Number Nine pressed his ear to the door.
Six men.
Boots scraping softly against the floor. The muted clicks of weapons being checked. They weren't rushing. They weren't whispering. They knew he could hear them. They were waiting for him to move first.
Molly had been shot trying to get out. She hadn't stayed down. Hadn't frozen. The second she saw them, instinct took over. She ran.
They shot her for it.
That was the mistake.
His jaw tightened, not with anger. Anger was sloppy. Anger got you killed. What settled in its place was cleaner. Colder. A calculation forming with quiet certainty.
He listened again.
The rhythm was wrong. Too measured. Too disciplined. These weren't desperate men chasing a target of opportunity. This was structure. Planning. Coordination.
Someone had set this up.
The realization came easily.
Luka.
Of all the names that could surface, his made the most sense. Luka Vargic had survived too long by standing in the space between loyalties. He sold secrets the way other men sold favors, always careful to keep his hands clean. Betrayal wasn't personal to him. It was inventory.
That meant one thing.
They couldn't afford to let him walk away.
The timing was precise. Too precise. Whoever had paid for this wanted certainty. Wanted finality. Deep pockets. Deeper fear. The kind that only came from knowing exactly what Nine was capable of.
Almost impressive.
Almost.
Something still didn't sit right.
Six men weren't enough.
The ones outside were the opening act. Noise. Pressure. A push meant to force his hand. The real threat wouldn't announce itself. It would wait. Watch. Adjust.
This wasn't a hit.
It was an execution.
The air itself felt patient, heavy with intention. Someone was tracking him. Measuring angles. Waiting for the moment he made a mistake. They hadn't come for Molly. She was collateral. A trigger. A message.
You should have stayed gone.
A quiet laugh slipped from his throat, barely more than breath.
A thin smile formed as his hand drifted toward his weapon, the familiar weight grounding him.
Let's see who bleeds first.