The low hum of bass rippled through the club's floor, pulsing like a second heartbeat beneath his boots. Neon lights cast everything in rich hues—red, violet, moody blue—as if the whole building had been dipped in lust and secrecy. The air was thick with perfume, sweat, and the faint trace of spilled cocktails.

John made his way to the bar.

Beneath his button-up shirt and snug jeans, every muscle in his body was tense. His fingers twitched with the urge to draw his gun, hunt down Harkin, and put a bullet through his skull, yet he knew he had to stay calm. He stood at the bar's edge, jaw tight and teeth gritted behind his steely facade.

He ordered a simple bourbon, but wouldn't drink it.

He was burning too hot for that.

"Hanging in there alone, Captain?" came a sultry voice over his shoulder—one meant to carry through the haze of chatter and sex.

Gabby leaned against the bar beside him, hips tilted just enough to draw attention if anyone was looking, one manicured hand playing with the rim of her glass like she was flirting with the idea of him. Her perfume mixed with the club's smoke—a soft twist of jasmine and steel. She ordered herself a tequila shot.

John didn't look at her at first. He just exhaled through his nose.

"I should've broke his jaw the moment he was going to go near Charlie. Back at her apartment."

Her lips twitched like she was amused, but her voice stayed low. "Not yet."

"He threw dirt at her," John hissed, now turning just slightly toward her. His eyes were dark, stormy, and dangerously calm. "Said she needed someone. Said she fell too fast. Too easy."

"John." Her tone softened just enough, careful to keep it casual like an escort coaxing a tense client. "You go in there now and put a bullet in him, we lose everything."

"He gave that drive to her," John continued, his voice graveled and heavy. "Then turned around and let her take the fall while he played victim. She filed a restraining order. She was scared. And he still chased her."

"I know," she said quietly. "I heard it too."

John finally looked at her. Really looked at her.

"Gabby, I swear—if he lays a hand on her again, I'll put him in the ground. This time, I won't hold back like I did with Makarov. To Soap."

"You'll have your shot. But not in front of security, not in a damn club full of cameras, and not without covering our tracks. You want revenge?"

His silence spoke louder.

Gabby then took a sip from her glass—tequila—never breaking eye contact before slamming her glass down with thud.

"Then do it right."

John leaned in, close enough for the heat of his fury to settle on her skin like wildfire.

"I can't get into the VIP floor without someone high-end," he said. "And you're the only one in here I trust."

"Problem is," Gabby murmured, "I'm already on his radar. If I show up again, he'll get suspicious."

He grunted and looked away.

When she turned her head over her shoulder, scanning the room through thick lashes. An idea formed in her head when she saw someone.

"Wait," she said under her breath, nodding toward a woman at the far end of the bar.

Long-legged, with a dark dress that dipped dangerously low and heels that looked like they could slice through glass. Her skin was flawless, lashes curled, and her lipstick the color of bruised cherries. An emerald choke necklace hung between her collarbones like bait.

She was talking to a bouncer. Laughing. Well-connected.

"She's one of the top escorts here," Gabby said. "Name's Solène. Expensive. But if anyone can walk you into that VIP suite without questions? It's her."

His eyes followed her line of sight.

"She'll cost."

Gabby smirked. "She'll like you. Just let her think you're trouble."

"I am trouble,"

Then, she turned to him fully, brushing invisible lint from his shoulder as if fixing up a client's suit. Her voice lowered to a whisper, her tone careful.

"You go in there. You get what we need. And you don't blow his brains out—yet. We need to confirm everything before we inform Kate."

His jaw twitched again.

"Fine."

Gabby smiled at him in a seductive manner, taking a full swing of a drink before leaving the bar. "Nos vemos luego, nenas (See you later, babes)."

John gave her a curt nod before taking a full shot and he slammed the shot glass on the counter loud as it thud. Even though, the music was still loud, nobody can't hear it. As he slid off the stool, the hot liquid burned inside his chest as he fixed his collar before walking toward Solène.

With his calm and terrifying confidence, he wasn't here to play.