Mystery Chaser: The Assassination

Gabriel's pulse quickened as he followed the mysterious woman down the cold, dimly lit hallway. His instincts screamed at him to be cautious—she could be leading him into a trap, or worse, playing him for a fool. But the way she had reacted when he fired at her, the swift, almost instinctive movements… they told him something. She wasn't just another mercenary. She was someone who knew what she was doing, someone who had seen the darker side of the world and survived it.

She didn't seem like a threat. But then again, neither did Blackwood when Gabriel first met him. Trust was a luxury Gabriel could no longer afford.

Her footsteps echoed in the narrow corridor, the sound bouncing off the cold, concrete walls. Despite his mistrust, he couldn't help but notice how she moved. It was familiar—almost too familiar. The way she navigated the space, the careful calculations behind each step. It reminded him of someone. Someone he had not thought about in years.

"Keep up," she called over her shoulder, her voice steady but urgent.

Gabriel didn't respond. His thoughts were racing. The feeling gnawed at him, that prickling sensation at the back of his mind. He had seen someone move like that before—someone he'd trusted, someone he'd lost.

"Who are you?" Gabriel asked, his voice low but firm.

The woman didn't break stride. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes cold, calculating. "I told you. Not important."

But her tone shifted ever so slightly, and that was all Gabriel needed. There was something in her voice. A familiarity, a weight of recognition. His mind reeled as the name flashed before his eyes.

Lena Harper.

His heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be. Lena was supposed to be dead. He had seen her die—at least, that was what he had thought. The fire had consumed everything. But as he watched the woman's back in front of him, the memories of the old case began to resurface, bringing with them a torrent of emotions.

Lena had been his partner, his closest confidant in the early days. They had solved cases together, fought side by side. But then came the incident—the fire that had taken her life, the explosion that had obliterated their safe house, and the mission that had gone horribly wrong. Gabriel had buried her memory deep, convinced that there was nothing left of her, that she had simply been another casualty of a world too broken to save.

But now, here she was, walking ahead of him as though nothing had happened.

"Lena," he breathed, barely above a whisper, as though the name might be a lie if spoken too loudly.

She stopped in her tracks, her back stiffening as if she had been waiting for him to say it. Slowly, she turned to face him. Her eyes locked onto his with a sharpness that sent a shiver down his spine. There was a flicker of recognition in her gaze, but there was also something else—a coldness that hadn't been there before.

"You shouldn't have come looking for me, Gabriel," she said, her voice soft, almost sorrowful.

He stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists. "You're alive… How?"

Lena didn't answer immediately. Her eyes darted around, scanning the shadows, as if to make sure no one was watching. The hallway stretched endlessly before them, but the air between them was thick with tension.

"How did you survive?" Gabriel repeated, his voice sharper now.

She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as if the weight of the past was pressing down on her. "I didn't. Not in the way you think. I had to disappear. I was supposed to die, Gabriel. The explosion, the fire—it was all part of a plan. A way to keep me hidden. You were never meant to find me."

Gabriel's mind spun. "What do you mean? I watched you burn. I thought I lost you."

A wry smile touched her lips, but it was a hollow one. "I'm not that easy to kill."

There was a moment of silence between them. Gabriel's mind raced to process what she was saying. If Lena had faked her death… then what had happened to her? Who was behind the deception? And why? The more questions he asked, the more he realized that everything he thought he knew about his past—and his future—was built on lies.

"I don't understand," he muttered, frustration creeping into his voice. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you trust me?"

Lena's expression softened for a fraction of a second. Then, just as quickly, the mask of control returned. "You wouldn't have understood, Gabriel. There were things I couldn't explain. Things I couldn't bring you into. I had to disappear for your own good."

For his own good. The words stung, and Gabriel fought to suppress the surge of anger that threatened to boil over.

"Then what? Why show up now? After everything?" His voice cracked slightly, betraying the years of hurt he had buried deep inside.

"Because," she said, her voice quieter now, but filled with a gravity that made his chest tighten, "Blackwood is coming for you. And if you don't stop him, he'll tear this whole city apart."

A chill ran through Gabriel at the mention of Blackwood. For all the pain Lena's return had brought, the name of his old adversary sent a different kind of shiver down his spine. Blackwood had always been more than a simple criminal mastermind. He was methodical, ruthless, and had a way of getting into the minds of his enemies, playing with them like pawns on a chessboard.

Gabriel looked at Lena, his mind working overtime. She had been gone so long, and yet, here she was, reappearing at the worst possible moment. He didn't know whether to trust her or hate her, but one thing was for certain: if what she said about Blackwood was true, then everything had just gotten much worse.

"I didn't ask for this," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

"You never do," Lena replied. Her voice was steady, but there was a glimmer of regret in her eyes. "But you have to stop him, Gabriel. You're the only one who can."

Gabriel stared at her for a long moment, trying to reconcile the woman in front of him with the ghost of the past he had buried. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, to make sense of it all. But there were no more answers to be had, not from her. And time was running out.

"Let's go," he said, his voice hardening as he steeled himself for the fight ahead. "I'm not running anymore."

Lena nodded, her eyes narrowing as she turned away, leading the way down the hallway. Gabriel followed, his mind still reeling, but now with a new sense of purpose. Whatever had happened to Lena, whatever secrets she was hiding, they would have to wait. Blackwood was coming. And Gabriel wasn't going to wait for him.