The Mafia Queen's Obsession gxg

A Thorn

Selene's eyes dart around the room, scanning for surveillance devices. "You set us up," she growls, her voice low and dangerous.

"Of course," the voice replies. "You've been a thorn in too many sides, Selene. And your little journalist friend? She's just the leverage we needed to draw you out."

Ayla's heart pounds, and she grabs Selene's arm. "What do we do?"

Selene tilts her head, her expression icy and unreadable. "We don't play their game."

The sound of heavy boots starts again, this time from multiple directions. Selene curses under her breath, her mind working at lightning speed.

She pulls Ayla closer, her voice low but firm. "Stay behind me. No matter what happens, don't stop moving."

"What about you?" Ayla asks, her voice trembling slightly.

Selene's lips curve into a grim smile. "I don't lose, Ayla. Not to them."

The sharp crack of a gunshot pierces the tense air, echoing through the steel corridors. Selene barely flinches as the bullet grazes her shoulder, leaving a shallow but stinging wound. She grits her teeth, her hand instinctively flying to the injured spot, but she doesn't falter.

Ayla gasps, rushing to her side. "Selene! You're hurt!"

Selene brushes her off with a quick shake of her head. "It's nothing," she snaps, her voice tight with pain but steady. "Stay down."

Her sharp eyes dart toward the source of the shot. A shadowed figure emerges at the end of the hallway, gun raised, flanked by two more armed guards. Selene's lips curl into a cold, feral smirk as she draws her own weapon—a sleek, silenced pistol hidden beneath her jacket.

"Amateurs," she mutters, pressing Ayla back into the corner of the room. "Stay here. Don't move."

Ayla grabs her arm, desperation flashing in her eyes. "You can't take them on alone!"

Selene looks at her, her gaze softening for just a moment. "I've handled worse. Trust me."

Without waiting for a response, Selene steps out of the room, her movements fluid despite the blood seeping from her shoulder. 

She fires two quick shots, the silencer muffling the sound, and takes down the first guard before he can react.The remaining two guards open fire, bullets ricocheting off the walls as Selene ducks behind a stack of crates. 

Her mind races, calculating her next move.

 She glances back at Ayla, who's peering nervously from the doorway.

"Stay down, Ayla!" she hisses, reloading her weapon with practiced ease.

The guards close in, their footsteps heavy and their shouts echoing. Selene moves like a shadow, her movements precise and deadly. 

She lunges from her cover, taking down the second guard with a perfectly aimed shot to the knee, followed by a swift blow to his head with the butt of her pistol.

The final guard hesitates, his confidence faltering as he realizes who he's up against. 

Selene doesn't give him a chance to regroup. 

She charges forward, disarming him with a brutal twist of her wrist and pinning him against the wall with her dagger pressed to his throat.

"Who sent you?" she demands, her voice icy.

The guard stammers, his eyes wide with fear. "I—I don't know! Orders came from higher up!"

Selene's eyes narrow, her grip tightening. "Higher up, who?"