Page 17 of The Sniper

“Reyna,” he said, his voice low. “You don’t have to do this alone. Whatever this is—whatever they’re trying to do to you and Cerberus—we’ll figure it out.”

Her eyes searched his, and for a moment, he thought she might say something. But then she nodded, her grip on his hand tightening ever so slightly. It wasn’t a declaration, but it was enough.

Daniels stepped back, giving her space as he moved to the small table where their gear was spread out. The note they’d found in the alley lay there, along with the photos of Veda and the collar from the crime scene. His eyes narrowed as he studied the photos again, his mind piecing together the fragments of the puzzle.

“Veda was careful,” Reyna said, breaking the silence. “She didn’t take risks, not like this.”

“Someone forced her hand,” Daniels said, his voice steady. He picked up the note, the cryptic message still gnawing at him. “But why? What were they trying to tell us?”

Reyna leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she stared at the photos. “The collar. It wasn’t hers, but it was deliberate. Someone wanted us to see it.”

Daniels nodded, his jaw tightening. “You recognized it.”

“Yes. We’ve seen ones like it before. That part Harris did get right, it’s the same kind used by the Obsidian Cartel. They wanted us to know she was connected to them. This wasn’t random.”

Reyna’s gaze flicked to the note, her brow furrowing before she continued. “What if it’s not a message for Cerberus? What if it’s a warning?”

Daniels frowned, the pieces clicking into place. “You think they’re targeting others in the community?”

“It’s possible,” Reyna said, her voice grim. “If Veda knew something she shouldn’t have, she wouldn’t have been the only one.”

Daniels exhaled, his mind racing. The stakes were higher than he’d realized, and the clock was ticking. Whoever was behind this wasn’t just coming for Cerberus—they were coming for everyone tied to Veda’s secret.

“We’ll figure it out,” he said, his voice firm. He turned to Reyna, his gaze steady. “But you’re not going into this alone. Not this time.”

Her lips parted as if to argue, but she stopped herself, her expression softening. “Okay,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Daniels nodded, a flicker of relief coursing through him. For now, it was enough. But as he glanced at the photos on the table, the enormity of what might lie ahead coiled tightly in his chest. The danger wasn’t over—it was just beginning. And this time, he wasn’t sure if even he could keep Reyna safe.

CHAPTER SEVEN

REYNA

The glow of her laptop screen illuminated the dimly lit office in the Cerberus headquarters as Reyna hunched over her desk, her fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard. Coffee sat forgotten and cold at her elbow, its sharp, bitter aroma a faint reminder of how long she'd been at this. Hours of sifting through files, cross-referencing names, and piecing together fragmented bits of information had brought her closer to understanding Veda’s connections—and yet the answers still felt just out of reach.

A folder sat open next to her, its contents spread across the desk like the remnants of a broken puzzle. Photos, snippets of emails, bank statements, and notes she’d scrawled in her tight, precise handwriting. At the center of it all was Veda’s face—smiling in some, fierce and commanding in others. This wasn’t just a job. It felt personal now. Someone had targeted Veda, dragged Cerberus into the middle of it, and left a bloody trail daring them to pick up the pieces.

“Come on, Veda,” Reyna muttered under her breath, leaning closer to the screen. “What were you into?”

Her eyes scanned the latest file she’d decrypted—an email chain between Veda and an anonymous account. Technologywasn’t really her thing unless it was tied to a new kind of sniper rifle, but she was doing the best she could with what she had. She’d given everything to the tech gods and was hoping they’d find more than she did.

The messages were coded but not so subtle that she hadn’t been able to dig through some of the top digital layers. They spoke of secrets held in exchange for silence, threats of exposure, and payments funneled discreetly through offshore accounts. Blackmail. The realization settled heavily in her chest. Someone in the BDSM community had been leveraging Veda’s reputation and connections to manipulate others—and it hadn’t ended well.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts, and she glanced up to see Daniels leaning against the frame, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. His dark eyes locked onto hers, steady and calm, but there was an edge to his gaze, something that made her pulse jump even as she pretended not to notice.

Reyna glanced around—it was after hours. “How did you get in here?”

“King gave me a key and a keycard the last time I worked with Cerberus. I figured you’d still be here,” he said, stepping into the room without waiting for an invitation. “It’s past midnight. Do you ever sleep?”

“I’ll sleep when we’ve got answers,” Reyna replied, turning her attention back to the screen. She heard the door close behind him, his footsteps soft as he crossed the room and leaned against the corner of her desk.

“You found something.” It wasn’t a question. Daniels had a way of reading her, of seeing through the walls she put up. It was both infuriating and, in a way, reassuring.

“Maybe,” she said, gesturing to the files. “Veda wasn’t as clean as she seemed. She was involved in blackmail—big namesin the scene, people with a lot to lose. She wasn’t just a player. She was a power broker.”

Daniels picked up one of the photos, his jaw tightening as he studied it. “And someone decided they’d had enough of her games.”

“Or she pushed the wrong person too far,” Reyna agreed. She pulled up another file on the laptop, her fingers flying across the keyboard. “I’ve already started a list of potential suspects—people she was in contact with, clients, partners. But it’s a long list, and most of these names are aliases. It’s going to take time to figure out who they really are.”

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