Melody POV
The message came at exactly 11:03 p.m.
"If you want the truth, come alone. Abandoned warehouse. Pier 9. Midnight."
No name. No number. Just silence after the text.
I stared at the glowing screen, heart thudding. I should've told Marvis. I should've ignored it. I should've blocked the number and gone back to sleep.
But I didn't.
Instead, I grabbed my coat, tied my hair up, slipped my pistol into my side holster, and left without a sound.
The night air was cold and sharp, biting into my skin as I walked toward the warehouse. The pier was empty, no footsteps, no lights, no movement. Just the hum of the wind and the soft crash of waves in the distance.
I stood outside the rusted metal doors for only a second before stepping in.
The air inside was damp, thick with dust and rot. A flickering lightbulb hung from the ceiling, barely holding on. Shadows danced along the concrete walls. I could hear the echo of my own breathing.
"Hello?" I called out, voice steady. "I'm here."
Nothing.
I moved slowly. Each step deliberate. My fingers brushed the handle of my gun. My eyes scanned every corner.
Then it happened.
The floor beneath me gave way.
I crashed down with a loud thud into what felt like an underground chamber. Pain shot through my ankle, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stand.
A red laser dot flicked across the wall. A trap.
From above, voices echoed.
"She's alone."
"Stupid girl."
I smiled faintly. Wrong move, boys.
I crouched low behind a crate, my breathing even. Three shadows moved above. I counted their steps, tracked the distance between the sound and the creak of metal. I did the math.
Ten seconds before one of them opened fire.
I rolled to the left and fired two shots. Silence.
Then a scream. One down.
They fired blindly in return, but I had already shifted position. I used the chaos to slide behind another crate, taking a breath.
Four seconds to reload. I clicked in another round.
"Who trained her?" someone hissed from above. "She's not just a girl!"
Correct again.
I fired upward, aiming for the lightbulb. Glass shattered, plunging the room into darkness. I used the moment to climb up a side ladder and kicked open a loose vent panel I'd spotted earlier.
Now I was above them.
One man stood right under me, searching wildly.
I jumped.
He didn't even see it coming.
He fell hard, and I didn't stop to check. I took off running toward the metal door, heart pounding but steps focused.
Then I heard it.
A second pair of footsteps, fast, confident.
Different from the others. The boss.
I turned quickly, only for a smoke bomb to explode at my feet. Thick fog clouded my vision. My chest tightened. I moved backward, trying to clear my eyes.
That's when I saw him.
A tall man in black. Face covered. Calm.
He raised a gun toward me.
I dodged and fired.
The bullet grazed his shoulder. He staggered, but didn't fall. Instead, he threw a flashbang.
White light blinded me.
I screamed and dropped to my knees, clutching my head. I felt someone grab my arm and pull me backward. My vision swam.
"Melody!"
The voice rang out through the fog.
Marvis.
I blinked furiously, my eyes burning. He stormed into the scene like a force of nature. The boss was already gone, slipped out during the flash.
Marvis pulled me into his arms and examined my face. "You okay?"
I nodded slowly, chest heaving. "He got away."
"I saw," he muttered, jaw tight. "But you handled this like a professional."
I tried to laugh, but it came out as a cough. "Well… I am Melody, remember?"
He smirked, brushing a piece of dust off my cheek. "Don't remind me. My heart's still racing."
"I had it under control."
He looked around the trashed warehouse, bodies on the floor, bullet marks, broken lights. "Clearly."
I leaned back against the wall, wincing at the pain in my ankle. "He knew my name. He was watching. He wanted me here."
"And you went alone?"
I gave him a sideways glance. "You would've stopped me."
"You're right," he muttered, pulling out his phone. "But from now on, if you get a message like that again, you tell me first. We fight together, not apart."
My eyes softened. "Got it."
As the sirens approached in the distance, his backup, no doubt, I allowed myself a moment to breathe. To calm down. To process.
I'd been set up. But I'd fought my way out.
And though the boss escaped, something told me he wouldn't stay hidden for long.
Because now… I was hunting him.