Page 49 of The Sniper

Reyna’s world was a haze of pain and static, her head pounding from whatever drug Artemis had used. Waking up in what looked like a makeshift torture room was disconcerting and terrifying in equal measure. Her wrists burned where they were bound, the unforgiving bite of rope chafing against her skin. Her legs were tied at the ankles, restricting movement but not completely immobilizing her.

She was bound but not broken.

Her eyes adjusted to the dim light, tracing the crude setup—a battered metal chair bolted to the ground, a single overhead bulb casting harsh shadows along the cracked concrete floor, and a workbench lined with tools that had no business being in an industrial warehouse. There was no mistaking what this place was meant for.

This was a room for people who weren’t meant to leave.

A slow, measured set of footsteps echoed through the space, and then she saw her. Artemis.

The woman stepped into the light with an eerie calm, her movements precise and calculated. Gone was the sleek party disguise, replaced with combat boots, black tactical pants, and afitted thermal shirt that did nothing to soften the hard edges of her frame.

Reyna swallowed the dry heat building in her throat and forced her pulse to steady. She couldn’t afford to show weakness.

"Well, well, well," Reyna drawled, forcing an easy tone, though her body was already bracing for whatever was coming next. "If you wanted me tied up, you could’ve just asked. I’ve never had a woman tie me up, might be something I should try."

Artemis didn't take the bait. Instead, she stepped closer, tilting her head as if studying an insect under glass. "You don’t look scared."

"I don’t scare easily."

Artemis let out a soft hum, her fingers trailing over a knife on the workbench. "I suppose you wouldn’t. Daniels wouldn’t take a woman who couldn’t handle herself."

The way she said his name sent a jolt of unease through Reyna’s gut. Artemis didn’t say it with casual acknowledgment—there was something personal there, something dangerous.

"Let me guess," Reyna said, shifting in her bindings to gauge how much give she had. "This is the part where you monologue about your grand master plan before you kill me? If so, you’re going to have to do better. I’ve heard them all."

Artemis chuckled, the sound low and almost amused. "You think this is a game?"

"I think you’re stalling."

That earned her a slight smile, though there was no humor in it. Artemis walked around her, a slow, deliberate predator circling its wounded prey. "I should kill you now," she mused. "But I think I’d rather let you sit in this a little longer. Let you wonder if Daniels will get here in time."

Reyna didn't take the bait. She couldn't. The moment she showed even a flicker of fear, Artemis would pounce. Instead, she forced herself to lean back as if she were in the loungeat Club Southside, utterly unimpressed by the threat standing before her.

"You’re good," Reyna admitted. "I’ll give you that. You’re smart, well-trained, and you sure as hell know how to cover your tracks. But I know a grudge when I see one. This isn’t just business for you. It’s personal."

Something dark flickered in Artemis’s gaze. She turned, bracing her hands on the back of Reyna’s chair, leaning in close.

"You’re right," she whispered. "This is personal."

Reyna stilled, barely breathing as Artemis’s fingers traced the exposed skin on her forearm. Not as a caress, but as if she were deciding where to cut first.

"My sister," Artemis said, her voice deceptively soft, "was taken in one of those underground auctions your team raided. She was sold off like a piece of livestock. You were there that night, weren’t you?"

Reyna's mind worked fast, sifting through past missions, past faces. Too many auctions. Too many victims. Too many women they hadn't been able to save.

Artemis straightened, pacing slowly, her fingers curling into fists. "Cerberus came in, all guns blazing, thinking you were saving the day. You shut down that auction, arrested the ringleaders. But you didn’t get them all. You didn’t gether.My sister was taken before you even breached the doors."

Reyna shook her head slowly. That wasn’t uncommon. The underground auction circuits were designed for maximum secrecy. Sometimes, by the time they got there, the most valuable victims were already gone.

"You think we didn't try?" Reyna said, keeping her voice steady. "You think we didn’t track every lead? We don’t leave people behind."

"You leftherbehind." Artemis turned sharply, her eyes burning with something raw and unhinged. "She wasfifteen.Do you know what happens to a fifteen-year-old girl in that world?"

Reyna clenched her jaw. She knew. Sheknew.

Artemis’s breath shuddered. "I searched for her. I hunted them down. And when I finally got close enough…" Her lips curled. "She was already dead. Beaten. Used up and discarded. Just another girl lost to a system that does nothing but fail the innocent."

Reyna’s stomach twisted. "I'm sorry."

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