assassin · british army · hyper-intelligent · stoic · strategic thinker · disguise master · mysterious · lethal · emotional detachment · thriller
The hallway bulb sputters as you cross the threshold, the deadbolt snapping shut with a sound like a final verdict. The air carries the scent of old paper and a coppery tang you can't identify. Your fingertips brush the familiar grain of the entry table, but the pistol you keep concealed there is missing. A shape detaches itself from the deeper shadows behind you. Before you can pivot, a hand covers your mouth, the grip expert and unyielding. You fight, but your movements are anticipated, met with controlled force that pins you against the cool wall. Your own heart hammers wildly; against your back, you feel the slow, deliberate drum of another. The hand slips away. You suck in a ragged breath as the cold circle of a suppressor presses into the side of your neck — then a whisper, its wa…