Chapter 2 Righteousness And Forgiveness

A scream tore out of Conor as the badge punched clean through his hand, and the gun slipped from his grip before clattering onto the ground.

Avery reacted instantly, kicking the weapon out of reach and driving her foot down onto his shoulder to pin him in place.

A relaxed smile rested on her face, yet her gaze carried nothing but lethal intent as she said, "Looks like you are determined to make this end painfully."

Trapped beneath her weight, Conor pushed aside the agony in his shattered hand. With death looming, a rush of adrenaline flooded his body, and he thrashed violently in a reckless attempt to drag her down with him.

But Avery had already anticipated the move. She seized his fingers and broke them one after another without hesitation.

The scream that followed was raw and desperate, and the agony from his mangled fingers dwarfed the pain in his palm. Gasping through sobs, he cried out, "Please, let me live. Whatever Kellan paid you, I will give you ten times more."

No answer came from her. Avery responded with her fist, smashing it straight into his nose, then striking again, each hit delivered with merciless precision.

Dirty tricks were the things she could never tolerate, and she knew exactly what kind of monster Conor had been. He had slaughtered innocents without remorse.

Even death by her hands felt like mercy he did not deserve.

By the time she stopped, his face had swollen into something unrecognizable, and blood spread beneath him as he was rendered unconsciousness. Avery ended it with a final kick to his head. Finally, the last breath left him.

She moved closer, checked for any sign of life, and confirmed what she already knew. A cold sense of satisfaction settled over her after personally ending a man who had ruined so many lives.

Avery turned her back to the body and took out her phone, and the flashlight clicked on as pale light sliced through the surrounding darkness.

Movement followed almost immediately, and the crunch of footsteps grew louder until more than a dozen young men stepped out from the shadows with diamond shaped iron badges fixed to their chests, closing the circle around Avery and Conor.

"That was insane, Avery."

"You were unbelievable."

Their voices stayed low, but excitement and admiration were clear as they looked at her with open awe.

Only one figure stood apart from the rest with his head lowered and his eyes fixed on the ground.

Avery caught the change in mood at once. "Ruben, what is it?"

Hearing his name, Ruben James lifted his head, and his eyes were rimmed red with shame. Before a word left his mouth, he struck his own face twice.

Avery snapped forward and caught his wrist, her expression hard. "Talk," she ordered.

"Avery, I messed up. I did not verify the intel carefully enough. I never thought Conor would be carrying a gun. I almost got you killed," Ruben confessed.

When Conor had raised the weapon, his finger had already been tightening on his trigger. Another teammate had stopped him at the last second, reminding him that Avery had given strict orders not to interfere without a clear signal.

All he could do was watch, powerless, knowing that if Avery made even one mistake, he would die right there.

The thought hollowed him out. If Avery had fallen because of his negligence, no punishment or death would ever be enough to repay that failure.

So while the others felt relief and excitement seeing Avery alive, Ruben stood there, drowning in guilt, unable to feel anything else.

"I know what I can handle. Someone like Conor was never a real threat to me." Avery let out a quiet breath and rested a hand on Ruben's shoulder as she spoke. "That said, if you make the same mistake again, you will not walk away without consequences."

Those words finally eased the tension in Ruben's chest. He nodded hard and forced a grin. "Got it, Avery. If I screw up next time, you can beat some sense into me yourself."

Ruben bent down to haul Conor's body up with practiced ease. As he turned to leave, he said, "The mission's done, Avery. You can go back first. We will clean everything up from here."

Avery gave a brief nod, but her expression sharpened as she suddenly looked toward the car. Her voice rang out cold and firm. "Who's there? Come out. Now."

A shrill scream answered her command, followed by frantic movement inside the vehicle. A woman stumbled out in a panic, barely holding her clothes together as she blurted out, "Please do not hurt me. I barely know him. He just called me over tonight!"

Tears streaked down her face, and her voice shook uncontrollably as she spoke.

Avery flicked her hand in dismissal. "Get dressed and leave."

The woman did not hesitate. She scrambled to gather her clothes and bolted into the darkness, fleeing as though she had been given a second chance at life.

"Avery, you're still as merciful towards women as ever." One of the subordinates clicked his tongue and smirked as he passed Avery a gold embossed key card. "High-ups sent this as a reward. That woman earlier had a decent body. Want me to set something up for you?"

She lifted her hand as if she were about to slap him, then laughed and drove her foot into his backside instead. "I have no taste for women like that. Do whatever you want on your own time, but if any of you come back infected with something, do not expect me to cover for you. I will cut you off without hesitation."

Slipping the key card into her pocket, Avery added flatly, "Do it nicely. I am done here."

Quiet nods followed as the team watched Avery walk off and vanish into the darkness.

Thirty minutes later, her car rolled to a stop in front of the Laurel Club. Lavish lights and ornate details framed the entrance, leaving no doubt that this was one of Wruosas's most exclusive private clubs, a place never meant for the public eye.

Inside the elevator, Avery turned the gold card between her fingers while the car rose at an unhurried pace, finally coming to a stop on the eighth floor.