Whispers From A Paper HeAart Amara Blue Knight 9

Chapter 9 

Raymond’s fingers locked around her throat. In that instant, Marina knew death was right there, closing in. 

Staring into his bloodshot, furious eyes, she saw her own distorted reflection. 

Her resolve was shattered completely, 

Tears streaming down her face, she spilled everything in a frantic, broken rush. 

She started from the beginning, confessing to the greed that took root the moment she joined Lycoris and realized Raymond held the true power. 

She admitted to weaponizing her miserable childhood to manipulate sympathy. She laid bare her plot to strip Katherine of everything–her missions, her standing, the team’s respect, and finally, Raymond’s heart. 

“I knew you’d never look at me as long as she was around.” 

Marina collapsed to the floor, clutching at Raymond’s trouser leg. “I did it all because I love you, Ray. I love you so much!” 

Raymond recoiled, kicking his leg free as if he’d touched something filthy. A wave of nausea churned in his gut. 

Marina crawled toward him, looking up through a mask of tears. “Hit me. Kill me! Just take it out on me–do whatever you have to do!” 

Raymond looked down at her with nothing but cold revulsion. 

Chapter 9 

He let out a sharp, mirthless laugh. “And get my hands dirty? No.” 

He pulled out his encrypted communicator and patched through to the Enforcers. 

When the men in black arrived, his order was absolute. “Marina Lowell has violated the Organization’s rules and framed a fellow member. The evidence is irrefutable. 

“Process her as a high–level traitor and transport her to the Water Dungeon. She is not to be released without a written order signed by me personally.” 

The Water Dungeon was the hellhole where Lycoris buried its worst enemies. 

In those subterranean depths, prisoners were chained by the neck, half- submerged in filthy, freezing water. 

They were given food barely fit to eat, kept in a state where survival was torture, and dying wasn’t an option. 

If they struggled even slightly, high–voltage currents surged through their chains. 

As they dragged her away, Marina’s shrill pleading curdled into vicious curses, screaming insults at Raymond and Katherine. 

But her fate was set. She would spend the rest of her life paying for what she’d done in that cold, lightless place. 

With Marina gone, Raymond exhausted every Dark Web contact and intelligence channel available, sparing no expense to find Katherine. 

He even swallowed his pride and knelt before Travis to beg for her location. 

2002 

Chapter 9 

288 Vischers 

Travis lowered his gaze. “I gave her enough money to disappear, but I had no right to ask where she was going. I truly don’t know.” 

Just like that, Katherine vanished off the face of the earth. 

Three years passed in silence. 

For three years, Raymond punished himself by taking only the most suicidal cleanup missions. He wiped out the entire Ironveil Cartel single–handedly, ensuring that every member who had ever disrespected Katherine–including Elizabeth–paid the ultimate price. 

He brought in massive commissions and received countless commendations from Travis, but Raymond only grew darker. 

His aura became so menacing that even his own subordinates were terrified to speak to him. 

Until the night he went to Sicily to eliminate a rival family. 

The job was done, the metallic tang of blood still hanging heavy in the air. 

He was preparing to vanish into the shadows when he passed a quiet street corner. 

A clear, delicate sound drifted on the night breeze–wind chimes. 

Instinctively, he looked toward the source. 

Not far away, a small bookstore was bathed in warm, yellow light. A woman in a simple long dress was bending down to lock the door. 

As she straightened up, the light caught her profile perfectly. 

Raymond froze. His heart missed a beat. 

Chapter 9 

Katherine?