Shadow Reckoning

The docks were empty.

The waves crashed against the pylons, a rhythmic, eerie sound that made the whole scene feel like a funeral march.

Shade stepped forward, his boots splashing against the wet pavement.

The body lay under a sheet, the edges soaked in blood.

Lauren stood beside it, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "Tell me you didn't do this."

Shade knelt, pulling back the sheet.

His stomach twisted.

The corpse was mutilated. Slashed open in a way that was almost surgical. Precise. Efficient.

Shade's pulse roared in his ears. He knew this kind of kill.

Because it was his.

Jade's voice was quiet. "Shade…?"

Shade exhaled, his hands shaking. "I didn't do this."

Lauren studied him. "Then someone wants us to think you did."

Jade shook her head. "No. This isn't just a setup."

She turned to Shade, her voice low, serious. "This is a message."

Shade clenched his jaw.

Because he knew what was coming next.

Lucian Black wasn't just trying to break him.

He was trying to wake him up.