As Dane stopped his bike by the side of the ship, the mafia guards stationed outside spotted him. Without hesitation, they ran toward him. He was bleeding, barely able to keep steady. They grabbed him quickly and helped him off the bike. Kira followed closely behind, holding a gun in one hand.They brought Dane inside the ship and straight into a room. One of their doctors treated him immediately. The bullets were removed, and his wounds were stitched up. He passed out from the blood loss.Hours later, Dane woke up. The first thing he saw was Kira sitting next to him, holding a bottle of water. She handed it to him.“You’re safe,” she said softly.He took a sip, then sat up slowly, wincing from the pain. “Did you get injured when they were shooting at us?” he asked.“No,” Kira replied. “I didn’t—because of you. You protected me.”Without saying more, Dane stood up, clutching his stitched side, and made his way to Butcher’s office. Kira followed behind.He knocked once. Butcher looked

“Is that really what you want to talk about?” Dane said, rubbing his injured side. “Look, I don’t have time for this. And I’m hurt, okay? You didn’t even come yesterday to say sorry or ask how I’m doing after the mission. You just show up now, like it’s a joke.”He sighed. “Fine. You can leave my room. I don’t care what you want to say.”Jane didn’t argue. She stood up and walked out. Dane locked the door behind her.He muttered to himself, “What’s wrong with all these women? I don’t get them at all. I just got shot yesterday, and she’s coming here with things that don’t even matter right now.”Dane glanced around and then shrugged. “Well, maybe I should just grab my bike and go for a ride. I’ve got about eight grand on me. Might as well go somewhere and clear my head.”He headed to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and got dressed. He grabbed seven grand from his stash and pulled out one grand more, stuffing it into his pocket.As Dane stepped out of his room, he spotted Butcher wal

Six days passed. Dane had fully recovered from his injuries.That morning, Butcher called him into the strategy room.“You’re heading out today,” Butcher said. “The forest. You know the one.”Dane nodded.“You’ll be going with Jane and Jeremy,” Butcher continued. “The three of you need to search it thoroughly. Be patient. Be cautious. And if you find anything—anything at all—you come back immediately. Understand?”“Yes, sir,” Dane said.Butcher handed each of them a small tactical bag, a handgun, extra bullets, and a compact explosive—just in case things went sideways.“Stay sharp,” he added. “There are others out there. You’re not alone in this.”They set off within the hour. Jane drove, her eyes fixed on the road for the entire five-hour trip. Dane sat in the passenger seat, Jeremy in the back, checking over a sniper rifle carefully stored in the trunk.The car rolled to a stop on the edge of a dense, remote forest. The sky was already beginning to dim under a heavy canopy of trees.

Through the shifting branches and fading light, Dane and Jane finally spotted her.A woman.She was draped in black tactical gear, molded to her body like a second skin. Her face was calm, unreadable. A pair of mirrored shooting glasses concealed her eyes. Her sniper rifle was perched atop a folded bipod, pointed steadily toward the clearing where the old house stood—the same house rumored to hide five billion dollars in cash and assets.Dane pulled Jane back gently, whispering, “That’s her. That’s the one who took them out.”Jane nodded, raising her pistol slowly. “I’ve got her in sight…”But she never got the chance to aim.The woman shifted—lightning fast. Her body moved with trained reflex, like a predator smelling blood. Her rifle swiveled, locked on.CRACK!The report of the rifle ripped through the woods like a whip.The shot missed Jane by mere inches, splintering the trunk behind her. A spray of bark and woodchips hit her cheek.“MOVE!” Dane barked.They both dove in opposite

“This is not what I signed up for.”Dane’s voice was low, bitter, almost lost in the wind weaving through the trees.“Is this what Mafia are supposed to be doing?” he muttered, ducking behind a branch. “How the hell did we end up in the middle of a forest, crawling around, trying to save our lives? When I joined the mafia, I thought we were supposed to be counting money, smuggling something—maybe a couple clean headshots. Not this… jungle war. Ambushes. Snipers.”Jane didn’t look at him. Her eyes were fixed forward. “You’re still alive. Quit complaining.”Dane gave a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah, well, barely. I knew there’d be killing, but I didn’t sign up to be hunted like an animal.”“The man’s already down,” she snapped, motioning back to where the scout had fallen. “We don’t have time to argue. I don’t know if he’s dead or just wounded, but the sniper—that woman—she’s still out there. And if we don’t get her now, we’re dead.”Her tone was sharp, cutting through Dane’s frustratio