The darkness in the underground parking garage was total. Tawanda did not hesitate. He lunged forward, guided by the memory of the hitman’s position. He swung the heavy metal pipe in a wide arc, the steel singing through the air. A sickening thud echoed as the pipe connected with a human shoulder. The hitman let out a sharp grunt of pain, but the weapon discharged. A muzzle flash illuminated the garage for a split second, painting the concrete pillars in a strobe light effect of orange and gray. The bullet whizzed past Tawanda’s ear, the heat of it grazing his skin.Tawanda threw his weight into a second swing, this time aiming for the gunman’s midsection. He felt the impact vibrate up his arms as the pipe buried itself into the man’s gut. The hitman doubled over, wheezing. Tawanda kicked out, his boot finding the man’s knee. There was a wet crunch. The hitman collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. "Who sent you?" Tawanda demanded, his voice low and vibrating with a primal rage. He

Tawanda stared at the glowing digits as they flickered in the damp air. Four seconds. Three. Two. He didn't think about his life flashing before his eyes because he was too busy picturing Thabani’s smug face when he realized he had failed to kill his own brother. Tawanda lunged at Zanele and tackled her into the narrow gap behind a stack of rusted shipping containers. The explosion was a concussive blast of heat and orange light that turned the night into a midday nightmare. Shrapnel whistled over their heads, biting into the steel crates with the sound of a thousand angry wasps. Tawanda pinned Zanele to the wet concrete, shielding her body with his own as the shockwave rattled his teeth. Dust and pulverized asphalt showered down on them like a perverse rain.Zanele groaned, her fingers digging into Tawanda’s shoulders. She pushed his chest, her eyes wide and electric with a terrifying mix of fear and adrenaline. "That was not a warning shot, you absolute lunatic," she gasped, her vo

Tawanda didn't answer. He dove into the tall, damp grass, dragging Zanele with him as a second shot pinged off the stone gate behind them. The forest was a black wall, silent and predatory. Whoever was in those trees wasn't a Mthembu lackey. This was cleaner, colder work. "Stay low," Tawanda hissed. He pressed his back against the cooling stone of the perimeter wall. His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Zanele clutched the thumb drive against her chest. Her dress was ruined, stained with soot and grass, but her eyes were sharp. "That sniper didn't save us because they like our faces, Tawanda. They wanted the drive.""Or they just wanted to make sure nobody left that house alive," Tawanda replied. He pulled the handgun from his waistband, the metal biting into his palm. "We move toward the street. The police sirens are getting closer. If we can reach the main road, we might make it."They crawled through the brush, the heat from the burning mansion at their b

Tawanda threw himself to the left just as a spray of bullets turned the mahogany desk into a shower of splinters. He grabbed Thabani by the back of his expensive suit and dragged him behind a reinforced steel filing cabinet. The air was thick with the smell of cordite and the sharp tang of ozone from the shattered electronics. Zanele had dived behind a leather sofa, her phone still clutched in her hand, her eyes wide as she scanned the room for a weapon."Who the hell are they?" Thabani screamed, his voice cracking with pure, unadulterated cowardice. He was clawing at his own collar, gasping for air like a fish on a pier. "They are the people who own your father’s debts!" Tawanda hissed back. He pressed his back against the cool steel, checking the magazine of his stolen handgun. He had four rounds left. Four rounds to take out a professional hit squad that looked like it had been carved out of granite. One of the soldiers stepped forward, his boots crunching on the glass. He levele

The shockwave hit them like a physical blow. Glass shattered into dust, the roar of the explosion obliterating the screams of the board members. Tawanda felt his body fly through the air, the world turning into a blurred chaotic spin of concrete and fire. He slammed into the heavy mahogany table, the wood splintering beneath him, but his arms remained locked around Zanele. She was pressed hard against his chest, her hair smelling of smoke and the metallic tang of blood. The room was a furnace now, the ceiling sagging as structural beams twisted and shrieked in agony.He pushed himself up, his ears ringing with the sound of a thousand grinding gears. Smoke filled the office, thick and suffocating. Through the haze, he could see Tanaka near the elevator, pinned under a collapsed steel door. The man was coughing blood, his face a mask of ruin, yet he was still laughing, a wet and bubbling sound."You are a cockroach, Tawanda!" Tanaka wheezed, his voice bubbling with liquid. "You cannot k