Chapter 208
208
The Solemnity Burld had ticked Hudson , and now he was out for blood .
A flash of silver – Hudson drew a knife and lunged straight for Aria’s threat .
She dodged sideways , but he immediately shifted his grip and slashed horizontally .
The two of them clashed in a furious flurry of moves , moving so quickly the rest of the Thirteenth Sigil didn’t dare risk firing .
That split second of hesitation gave Owen his chance he turned and struck , forcing them all to focus on defending themselves .
Every one of Hudson’s attacks aimed to kill , but Aria was no less lethal .
Up in the car , Isaias watched in horror as their own men dropped like flies – Hudson was actually losing .
Isaias shouted , “ Go ! Drive ! Now ! ”
The man behind the wheel , a Huthailian , fumbled with trembling hands and slammed on the gas , fleeing into the night .
Down in the fight , Hudson was already outmatched – Aria had dislocated both his arms .
She slipped a medical tool from her sleeve and jabbed it in ; Hudson collapsed , unconscious , before he even hit the ground .
The factory fell eerily silent , the air heavy with the stench of blood .
Aria reached for her earlobe and frowned . “ Lost my earring . ”
Owen’s voice was calm , almost amused . “ Mr. Fletcher won’t mind . ”
Half an hour earlier , Fryderyk had ordered his team to speed up .
The forest was littered with traps , and though they had the map and avoided most of them , it still slowed their advance .
Then the sound of gunfire echoed from Aria’s location , and by the time they arrived , the carnage was breathtaking .
It seemed their help wasn’t even needed – Aria and Owen had taken out everyone .
That was terrifying .
Owen reminded quietly , “ Two of them got away . ”
Fryderyk radioed , “ Relax – they’re not going far . ”
Hidden in the shadows , two men clung to each other , shaking with nerves . “ She’s Echohawk , right ? ”
“ No one else could kill like that with just a medical tool . It has to be her . ”
“ We got nothing out of this , came all this way for nothing . ”
“ Not quite . Now we know who Echohawk is – and she probably posted that bounty , too . Let’s get out of here . The police here aren’t playing around . ”
And so , the last two slipped away into the darkness .
Hudson , even as he blacked out , never realized that four separate groups had been hunting him tonight – he couldn’t have escaped ”
Aria glanced sideways into the darkness , thinking she owed those freelancers a tip – couldn’t have them go home empty – handed .
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Originally, she’d planned to handle everything herself , but hadn’t expected Owen to jump in two ,
She asked , “ Did we catch the other group ? ”
Fryderyk nodded . “ We did . Their accounts have already been hacked and frozen . This case is a huge win the higher ops are taking || very chea thank your friend for us . She came to the station and things went much smoother with her help .
That company was tougher than they’d anticipated , with partnerships across several firms , and the money they recovered was enormous,
It would take some time to sort it all out , but Aria and Owen’s money had only been bait – it was never actually moved .
On the way back , Aria leaned her head against the seat , eyes closed , deep in thought .
Everything had gone a little too smoothly .
She couldn’t shake the feeling there was still another player in the shadows .
“ Sir , Thirteenth Sigil has been wiped out . All the funds in that shell company’s account have been recovered by the Huthailian police .
High above the city , a man sat in an executive chair , gazing out over the sparkling skyline .
He replied coolly , “ Just as expected . ”
His subordinate added , “ Hudson isn’t dead . ”
“ He’s not ? ” The man’s expression barely shifted . “ She really let him live ? ”
“ We have three survivors – do you want them silenced ? ”
“ That would be a waste of effort , ” the man answered , waving a hand . “ Leave them be . ”
“ Understood , sir . ”
Hashtags like “ Vanessa Walks Out Of New Year Show “ , “ Vanessa Angers TV Network “ , and “ Vanessa Disrupts Live Program And Faces Fines ” exploded Vanessa trended once again .
[ Vanessa will do anything to get attention . She just walked out in the middle of the show . ]