feeds herself. I want confirmation before sunrise. And have someone dig into Marcus's current location. If Valkyrie is here, Marcus isn't far behind."
Shadow gave a firm nod. "Understood."
Liam paused before opening the car door. "And Shadow?"
"Yeah, boss?"
"This time… no mercy."
The door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing through the warehouse like a promise.