Novels by Samuel

For a moment, I thought he might stop me. He might reach for the door, raise his voice, call someone in and remind me who he believed he was. Instead, he smiled.“Be quick,” he said but I didn’t answer. I was already walking away. The door closed behind me with a soft, final sound. The rain met me immediately, cold against my face as I crossed the yard. I didn’t look back. I got into the car, slammed the door and drove east. The city thinned behind me. First the lights disappeared, then the buildings, then the noise. Traffic faded into empty roads, reflecting nothing but headlights and the rain. Thirty minutes later, the road narrowed. The pavement gave way to gravel and the tires kicked up water and stone. The trees began to close in on me and everywhere grew darker. I drove until finally, I pulled in and stopped. The air smelled like pine and damp earth. I stepped out and shut the door quietly. The car disappeared behind me as I moved off the road and into the brush. The path w

The mansion felt heavier that evening. Shadows stretched long across the halls, and the faint hum of the security system seemed louder than usual. I moved slowly, letting Marcus’s men believe I was tired, compliant and almost invisible.“Elias,” Eden’s voice broke the silence. He was leaning against the wall near the stairwell, arms crossed. “Got a minute?”I nodded, approaching. “Sure. What’s up?”He gestured toward the map room. “I was just going over some of the routes and I wanted your opinion on timing.”I followed him, careful to keep my pace casual. “Timing?” I asked, leaning over the table. “Do you mean the entry or the exit?”He shrugged, scanning the pins. “Entry mostly. Have you ever thought about air traffic control? What happens if they delay the plane?”I frowned slightly, keeping it subtle. “Then what?”“Then we’d be stuck waiting, right? Risk exposure. But Marcus… he doesn’t really answer questions like that.”I tilted my head, letting my curiosity look innocent. “Do

I followed Marcus down the long hallway, my boots echoing against the polished marble. The mansion was quiet, too quiet… as if it were waiting to see what we’d do next. Marcus walked ahead, calm, confident, every step measured. I kept my head low, shoulders relaxed. Outwardly, I looked like a man who obeyed but inside, I was alert, noting everything.We reached the planning room. Maps were spread across the table, dotted with pins, scribbled notes, and routes. A single lamp cast stark light over the scene, highlighting every crease and fold. The air smelled faintly of coffee and dust. In the corners, the faint hum of the security system ticked quietly, like a heartbeat.“Sit,” Marcus said, pointing at the chair opposite him and I sat without hesitation, dropping into the seat with quiet precision.“Good. Now that everyone’s here, listen carefully. This has to be a clean job. We can't afford to make mistakes,” he said, scanning the room.“Yes, sir,” the men chorused, voices low but fir

For half a second, the world froze. Rain hung in the air and the smell of hot rubber burned my nose. A horn blared from somewhere to my left, long and furious, but I barely heard it. All I could see was the child standing in the road, eyes wide, legs locked, like fear had nailed him in place.“Shit!”I threw the door open before I could even think and made for the child.“Hey!” My voice came out sharper than I meant. “Hey are you okay?”The child blinked at me, eyes wide and glassy, then took a step back. Then another. His lower lip trembled like it might give way at any second. He nodded quickly, frantically, as if agreeing might keep everything from getting worse.A car rolled past us slowly. The driver leaned out his window and hurled a string of loud curses in my direction, tires hissing against wet asphalt. I didn’t look at him. I didn’t care. My focus stayed locked on the kid.I dropped into a crouch, forcing myself down to his level, hands open, palms visible. “You’re fine,” I

Plans spread across the hood of the van, paper held down by Marcus’s elbow and the weak beam of the flashlight. The warehouse loomed ahead, dark except for the shadows we cast under the streetlights.“Corners checked?” Marcus asked, a cigarette glowing red in the dark. Tom and Riley moved around the building, rifles ready.“All clear,” Tom whispered back.“Back door’s yours,” Marcus said, nodding at me. “Just in and out, keep it clean.”I lifted my hands, feeling the weight of the gun under my jacket. “Yeah… it’s a light piece. In and out.”Marcus smirked. “Don’t get cute. Everything’s always a light piece to you.”I didn’t answer, just moved. Tom tapped the wall at the other end. “All clear.”Marcus crouched, checking the padlock, metal scraping softly. “Riley, ready?”“Always.”The lock gave way with a dull snap. We slipped inside.Boxes were stacked haphazardly, some split open, others marked with fading stencils. Dust motes drifted in the flashlight’s beam, thick enough to taste

Outside, I drew in a deep breath, letting the air fill my lungs all the way down. The clean fresh air was nothing like the choking lavender that clung to the hotel room whether or not I left the windows open. Clean air smelt great! This was the city too busy for the hour considering how much of a small town it was. The street was in full motion and cars beeped their horns, speaking the language of impatience. There were vendors lined on the sidewalks and carts pressed close together, smoke rising as meat sizzled.Skewered hot dogs, sausages split open and dripping, pretzels stacked in glass cases that reflected the neon signs overhead and what have you… The smell hit me hard. I could literally feel the grease in my throat. It made my stomach tighten and my mouth water all at the same time. My belly growled. People brushed past me without apology and as I tried to push through the crowd, someone stepped on my heel and muttered something sharp before disappearing into the mix. A coup

