Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 232

Chapter 232

“Shadow’s death was unfortunate,” JOKER continued. “But it was her fate. I don’t know what she told you, but regardless of her words, I’m sure you understand the power Shadow Organization wields.”

I remained silent, calculating distances, angles, potential weapons.

“I don’t want to be your enemy,” JOKER said. “Perhaps we can negotiate. This conflict between us–it only leads to mutual destruction.”

He paused, letting his next words hang heavy in the air.

“But you have family and friends. One mercenary from Titan Defense Group was enough to lead you here, to leave you vulnerable. I could send operatives to Cloud City, to New York, and eliminate everyone you care about.”

I felt my jaw tighten.

“Why sacrifice yourself for a dead woman? As they say, every man for himself. Think about it.”

“Before you took Zach, I wasn’t planning to make the entire Shadow Organization pay for what happened to Shadow,” I said, my voice echoing off the concrete walls. “But now? You all die.”

In one fluid motion, I flung a knife toward Whisper, aiming for the hand holding the laptop. Simultaneously, I executed a backflip that landed me on a lower section of the second–floor platform. The knife hit its mark, and Whisper cursed as the laptop clattered to the floor.

Eight Shadow operatives emerged froin various hiding spots around the factory floor.

I drew my gun and fired twice, taking down the two closest agents with precision headshots. A third rushed me with a combat knife, but I sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and used his momentum to send him tumbling over the railing to the concrete floor below.

“In all my years with Shadow Organization,” Selene called out as she circled to flank me, “I’ve never seen this many operatives deployed for a single target.”

Whisper advanced from the other side, his injured hand wrapped in a makeshift bandage. “Why did Shadow train you to destroy us? What did she tell you? Why did she betray the organization?”

“Betray?” I laughed, a cold sound that echoed through the factory.

“What-” Whisper began, but I cut him off with a roundhouse kick that caught him in the ribs.

The fight intensified. I moved through the Shadow operatives like a deadly dancer, each movement precise and lethal. I dispatched agent after agent until only Selene and Whisper remained.

We shifted from blade work to pure hand–to–hand combat, a brutal ballet of strikes, blocks, and counters. I caught

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Chapter 232

Whisper with a side kick that sent him crashing into a wall with bone–jarring force.

“You fight exactly like her,” Selene hissed, blood trickling from a split lip.

The moment Whisper recovered, he lunged not for me, but toward the control for Zach’s rope. My heart stopped as I realized his intention.

“No!” I shouted, diving toward him, but I was too far away.

Whisper slashed the rope with a knife, and Zach began to plummet toward the concrete floor. In desperation, I kicked a dead operative’s body into position beneath him, providing some cushioning for his fall. It wasn’t ideal, but it might prevent fatal injuries.

Whisper tried to escape through a broken window, but I caught him by the collar and yanked him back. His head cracked against the wall, but he was still conscious enough to reach into his pocket and throw a handful of white

powder directly into my face.

I felt the burning immediately–my eyes, my nasal passages, my throat. I stumbled back, coughing violently, but maintained enough presence of mind to lunge forward, grabbing Whisper by the head. With one brutal, practiced motion, I twisted sharply, feeling the vertebrae snap beneath my hands. He went limp instantly, dead before his body crumpled to the ground.

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