Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 200

Chapter 200

Author’s POV:

Eclipse stumbled through the side entrance of the compound, clutching his bleeding arm. Blood seeped between his fingers, staining his tactical gear. His face, usually a mask of cold professionalism, now betrayed genuine shock.

Ace of Spades looked up from his desk, eyebrow raised. “Problems?”

“She’s…” Eclipse paused, struggling to find words. “Her fighting style, her movements–they’re identical to Shadow’s. Exactly the same.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Ace of Spades set down his glass, ice cubes clinking against crystal. “Are you certain?”

Eclipse nodded grimly. “I am.”

“How is that possible?” Ace of Spades rose from his chair, moving to the window. “Shadow died years ago. We

confirmed it.”

“I don’t know,” Eclipse admitted, applying pressure to his wound. “But I trained with Shadow daily. I know her movements like my own reflection.” His voice lowered. “If I hadn’t been staring directly at that girl’s face, I would have sworn I was fighting Shadow herself.”

Ace of Spades turned, eyes narrowing. “And her skill level?”

“I couldn’t gauge her full capabilities. She wasn’t fighting at maximum capacity.” Eclipse’s jaw tightened. “But her potential… I believe it matches or exceeds your own.”

The admission cost him–Eclipse was not a man who acknowledged others‘ superiority easily. Before Ace of Spades could respond, a soft scrape of metal against concrete drew both men’s attention to the balcony.

Jade perched on the railing, tactical knife gleaming in the dim light. “Let me correct you,” she said, voice eerily calm. ‘My skills exceed his.”

Eclipse instantly moved between Jade and Ace of Spades, drawing his weapon despite his injury.

Ace of Spades remained unnervingly calm. “Impressive entrance. Perhaps you’d care to introduce yourself properly? It seems only fair I know who I’m about to kill.”

Jade’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Ask King of Hearts when you see him.”

“Bold words,” Ace of Spades replied, reaching slowly for the gun holstered at his side.

Before he could grasp it, the main door crashed open. Night strode in, Ethan Haxton at his heels.

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Chapter 200

“Hey!” Night called, his Slavic accent thick with amusement. “Your opponent is over here.”

Eclipse tensed, clearly calculating odds that had suddenly shifted against them.

“I don’t believe we have any quarrel,” Ace of Spades said smoothly, addressing Night and Ethan. “Perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding?”

“I don’t think so,” Jade replied, her voice ice. “I remember everything perfectly.”

969

The room exploded into motion. Jade launched herself at Ace of Spades while Night and Ethan, in a rare display of cooperation, moved against Eclipse. The two men who had been constantly at odds now fought with surprising coordination, complementing each other’s styles as they pressed Eclipse backward.

Throughout the building, the guards fell silently as Chris Jensen, Sloane, and Maverick systematically cleared each floor. Alarms blared too late–the compound was already compromised.

Ace of Spades parried Jade’s attack with surprising speed, confirming Eclipse’s assessment. “You fight exactly like her,” he muttered, eyes widening as Jade executed a signature move only Shadow had mastered. “How is this possible?”

Jade didn’t bother responding, intensifying her assault. Each strike flowed into the next with lethal precision.

A flash of movement caught her peripheral vision–Ethan had momentarily lost focus, glancing her way. Eclipse seized the opportunity, his blade slicing across Ethan’s arm. Blood bloomed through the expensive fabric of his shirt.

Ace of Spades, recognizing the losing battle, abruptly disengaged and vaulted over the balcony railing.

‘Shit!” Jade hissed, immediately in pursuit.

Ethan called after her, but Night’s sharp command kept him focused on Eclipse. “Don’t get distracted! This one’s still dangerous!”

Sloane burst through the door, taking in Ethan’s injury with a single glance before joining the fight against Eclipse. “Go after her,” she told Ethan. “We’ve got this.”

Ethan didn’t need to be told twice. He sprinted down the stairs, leaving Night and Sloane to finish the battle.

Outside, Connor intercepted him. “Mr. Haxton, you’re injured-”

“Where’s Jade?” Ethan demanded, ignoring the blood soaking his sleeve.

“Miss Morgan took a vehicle and pursued someone heading southeast,” Connor reported, already moving toward

their car.

Ethan slid into the passenger seat, leaving Connor to drive. “Follow them. Now.”

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Chapter 200

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They sped through the darkened streets of Crimson Valley, heading away from the city center. Ethan’s arm throbbed, but he barely registered the pain. His eyes scanned the empty road ahead, searching for any sign of Jade.

“Twenty–two miles out, sir,” Connor noted as they continued their pursuit. “We might have lost them.”

“Keep going,” Ethan insisted, his voice tight.

The distant glow appeared on the horizon like a malevolent sunset. As they rounded a bend, the source became clear -two vehicles engulfed in flames, casting flickering shadows across the barren landscape.

Connor slowed the car. “Sir, I don’t think-”

Ethan was already out of the vehicle before it fully stopped. The smell of burning fuel and scorched metal filled his lungs as he approached the wreckage. Blood stained the ground in dark patches, leading away from the crash. A charred body lay half–ejected from one vehicle, features unrecognizable.

Ethan’s heart hammered in his chest until he spotted a black jacket discarded nearby–Jade’s jacket. Something cold and terrible seized his chest. His brain hadn’t fully processed the implications before his body was already running toward the burning wreckage.

“JADE!” he shouted, voice raw with desperation.

Another explosion rocked the night as one of the vehicles‘ fuel tanks ignited. The blast of heat forced Ethan back, flames leaping higher into the darkness. In the improved illumination, he could finally confirm the charred body

wasn’t Jade.

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