That was all the confirmation I needed.Yuri wasn’t being stupid or reckless, he knew that if he tried anything crazy, his family would be killed. He wasn’t going to mess up the mission or let himself be spotted. He was trapped, and he knew it.My watch buzzed against my skin. It was a sharp, vibrating pulse, once, then twice. I lifted my arm to look at the small screen. I tapped it twice with my finger, and a glowing timer appeared.10:00The countdown had started. Ten minutes. I didn't have much time left to find them.I reached the end of the long, dark hallway. I didn’t even bother trying the door handle, I kicked the door with everything I had. The wood snapped like a dry twig, and the metal hinges ripped right out of the concrete wall. My own momentum carried me forward, and I dropped into a massive room below.I hit the ground hard and rolled across the dirt and gravel to break my fall. There were old, rusty train tracks running across the floor, disappearing into the deep sh

The deeper I went, the quieter the world became.The radio chatter died out, and the sound of footsteps just vanished. In my line of work, total silence is never a good sign. I stopped for a second to check my watch. The screen flickered, before projecting a glowing 3D map of the basement into the air. It showed a maze of concrete hallways and thick walls, the kind of place where signals don't exist.Suddenly, a room in the middle of the map started to pulse with a soft orange light.They were heat signatures. I thought of counting them, but there were way too many people in that one spot. I slowed down, making every step count. I kept my rifle low but was ready to snap it up at any second. The hallway ahead ended with a sharp turn to the left. Old pipes stretched along the ceiling, dripping water that hit the floor with a loud plink. In that heavy silence, it sounded like a drum.That’s when Yuri’s voice crackled in my ear.“Ethan,” he whispered.Just my name, but the way he said

The moment we split up, the world felt a lot colder.Yuri vanished into the pitch black storm tunnel without making a sound. I watched his boots slip into that oily, black water as if the ground were swallowing him whole.One second he was a real person standing right next to me, and the next, he was just a shadow drifting away. I stood there for a heartbeat, feeling the sudden emptiness of the garage. I checked my watch, watching his signal turn into a tiny, steady pulse of light on the screen.Then, I looked up at the ceiling.The metal ladder was covered in thick rust. The salt in the air had eaten away at it for years, and it looked like it might crumble if I stepped too hard. I climbed slowly, testing every rung with my hands before trusting it with my weight. Above me, I could hear the low hum of the vents. It sounded like a mechanical heartbeat mixing with the distant noises of the shipyard.I pulled myself into the narrow metal vent and closed the grate behind me. It was ti

I stopped the map from spinning and zoomed in on one specific spot.Even on the digital screen, this part of the shipyard looked different. It looked heavy, old, and mean.The walls were much thicker than the others, built with layers of concrete and steel that looked like old scars on the map.This section went deeper into the ground than any other building, almost like it was a secret trying to hide from the rest of the world.My gut told me this was it. This was where they were keeping them.“That basement,” Yuri said. His voice was soft, but it sounded different now. It wasn't the voice of a man being chased anymore, it was cold, flat, and very serious. “I’ve been there twice before.”I looked at him. When a man talks about a place like that, he isn’t just remembering a building he’s remembering a nightmare he barely escaped.“They use it for hostages,” he continued. “It’s built so deep that even a massive bomb wouldn't make the floor shake. It’s quiet down there, quiet enough to

“They aren't trying to blow the tires,” Yuri noticed, looking at the sparks flying off our rear bumper in the mirror.“They want us alive,” I said. “Either that, or they’re trying to herd us like cattle toward a specific spot.”Suddenly, two bikes sped up and pinned us right between them. I saw the riders lean in close to our truck. With a quick motion, they slapped two small, glowing devices onto our doors.Beep. Beep. Beep.“Bombs!” Yuri yelled, his voice echoing in the small cabin.“I know,” I replied.I hit the gas for a second to trick them into speeding up then I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could.The sudden stop sent the bikers flying forward. One rider wobbled, and the bomb on his side scraped against the tunnel wall. It tore loose and exploded against the concrete without hurting us. The other riders slowed down, hanging back and waiting for our truck to blow up.Instead, I put the truck into reverse.I didn't just back up, I raced backward. We rammed straight toward t

This wasn’t just about getting away anymore. This had turned into a high speed hunt, and I was done being the one running blind. I was done being the prey.I gripped the steering wheel as I floored it so hard my hands ached. The engine didn't just make noise, it screamed, a sound that bounced off the concrete walls and vibrated straight into my chest. The flashing tunnel lights became blurry yellow streaks as we shot past them.For eight long years, I had tried my best to kill the man I used to be. I changed my name, I changed my face, and I even altered the way I spoke so that no one could identify my accent. It was all a mask, a giant lie I told myself so I could be normal for my little brother. I wanted to prove that a killer could walk away from that life and start over again, clean.But destiny doesn't care about your careful plans. It just waits for the perfect, terrible moment to strike. Now, the Ghost was back. I wasn't just a memory or a legend anymore, I was a man behind t