The thunder had faded to a distant murmur, but its weight still clung to the air.Rain traced long silver streaks down the windowpanes, the steady tapping echoing through the kitchen like a heartbeat trying to calm itself.
Jack sat at the table, his cup trembling faintly in his hands. The warmth of Arora's embrace still lingered on his skin — unreal, fragile, something he didn't dare break by speaking.He kept tracing the rim of the cup, letting the silence cradle him.
For the first time in years, he didn't feel alone.
Across from him, Arora stood near the counter, her fingers curled loosely against the edge.Her heartbeat had yet to return to normal.She could still feel the echo of his shiver beneath her palms — still hear the quiet "thank you" that had unsettled her more than any bullet ever could.
What are you doing, Arora… she thought. You can't afford to feel this way.
Then — Ring. Ring.
The sharp tone split the quiet in half.Arora flinched, blinking as if waking from a spell.
The screen glowed across the counter — Kelvin.
Her hand hovered above the phone for a moment before she answered."Speak."
Static hissed, followed by Kelvin's strained voice. "Leader— you need to hear this. It's about the woman we've been tracking."
Every trace of warmth left her face. "What did you find?"
"She's resurfaced," Kelvin said, his tone low, almost disbelieving. "West block. Abandoned textile warehouse. Same insignia as the last lead. The pattern matches… everything fits."
Arora's pulse quickened. "Are you sure?"
"I cross-checked twice. The intel's solid. But there's a catch."He hesitated, voice dropping even lower. "She's not alone. They've moved half a dozen men there. Looks like they're expecting someone."
Arora's grip tightened around the phone."They want me to come," she said quietly. "They're setting bait."
"Most likely," Kelvin replied. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
"Don't," she ordered. "Stay on standby. If you don't hear from me in thirty, move in."
There was a pause. "Arora… don't go alone."
But she already had her answer. "I have to."
She ended the call.
For a long second, she didn't move.The rain filled the silence again — patient, endless.
Her reflection wavered in the dark window glass: the Black Rose, the ruthless queen of the underworld, now standing barefoot in a kitchen with a cup of cold tea and a boy she barely knew sitting behind her.
Her thumb brushed over the phone's surface. Five years of chasing a ghost… and she finally appears tonight.
She turned toward the doorway.
Jack was there, leaning against the frame, watching her.His golden hair glowed faintly under the kitchen light, damp at the edges.He looked calm now, almost peaceful — a strange contrast to the chaos her call had just unleashed.
I can't leave him here, she realized. Not after tonight.He was still trembling at every thunder roll, still flinching at echoes in the dark.
He's not supposed to matter this much…But he did. Against every instinct, he did.
Arora took a slow breath. "You're coming with me."
Jack blinked. "Now? Where?"
She slipped her coat on, voice firm again. "Don't ask questions. Just stay close."
He tilted his head, smiling despite her tone. "Because I like traveling with you, Baby?"
Arora nearly groaned. "You really don't know when to shut up, do you?"
"Nope."
She turned away to hide the small twitch at the corner of her lips.If I didn't know who he really was, I'd almost think…She didn't finish the thought.
"Listen carefully," she said, her voice hardening. "We're going somewhere dangerous. Do exactly what I say."
Jack straightened. "Got it."
Her gaze lingered on him one moment longer than necessary. Then she nodded and pushed the door open.
The Drive
Outside, the storm had mellowed to a fine mist. Streetlights glimmered in puddles, turning the city into a thousand fractured reflections.
Inside the car, the wipers whispered across the glass in rhythmic arcs.Jack leaned his head against the window, watching the city dissolve into gold and shadow.
Arora's eyes stayed on the road, but her mind wandered.The mission pulsed at the back of her skull, but beneath it all was something far more dangerous — a strange calm that only he seemed to bring.
Why him? she thought. Why now?You've survived everything — wars, betrayals, blood — but one boy smiles and you lose focus?
The thought made her grip the wheel harder.
"Should I be cautious of anything there?" Jack asked suddenly.
Her voice was even. "Just stay beside me."
He nodded seriously. "Alright."
She risked a glance at him — his eyes reflected the neon lights outside, sincere and steady.It made something in her chest twist painfully.
He trusts me too much.And I'm not sure I deserve it.
The Hotel
The car stopped before a grand hotel whose windows shimmered like gold coins.Jack's eyes widened. "You live like this?"
"No," she said flatly. "I work like this."
Inside, the lobby smelled of roses and expensive lies.A man in a dark suit appeared from the shadows, his posture straight, his eyes sharp. "This way."
Arora followed, her heels echoing on marble, her composure flawless once more.Jack trailed after her, close enough for their hands to brush — a fleeting reminder that the warmth between them hadn't completely died with the storm.
They descended a narrow corridor behind the service elevator — a passage that grew darker and colder with each step.
Jack shivered. The air was heavy, metallic.
Then a figure appeared ahead — tall, lean, his smirk the same as the voice that haunted her intel reports.
"You finally came, Arora," he said smoothly.
Arora stopped a few paces away, her tone lethal calm. "Where is she?"
The man's grin widened. "Still impatient. You haven't changed."
"Neither have you," she said, her gaze cutting into him. "Still hiding behind rats and smoke."
The smirk faltered. The air thickened.
Behind her, Jack watched — wide-eyed, silent, completely out of place in this underworld of cold menace.He reached out, fingers brushing hers — a reflex, a plea.
Her hand tensed but didn't pull away."It's nothing, Jack," she murmured. "Stay close. Don't move until I say."
He nodded. "Just… come back safe."
Her eyes softened briefly. "I will."
Then, letting the warmth fall away, she stepped forward into the dark.
The chamber ahead smelled of damp concrete and gun oil. A dozen eyes followed her, waiting for her first move.
And somewhere beyond those walls, Jack whispered to the empty air: "Please be okay, Baby…"
The word floated like a prayer — fragile, foolish, but honest.
And as thunder rumbled one last time in the distance, Arora found herself standing on the razor's edge between the world she built…and the one he'd begun to awaken inside her.
Next phase of the night.
The warehouse turned out to be a dead lead.
By the time Arora and Nick's team cleared the place, the woman was gone — the entire setup rigged to detonate their intel trail.
But buried beneath the false files was a new address, one that made even Arora pause:
"Underground Sector 17 — Project Rose Archives."
She didn't need Kelvin to confirm it. Whoever was behind this had just invited her back into the past she'd spent years burying.
And if that's where the answers lay, she'd go.
By dawn, the Black Rose was on the move again — this time with Jack beside her.
And somewhere deep below the city, another trap was waiting to be sprung...