Masked in Blood

Rain had a way of making cities look innocent. Tonight, it washed over the glass towers and crooked alleyways of New Haven like it could scrub the whole place clean. Streetlights flickered through the mist, neon signs buzzed lazily, and the distant roar of traffic blurred into something almost peaceful. Almost. Raven Corvini stood on the edge of a rooftop twenty floors above the street, watching the rain bead and roll off the barrel of the sniper rifle in her hands. Her dark hair clung to the side of her face, soaked through, but she didn’t bother brushing it away. Her attention was fixed on the building across the street. Penthouse suite. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Target inside. She adjusted the scope slightly. The man inside laughed. Raven’s lip twitched. “Rich people really do laugh like the world can’t touch them,” a voice crackled softly in her earpiece. Her sister. Raven smirked faintly. “Focus, Luna.” “I am focused,” Luna replied, sounding offended. “I’m watching the security feeds while you cosplay as a dramatic rooftop assassin.” “Helpful.” “Always.” Raven exhaled slowly and looked through the scope again. The target moved across the room with a glass of whiskey in hand. Expensive suit. Gold watch. Greasy smile. Victor Hale. Arms dealer. Human trafficker. Professional monster. And tonight, he was supposed to disappear. “Security?” Raven asked quietly. “Still looping the cameras,” Luna said. “You’ve got six minutes before the system resets and someone notices the feed repeating.” Plenty of time. Raven rested her finger lightly against the trigger but didn’t pull it. Through the glass, Victor Hale raised his phone and started typing. Probably ordering another shipment of guns. Or people. Raven felt something cold settle in her chest. The same cold that had lived there for twelve years. “You’re doing the thing again,” Luna said. “What thing?” “The silent brooding revenge thing.” Raven didn’t answer. Because Luna wasn’t wrong. The rain fell harder, drumming softly against the rooftop. For a moment, Raven’s mind drifted somewhere else. Another night. Another storm. Another house filled with screaming. She had been twelve. Her sister had been eight. And the men who broke into their home had laughed just like Victor Hale was laughing now. The memory slammed shut before it could open too far. Raven’s grip tightened on the rifle. “Raven?” Luna asked quietly. “I’m here.” “You went quiet.” “Just thinking.” “Dangerous hobby.” Raven almost smiled. “Three minutes,” Luna added. Raven shifted the rifle again. Victor Hale moved closer to the window. Perfect. Her finger tightened on the trigger. Then— Her earpiece crackled. Not Luna. A different frequency. Both sisters froze. “…interesting.” The voice was male. Calm. Amused. And definitely not supposed to be there. Raven’s eyes narrowed. “Luna,” she whispered. “I hear it,” Luna said instantly. Her keyboard clacked rapidly in the background. “Someone’s on the line.” “No kidding.” “Trying to trace them.” The stranger chuckled softly in Raven’s ear. “You won’t find me that easily.” Raven didn’t move the rifle. “Who are you?” “Someone who appreciates talent.” Victor Hale stepped closer to the window. Raven ignored him. Her focus was now entirely on the voice. “You hacked our channel,” she said flatly. “Yes.” “Why?” “Because watching you two amateurs dismantle a security system designed by former military engineers was… entertaining.” Luna scoffed loudly in Raven’s ear. “Amateurs? I’ll show him amateur.” “Easy,” Raven murmured. The man continued. “And because I’d like to offer you a job.” Raven blinked. Of all the things she expected, that wasn’t one of them. “You’re interrupting a job,” she said. “Yes,” the voice replied calmly. “A very sloppy one.” Raven’s eyebrow twitched. “Sloppy?” “Your sniper position is visible from the adjacent tower if anyone happens to look up. The building you’re in has a motion sensor on floor seventeen that you missed. And the police patrol on Fifth Avenue will arrive in exactly four minutes.” Luna stopped typing. “…Raven,” she said slowly. “He’s right.” Raven’s stomach dropped. The voice continued. “But don’t worry. I admire initiative.” Victor Hale raised his whiskey glass toward the window. Raven pulled the trigger. The rifle cracked through the rain. The glass shattered. Victor Hale collapsed before he even understood what happened. Silence filled the line for a moment. Then the man laughed softly. “Well,” he said. “Efficient.” Raven quickly dismantled the rifle. “Luna, exit route.” “Already mapping,” Luna replied. “But we’ve got a problem.” “Of course we do.” “Guess who just activated the building alarms?” Raven paused. “Not you?” “No.” They both spoke at the same time. “The mystery stalker.” The voice returned smoothly. “That would be me.” Raven zipped the rifle into its case. “You set us up.” “No,” the man said. “I tested you.” Sirens wailed faintly in the distance. Getting closer. Luna swore. “Police are two blocks away.” Raven grabbed the rooftop ladder. “Why?” The stranger sounded amused again. “Because I wanted to see how you react under pressure.” “Congratulations,” Raven muttered. “You’re about to see us leave.” She started climbing down. “Wait,” the man said. Raven paused halfway down the ladder. The rain dripped from her jaw. “Ten million dollars,” he said. Raven stopped moving. Luna stopped breathing. “What?” Luna whispered. “Ten million,” the voice repeated. “For a single job.” Raven climbed down the rest of the ladder. Her boots hit the metal walkway with a quiet clang. “You’re lying.” “I rarely lie.” “Who are you?” A pause. Then the man finally answered. “Call me Blackwood.” Luna’s keyboard clattered again. “Searching the name.” “Don’t bother,” Blackwood said mildly. “You won’t find anything useful.” Raven hurried down the stairwell. Sirens screamed louder now. Police lights reflected against the rain-soaked windows. “You’re offering ten million dollars,” Raven said carefully, “to two criminals you’ve never met.” “Oh, I’ve met you,” Blackwood said. Raven stopped at the stairwell door. “What?” “I’ve been watching you for six months.” The silence that followed was dangerous. “Creepy,” Luna muttered. Blackwood ignored her. “You steal from criminal organizations,” he continued. “You leak information about traffickers to anonymous tip lines. You dismantle operations that law enforcement conveniently fails to notice.” Raven’s grip tightened on the door handle. “And?” “And,” Blackwood said calmly, “I run an organization that does the same thing. Only on a much larger scale.” Raven pushed the door open and slipped into the hallway. “You’re a vigilante.” “No,” he said. “Something far more organized.” Luna gasped softly in Raven’s ear. “Oh my— Raven.” “What?” “You’re not going to believe this.” “What?” Luna’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I think he’s serious.” Sirens wailed outside the building. Blackwood spoke again. “You want revenge,” he said. Raven froze. “Don’t,” she said quietly. “I know what happened to your parents.” Her blood turned to ice. The hallway suddenly felt very small. “How?” she asked. “Because the people responsible are on my list.” Raven’s heart pounded. Blackwood’s voice softened. “And if you take my job… they can be on yours too.” For the first time in years— Raven Corvini hesitated.