Marvel 198

Max followed her without hesitation, feeling every predatory gaze on his back as he left the chamber. He didn't care. Let them watch. Let them plot.

He was already inside the lion's den — and he had no intention of getting eaten.

No, Max thought as he caught up to Emma, matching her graceful stride. I'm going to make the Queen fall for me... and then take the whole damn throne.

They walked in silence down the long marble hallway, the only sounds their footsteps echoing off the pristine walls. It wasn't until they were far from prying ears that Emma finally spoke, her voice calm, almost casual.

"You handled yourself well," she said. "Most newcomers are lucky to stay conscious after their... welcome."

Max gave a half-smirk."I'm not most newcomers."

Emma stopped suddenly and turned to face him. The corridor was dim here, the lighting soft and golden, casting her in a glow that made her look almost ethereal.

"No," she agreed, studying him carefully. "You're not."

There was a moment — not hostile, not cold — but something hotter, heavier. Max held her gaze, feeling the pull between them like a magnetic force. For a second, he wondered if she was reading his mind. If she was, she made no sign of it.

"Come," she said finally, voice slipping back into business. "We'll need to plan carefully."

She led him to a side room — lavish but discreet, full of plush chairs and a large glass table strewn with maps and files. As the door clicked shut behind them, a hush fell over the space. Private. Intimate.

Emma slid a folder toward him."His name is Adrian Voss. Owns several tech companies — most of which are on the brink of going public. He's been funding mutant protection leagues in secret."

Max flipped through the pages, whistling low."Busy man."

"Too busy," Emma said. She leaned against the table, arms crossed under her chest. "He's useful to us... but only if he's pliable."

"And if he's not?"

Emma's lips curved into a smile that was all ice and knives."Then we make sure he regrets it."

Max leaned closer, elbows on the table."I'm guessing you want this done quietly. No broken windows, no public scenes."

"Precisely. It needs to look like he simply... changed his mind."

Max nodded thoughtfully, drumming his fingers."Scare him without touching him. Break him without breaking anything."

Emma smiled wider, genuinely pleased."Exactly."

He looked up at her then, really looked. The cold, perfect White Queen. But under that — hidden behind the diamond-hard exterior — was a woman who had fought, clawed, and bled for every inch of her power. Max admired that.

And, maybe... he wanted more than just her admiration in return.

Standing slowly, he closed the distance between them."Emma," he said, voice low, "you don't have to keep the armor on with me."

For the briefest moment, her eyes widened — a flicker of vulnerability. Then her face smoothed back into its usual perfect calm.

"You're very sure of yourself, Mr. Ryder."

He smiled, all wicked charm."I'm sure of what I want."

Emma tilted her head, studying him again like he was some dangerous new weapon she wasn't quite ready to use... but was tempted by all the same.

Finally, she pushed off the table and brushed past him, her hand grazing his arm — deliberate, tantalizing.

"Focus on the mission," she said over her shoulder, "and we'll see what else you might get."

Max watched her walk away, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

Challenge accepted.

The next evening, Max and Emma sat in a blacked-out SUV overlooking a glittering high-rise downtown. Adrian Voss's private penthouse loomed above them, sleek and untouchable.

"He's not alone," Emma said, her voice tight. "My contacts say he's hired protection."

"Bodyguards?" Max asked, scanning the building through a pair of high-powered binoculars.

Emma shook her head once, slow and grim.

"Not just bodyguards. He's working with Taskmaster."

Max stiffened.

"The Taskmaster? Photographic reflexes, mercenary to the highest bidder, that Taskmaster?"

Emma's lips pressed into a thin line.

"The very same."

Max gave a low whistle.

"Well, that complicates things."

Emma leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs with careful, controlled grace.

"I trust you can still handle it?"

Max flashed her a lazy smile.

"I like a challenge."

"And Taskmaster is too weak"

Still, inwardly, he was recalculating. Taskmaster wasn't just muscle — he was a strategist. If Voss had brought him in, it meant Voss already suspected he was a target. The window to act quietly was closing fast.

Emma handed him a small device — a sleek, palm-sized transmitter.

"This will jam communications inside the penthouse for a short window. Five minutes at most."

Max turned it over in his hand, impressed."Five minutes is all I need."

Emma smiled at him — a rare, genuine smile."I'm beginning to believe that."

Their eyes locked again, the air between them charged. Max had to force himself to focus, the urge to reach for her nearly overpowering.Later, he promised himself. First the job.

Sliding out of the SUV, Max adjusted his jacket, checked the transmitter once more, and moved into the night.

Inside the Penthouse

Voss paced, his expensive shoes clicking against the marble floors. Taskmaster lounged casually by the window, fully armored, spinning a combat knife lazily between his fingers.

"You're making me nervous," Voss snapped.

"Good," Taskmaster said without looking at him. "Means you'll listen when I tell you something's off."

Voss frowned. "You're sure someone's coming?"

Taskmaster's mask tilted slightly toward him, the skull-like grin forever etched into its surface."I don't get paid to guess. I know."

He sheathed the knife and stood, all coiled threat and lethal precision.

"Whoever Emma Frost sent... they're walking into a grave."

***

"Are you sure you don't want help? Taskmaster has fought with many mutants, plus his armor is like a super-enhanced exosuit to greatly boost his limits," she asked as Max shook his head.

"I can come bakc in ten seconds — it's that easy for me," he said as he left.

Since it needed to be done quietly, he cast an invisibility spell on himself before walking inside.

***

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