The Veil (by Lady Eckland)

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Starring Gothamknight33 reprising his role as Marcus Shaw

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Starring Gothamknight33 reprising his role as Marcus Shaw

The penthouse was quiet, except for the soft hum of the city outside. Elena Vasquez knelt beside the body, her gloved hands carefully inspecting the scene. The man, Viktor Koval, was slumped against the wall, a gun loosely clutched in his hand. Blood had pooled beneath him, some of it splattered across the pristine hardwood floors.

On the surface, it looked like a suicide. But Elena had seen enough death to know when something wasn’t right.

She scanned the room, taking in the small details—the angle of the bullet wound, the position of the gun, the way the blood had sprayed. It was too clean, too deliberate. Whoever had killed Viktor had wanted it to look like a suicide, but they hadn’t done a good enough job to fool her.

Elena’s mind worked quickly, piecing together the crime scene. Viktor Koval wasn’t just another target. He was someone important, someone connected to the highest ranks of the High Table. And now he was dead.

She frowned, standing up slowly. This wasn’t the first time she’d been called in to clean up a mess for the High Table, but something about this job felt different. The fact that they’d sent her without so much as a briefing raised alarms. The Table didn’t trust easily, and they didn’t leave loose ends.

As she moved toward the door, a shadow fell across the room. Elena froze, her hand instinctively going to the silenced Glock in her holster. She turned slowly, her eyes narrowing as she took in the tall, impeccably dressed figure standing in the doorway.

Marcus Shaw.

The Debt Collector.

“Elena,” he said, his voice smooth and controlled, like the soft rustle of expensive fabric. “You’re early.”

She didn’t lower her gun. “Shaw. What are you doing here?”

He stepped inside, his movements deliberate, almost languid. He wore a dark, tailored suit that fit his tall, athletic frame perfectly, the faint shimmer of the fabric catching the dim light. His eyes, sharp and calculating, took in the scene with the same cold precision that had made him a legend within the High Table.

“I’m here to do what I always do,” Shaw replied. “Settle debts.”

Elena’s grip on her gun tightened. “This wasn’t a suicide.”

Shaw’s lips curved into a faint smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “No, it wasn’t.”

“So what happened here?”

Shaw took a step closer, his gaze settling on the body of Viktor Koval. “Koval owed a debt, and he paid it. The details don’t concern you.”

“They do if you expect me to clean this up,” Elena shot back, her voice hardening.

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