She vanished with blood on the floor and a secret in her heart.Now she's back with a gun and a new name.
******
FOUR YEARS LATER...
"Boss, we found her."
The door slid open. Xavier stepped in, breathless. His black suit clung to his skin, damp with sweat.
Four years. That's how long it had been since Alessia vanished without a trace.
No scream. No body. Just streaks of blood smeared across the restroom tiles… and the thigh holster Enrico had strapped to her leg left behind, stained.
He never forgave himself. And he never stopped looking.
Enrico slowly rolled his chair forward, eyes narrowing at Xavier. Time had sharpened the man's jaw and made his expression harder, but his loyalty remained untouched.
"Where?"
"A small town in Russia."
Enrico rose from the chair. It spun behind him as he stepped onto the transparent glass floor, city lights flickering beneath like fireflies.
"Get the men ready. Don't lose her this time. We bring her home tonight."
His voice was steel.
He looked out the window, hands behind his back.
"Welcome back, love."
******
Three Hours Earlier…
Snowflakes drifted past the fogged motel window. Inside, a woman in a black leather gown moved silently across the lobby. A face mask covered her features, and a black fez cap shadowed her eyes. Her loafers made no sound on the cold tile.
She slid a black card across the counter. The receptionist handed her a key.
Room 303.
Not a word was exchanged.
Clutching the key, she headed upstairs. Her phone buzzed.
"Remember. No traces, Blonde."
She silenced the screen with a gloved thumb.
Blonde. That was her name now.
She reached the room and slipped the key in.
Click.
The door opened.
Inside, flowered curtains matched the bedsheets. The air was warm, buzzing softly with heat. She locked the door behind her.
A low whistle came from the bathroom.
She sat at the edge of the bed and reached under her gown. From the holster on her thigh, she pulled out a gun and a rifle, placing both on the floral sheets.
The bathroom door creaked open.
A man stepped out in a towel, drying his hair.
He froze when he saw her.
She didn't move. Just raised her gun and shot the picture frame off the wall.
He dropped to his knees, eyes wide.
"Please don't kill me."
She pointed the gun lower. "Closer."
Trembling, he crawled to her feet.
"You'll shut your eyes. I'll pull the trigger. Fast and clean."
He began to sob.
She glanced at her watch.
Two minutes left.
A red countdown blinked.
"Where's the money?"
He pointed weakly at the laptop on the desk.
She stood, grabbed it, and aimed her weapon.
"Password. Now."
He hesitated.
"I hate delays."
She grabbed his collar and slammed him against the desk.
"One last time unless you're done breathing."
With shaky fingers, he typed in the password. She plugged in a USB.
"You've got three hours to disappear with your family. If I see your face again, I won't miss."
He nodded over and over.
Then he gasped.
"Alessia…"
Blood trailed from his lip. His gaze locked on her, searching for a memory.
"I know that look..." he whispered.
His hand reached up, trembling. He touched her chin. She flinched too slow.
In one quick motion, he tugged the mask down.
A beat passed.
Then he whispered again. "Alessia?"
Her whole body froze. Time blurred. The room spun, but her soul held still.
She shoved him hard. He crashed into the dresser.
"How dare you?!" she yelled, voice sharp, almost shaking.
He lifted a hand, gasping. "Don't you remember? I'm the hacker Enrico's guy. You saved me. That night. Your smile..."
She kicked him in the ribs. He fell, groaning.
"Enrico…" he coughed. "He never gave up. They said you were dead, but he never believed it."
Her hands trembled. Gun shaking.
"I don't know who that is."
Tears escaped under the brim of her cap. Her gloved hand wiped them away.
"Alessia died in that restroom."
Her finger twitched on the trigger.
But she inhaled. Slowly. Her face hardened.
"You forget this. Forget me. Or next time, I shoot."
She turned and ran heading to the rooftop.
Her phone buzzed.
"Update, Blonde?"
"I got the money."
"And the target?"
She paused. "Dead."
"Why are you on the rooftop?"
"I needed air."
Her fingers brushed the small tracker clipped to her breast pocket. Cold metal. Watching her.
She bent, tied her shoelaces tighter.
Deep breath.
Sharp focus.
She ran toward the elevator.
It opened.
Two men stood inside. Quiet.
As the doors shut, one lunged.
She grabbed his wrist mid-air, twisted, and stabbed him once, twice, three times.
The second man swung a dagger. Missed.
She slammed her elbow into his skull. He dropped.
Ding.
The elevator opened again.
She sprinted out.
Shadows shifted. A group in black stepped forward.
She dove behind a wall. Raised her gun.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three fell.
Bullets rained back, cracking against tile and wall.
She spotted a maintenance door.
Ran for it.
Bullets kissed the ground behind her heels.
She slammed the door shut. Locked it.
Inside glass walls, metal shelves. A wardrobe.
She ripped drawers open. Found a skipping rope.
With her shoulder, she smashed the window. Glasses sliced her arm.
No time to scream.
Blood dripped. She tied both ends of the rope to her shoes.
The door shook.
A bullet hit the lock.
"Damn."
She launched herself out the window. Wind whipped her face. A bullet grazed her side, hot and fast.
She crashed into another room. Glass shattered around her.
She hit the floor, gown soaked in blood.
Groaning, she stood. Yanked the rope off. Limped to the exit.
Sirens wailed outside. Boots stormed up the stairs.
She slipped through a back door into a narrow alley.
Flickering lights. Tall crates.
A gunshot.
She dove behind a crate.
A voice echoed behind her.
"Blonde. You killed my family. Did you think I wouldn't come back for you?"
Zeus.
Russian mafia. She robbed him six months ago.
She peeped through the crate to see him.The scar over his right eye twisted with rage.
"I never knew you would find me man.But you know I was just following instructions."
Zeus scratched the back of his neck and gave a crooked grin,eyes looking everywhere for her.
"I don't care who sent you?Just come out let me pull a trigger to your head in peace.
Her teeth clenched. Finger on the trigger."In your dreams,man."
But before she could fire, an arm wrapped around her waist strong and fast.
A warm hand covered her mouth.
She froze.
That scent.
That touch.
His breath brushed her ear.
"Hello, love."