Aidan Kade had never believed in ghosts.
But to the men inside The Dragon's Den, he was nothing less than one.
Silent. Lethal. Unstoppable.
He remained in the shadows, his eyes locked on Dragon Skin as the crime lord lounged on his grotesque throne. Around him, his elite enforcers stood like statues, their weapons primed, their gazes scanning the room. The air was thick with the scent of blood, sweat, and burning incense a macabre mixture that matched the place perfectly.
Aidan tightened his grip on the suppressed pistol in his hand. There was no way to kill Dragon Skin yet. Too many guards. Too much firepower. He needed to cut through them first.
One by one.
His fingers danced over the trigger.
A single, precise shot snapped through the air, striking the first guard in the temple. The man collapsed without a sound, his rifle slipping from his grip.
The second never even had time to react.
Aidan's knife flashed, slicing through flesh and bone as he slit another enforcer's throat. The man's gurgled death cry was muffled as Aidan lowered him to the ground.
The room remained oblivious to the slaughter in the dark.
Aidan moved swiftly, weaving between pillars, using every inch of shadow to his advantage. Each step was calculated, each motion controlled.
Another silenced shot.
Another body fell.
Then—
Click.
The sharp sound of a rifle's safety being switched off.
Aidan twisted just as a guard spotted him, his finger pulling the trigger.
The explosion of gunfire shattered the silence.
The hall erupted into chaos.
Shouts filled the air as Dragon Skin's men scrambled into action. Boots pounded against the marble floors. Weapons snapped to shoulders. Red laser sights cut through the darkness, sweeping over pillars, searching.
Aidan moved.
He sprinted forward, ducking low as bullets tore through the air where he had stood a heartbeat before. He fired three quick shots, each one a perfect headshot. Three guards dropped like ragdolls.
Then he was among them.
A knife to the gut. A gun to the skull. A brutal elbow strike that sent a man crashing into a pillar, his spine snapping on impact.
Aidan fought like a storm fluid, unrelenting, merciless.
A guard lunged at him with a knife. Aidan caught his wrist, twisted, and drove the blade into the man's own throat.
Another came from behind. Aidan ducked under the wild swing of a rifle, pivoted, and sent a round into the man's chest.
More men poured in.
Dragon Skin rose from his throne, his eyes narrowing.
"This is him, isn't it?" His voice was deep, rumbling like an earthquake.
One of his enforcers nodded frantically. "Boss, we need to...."
Aidan shot the man in the face before he could finish.
Dragon Skin didn't flinch.
Instead, he smiled.
"You should've brought an army, assassin."
Aidan didn't respond. Words were wasted on men like him.
He reloaded his pistol with a smooth motion, dropping the spent magazine, sliding in another.
Dragon Skin snapped his fingers.
From the shadows, more enforcers emerged,dozens of them, all heavily armed, all highly trained.
Aidan exhaled slowly.
Good.
Let them come.
The next few minutes were a blur of gunfire and blood.
Aidan moved like a wraith, weaving through the onslaught, his suppressed pistol coughing death.
One shot, one kill.
One movement, one body down.
His knife found flesh. His bullets found skulls.
Guards fell in rapid succession, their weapons clattering uselessly to the floor. The air reeked of gunpowder and death.
Still, they kept coming.
Aidan grabbed a fallen rifle, spinning and unloading rounds into the advancing wave. Muzzles flashed, bodies convulsed.
A bullet grazed his shoulder. He ignored the pain, twisted, and drove his knife into a man's gut, wrenching it upward.
More gunfire. More screams.
Blood pooled beneath his boots.
Aidan reloaded on the move, his breathing controlled, his mind a razor's edge.
Dragon Skin watched, his expression unreadable.
Then, finally, the shooting stopped.
Silence settled over the hall.
The floor was littered with corpses.
Aidan stood in the center, his breath steady, his pistol still smoking.
Only one man remained.
Dragon Skin.
The crime lord sighed, stepping down from his throne. He pulled off his silk robe, revealing a scarred, muscle bound frame. Gold rings glistened on his thick fingers. His knuckles cracked as he flexed his hands.
He wasn't afraid.
He was amused.
"I'll admit," Dragon Skin mused, rolling his shoulders, "I've seen some impressive killers in my time." His gaze swept over the carnage. "But you? You're something else."
Aidan didn't move. Didn't speak.
Dragon Skin smirked.
"I respect that."
Then, without warning, he attacked.
For a man his size, Dragon Skin was fast.
He closed the distance in an instant, throwing a devastating punch.
Aidan barely dodged in time. The air cracked as Dragon Skin's fist slammed into a pillar, shattering the stone.
Aidan countered, driving his knife toward the crime lord's ribs.
Dragon Skin caught his wrist mid-strike.
With inhuman strength, he lifted Aidan off the ground and hurled him across the hall.
Aidan crashed against the marble floor, pain flaring through his ribs. He rolled instantly, avoiding the follow up stomp that would've caved in his skull.
He flipped back to his feet, exhaling.
This man was no ordinary fighter.
Dragon Skin grinned, bloodlust flashing in his eyes. "I was born in war, assassin."
He lunged again.
Aidan ducked, weaving under the assault, striking with pinpoint precision, his fist slamming into Dragon Skin's throat.
The crime lord barely staggered.
Instead, he laughed.
Then he struck.
Aidan managed to dodge most of the blow, but Dragon Skin's fist still clipped his side, sending him skidding backward.
Dragon Skin was more than just muscle.
He was a monster.
Aidan adjusted his stance. This wasn't about brute force.
It was about skill.
Dragon Skin charged.
Aidan sidestepped, pivoted, and drove his knife deep into the man's side.
Dragon Skin grunted, backhanding Aidan with bone crushing force.
Aidan hit the ground hard, tasting blood.
Dragon Skin wrenched the knife from his body and laughed.
"You actually hurt me," he mused. "Not many can do that."
Aidan wiped the blood from his lips. He had to end this now.
He reached for his pistol.
But Dragon Skin was faster.
The crime lord grabbed a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and hurled it.
Aidan's eyes widened.
Shit.
He leapt back as the explosion ripped through the hall, debris raining down, fire licking at the walls.
Dragon Skin used the chaos to retreat, vanishing into a hidden passage behind his throne.
Aidan surged forward, but it was too late.
The door sealed shut.
Dragon Skin's voice echoed from the intercoms.
"You're good, assassin. But not good enough."
Aidan exhaled, his fingers tightening around his pistol.
He looked around the burning hall, at the bodies strewn across the floor.
He had slaughtered them all.
All but one.
Dragon Skin was running.
But Aidan Kade never left a job unfinished.
This wasn't over.
Not yet.