Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 213

Chapter 213

last desperate warning before death.

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On the other side, Theo was left speechless, just staring in shock.

He watched Stella set off the red flare. Since they’d entered the forest, he and Ivan had been glued to her side, until she made her move.

Theo had never seen anyone move that fast in his entire life.

Stella didn’t even blink. She dropped down out of nowhere, face cold as stone, and twisted K’s neck like it was nothing.

Stella lowered her gaze and said coolly, “Codename K, ranked seventeenth on the mercenary leaderboard. Four years ago, he was behind the East Ice Lake massacre in Estravia, killing 324 innocent civilians.”

Theo was left speechless.

‘So, Ms. Carter, how do you even know all this?’ Theo thought.

As for Ivan, he could finally confirm one thing. Back at the Red Shadow Training Grounds, Stella had definitely let Bill live on purpose.

Stella had left a Monterra trooper paralyzed for life, bedridden, never walking again. That was a fate way worse than just killing him.

Ivan was stunned.

‘Man, the old folks weren’t lying. Mess with a petty guy, never mess with a woman,’ Ivan thought.

Meanwhile, at the military base, Murray stood next to Hudson, both of them staring up at the red flare blazing over Haliville, their faces complicated.

Hudson’s voice wavered. He asked, “Is that?”

Murray nodded. It was the flare that signaled a mercenary’s death.

Every time one of those flares lit up the sky, it meant another codename had been erased forever. Chapter 213

Theo looked surprised. He asked, “Ms. Carter?”

The rest of the group joined him, heading her way.

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Stella sat like a boss, her eyes cold as ice. She raised her hand and slapped a file with info and photos of seven mercenaries onto the table, her face never showing a hint of emotion.

Theo and the others passed the file around, their faces growing darker with each page they read.

Stella said, “Choose a few to join me tonight.”

Theo frowned, saying, “Ms. Carter, these mercenaries are cold-blooded killers. I can’t let you put yourself at risk.”

Stella didn’t say a word. She just unhurriedly wrapped black bandages around her hands.

From the shadows, a haunting voice drifted out. Someone said, “Theo, you should be worried about those mercenaries.”

Ivan’s ghostly pale face appeared, and he let out a creepy laugh.

As the only one who lucked out and got to join the Red Shadow Training Grounds, Ivan felt pretty smug, as he was the only sober one in a room full of drunks.

The rest of the Yates family just stared at him in silence.

Theo was still worried. He said, “Ms. Carter.”

Stella looked up at him, her tone steady, saying, “The memorial day is in two days.”

Theo’s face stiffened.

Stella said, “I don’t want anyone messing with Mr. Gray.”

Absolutely no one could do that.

She stood up and walked over to Theo with a cold, careless air.

Stella said, “If you trust me, just come.”

She wasn’t going to push anyone.

Right after she spoke, Ivan slid over to Stella’s side.

Ivan said, “Blackie.”

His tone was almost fawning.

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Chapter 213

Blackie just gave him a blank look.

‘Idiot, it thought.

Theo said, “I’m in.”

Everyone chimed in behind him, “Me too.”

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Stella casually picked a few people, then suddenly turned her head toward Theo’s half-open door. She asked, “Are you having barbecue?”

Theo was left speechless.

Before he could answer, Stella gave her first faint smile since she got to the back mountain. She said, “I won’t keep you from your meal.”

*****

Meanwhile, a steamy encounter had just come to an end.

Celia lay sprawled on the bed, while the sound of someone lighting a cigarette drifted over from beside her.

Conrad said, “Those mercenaries are among the top-ranked fugitives worldwide, ruthless killers, every last

one of them.”

Celia didn’t say a word.

Conrad, who was usually all gentleman, gave a dark smile. He said, “I heard the military’s after them, too, but

it’s a shame.”

Celia said, “Are you really that confident?”

Conrad glanced sideways at her, asking, “You can still make it to the island on Memorial Day, right?” When Celia nodded, cigarette between his lips, he opened the drawer and tossed an invitation her way. He said, “Give this to Mr. Gray and Stella.”

Celia frowned, asking, “What’s this?”

Her face twisted in disgust at the mention of Stella.

Conrad pressed the cigarette out right on Celia’s chest. He said, “It’s the Gray family’s plan. Let’s give Sebastian a hard time.”

Celia’s hand shook as she took the invitation, but before she could catch her breath, another shadow fell over her.

Half an hour later, deep in the dense forest by the docks. The seven mercenaries, untracked by the military since they crossed the border, were now scattered, using cutting-edge gear to scout Sandridge Island, even breaking out thermal imagers.

Their leader, known as Butcher, found that his right eye just wouldn’t stop twitching.

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Chapter 213

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It had been acting up ever since they touched down in Haliville.

His right eye just wouldn’t stop twitching.

It was a bad omen.

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“Boss, we’re blind here,” one of his men suddenly called out over the special comms. “All our equipment’s dead on this island.”

Butcher frowned, asking, “How is that possible?”

But before he could get another word out, an eerie, mocking chuckle echoed through the comms.

“Found you,” someone said.

It was a girl’s sound.

Her tone was icy, taunting, and laced with darkness.

The words sent a chill straight down Butcher’s spine, making him break out in a cold sweat.

Butcher shouted, “Who the hell are you?”

But all he got in reply was a sharp, panicked cry from one of his men, and then, just dead silence on the other end of the comms.

Butcher asked, “Damn it, who the hell are you?”

Static crackled through the comms.

Two seconds later, that girl’s voice came back through the comms, softly humming a creepy lullaby that sounded even more haunting in the pitch-black silence.

Stella said, “One, two, three; little kids, four, five, six; little kids.”

Butcher just froze.

He had been a merc for years, blood, guts, chaos, he’d seen it all. But never, not once, had he felt fear like this.

Stella said, “Butcher, let the game begin.”

That ghostly girl’s voice tossed out those words, and the comms went totally dead.

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