The secondary safe house was a storage facility in the industrial district, rented under a shell company, three layers deep. Concrete walls, reinforced doors, no windows. Not comfortable, but secure.Kai sat at a folding table surrounded by equipment they'd salvaged from the safe house before Protocol Black breached. Laptops, encrypted phones, weapons. Everything they'd need to operate off-grid.Reece spread a tablet across the table, data streaming across the screen."Protocol Black," he said, pulling up profiles. "Six operators. I've got identities on four of them."Kai leaned forward, studying the faces."Dmitri Volkov, an ex-Spetsnaz, worked Chechnya. Forty-three confirmed kills." Reece swiped. "Sarah Chen, former Mossad. Specializes in close-quarters elimination and interrogation." Another swipe. "Marcus Webb, CIA black-ops washout. Dishonorably discharged for excessive force, but the man's a ghost when he wants to be."Kai's jaw tightened. "Budget?""Ten million. Helen Sterling

The pier stretched into darkness, abandoned and rotting. Fog rolled off the water in thick waves, turning streetlights into dim halos. The only sound was water lapping against pilings and the distant hum of the city.Lila parked three blocks away and walked, hands shoved in her coat pockets. Her phone was on silent. She'd told no one where she was going.Midnight at Pier 19. Come alone.She was either very brave or very stupid. Probably both.The pier's entrance was blocked by a rusted chain-link fence, but someone had cut a section open. Lila slipped through, boots crunching on broken glass and gravel."You came," a voice said from the shadows.Lila spun. Kai Cross stepped into view, emerging from behind a stack of shipping containers. He wore dark clothes, practical and tactical. In his left hand, he carried the same black briefcase from Sterling Tower."You said they were coming for my source," Lila said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I assume you meant yourself."Kai nodded. "

EIGHT YEARS AGO. SARAJEVO.The compound sat on the edge of the city, surrounded by crumbling walls and razor wire. Inside, a weapons dealer named Kovac was holding stolen intelligence—documents detailing Blackwell Industries' offshore accounts and shell companies. Marcus Blackwell wanted them back, quietly.Kai Cross and Nadia Volkov moved through the darkness like ghosts. Both twenty-two, both trained killers."Three guards, north entrance," Nadia whispered into her comm, crouched behind a rusted truck. "I can take them.""Wait," Kai said from his position on the opposite side. "Thermal's showing more heat signatures inside, civilians.""Kovac uses human shields," Nadia said. "We knew that going in."Kai's jaw tightened. Through his scope, he could see movement in the compound's windows. Small figures. Children.Their comms crackled. Marcus Blackwell's voice, calm and cold from thousands of miles away."Complete the objective. Acceptable losses."Kai's finger hovered over his trigger

Kai crossed the street fast but controlled. Running would draw attention, spook campus security. He needed to look like a concerned adult, not a threat.The two men were closing in on Julie. She'd said goodbye to her friends and was walking toward the student parking lot, phone in hand, completely unaware.Ten feet separated them.Kai stepped directly into their path."Looking for someone?"Both men froze. The leader, a man with a scarred face, cold eyes, and the build of a boxer, looked Kai over in an instant. He was analyzing him, judging how dangerous he might be."Walk away," the man said, voice flat. "Doesn't concern you."Kai didn't move, didn't blink.Behind them, Julie noticed the commotion. She slowed, curious, her phone lowering.The second operative—younger, nervous energy, stepped toward her.Kai moved.He grabbed the man's wrist mid-reach, twisted with brutal efficiency. The operative's shoulder rotated wrong, tendons screaming. Kai used the momentum to drive him forward,

Julie stared at the photo on Kai's phone. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the device.Aunt Martha was tied up, gagged, bruised, and looked terrified."She's all I have left," Julie whispered.Kai stood frozen, watching his sister process the horror unfolding in front of her."My parents—my adoptive parents, they died two years ago," Julie continued, voice hollow. " By car accident. They were gone before the ambulance even arrived." She looked up at Kai, tears streaming down her face. "Aunt Martha took me in. Helped pay for school. She's been sick with heart problems. She can barely—" Her voice broke. "If they hurt her..."Kai's guilt was crushing. Like someone had wrapped steel bands around his chest and was tightening them until he couldn't breathe.He should've protected everyone. Should've seen this coming. Should've anticipated that Helen would go after anyone connected to Julie."This is because of what you did to them," Julie said. Her voice changed, anger