The rain poured down on Blackridge City like it was trying to wash the citys sins.. It never worked. Ethan Carter stood under a neon sign in the Hollows district his collar turned up against the rain. He watched the alley across the street water streaming off his baseball cap. At thirty-one he still moved like a Marine. Quiet and on the lookout.Blackridge City wasn't a place you fell in love with. It was a city that swallowed you whole. There were glass and steel buildings in the Financial Core but in the Hollows there was decay everywhere. Corrupt cops, politicians who took bribes and businessmen with blood on their hands than killers. Ethan had spent eight years on the force trying to make a difference. Tonight he was close to somethingHis phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out. Typed back to Lucas: Not yet. The guys late.Lucas Hayes had been his partner for four years. They had been through shootouts and investigations together. Lucas was the talker while Ethan was the one

The old cannery was a mess. It smelled like rust and salt and old dreams that did not come true. The rain was coming down hard on the metal roof. Ethan Carter was hiding behind some crates. He had a pistol in his hand. It was not his. It would have to do. Ethan was looking for Logan Pierce. He was like a ghost moving quietly in the dark. Pierce was not alone. He did not have many people with him. That made him more dangerous.Olivia Brooks was hiding with Ethan. She was scared. She was trying to be brave. Mason Walker was working on his laptop in the corner. He was trying to help them. The police were on their way. They had to get out of there"He is trying to get in on the side " Mason said quietly. "There are two people on the west side. The police will be here in ten minutes if we do not leave."Ethan nodded. "We need to split up the things we found. Olivia you take the papers about Cross. Mason, get the mans switch ready. If I do not make it you have to tell everyone what we know.

The storage unit was really small. It felt even smaller because of all the tension in the air. Ethan Carter was looking at the satellite feed on Mason Walkers laptop. His fists were clenched tight that his knuckles were white. The signal from Emilys phone was coming from a warehouse on the outskirts of the industrial district. This warehouse was owned by Alexander Reeds company. It had guard towers and razor wire and private security teams. It looked like a secret prison than a storage place."We are going in tonight " Ethan said in a voice. "Emily is in there. We need to get her out. Then we need to hurt them where it hurts."Olivia Brooks was checking her gear. She had a gun and extra bullets and a camera to take pictures of the evidence. "The people who work for Reed are ex-military " she said. "This is not going to be like the time. We need to be precise."Jack Donovan had joined them after they helped Lucas. He nodded seriously. "I found some maps of the warehouse. There is a spo

Three weeks after the fall of Reed Tower, Blackridge City was still learning how to breathe.The city had changed, but not as much as the headlines suggested.Every morning, newspapers carried photographs of arrests, resignations, investigations, and politicians being escorted from government buildings. Television stations replayed the footage from Reed Tower until the images became familiar.Michael Lawson in handcuffs.Alexander Reed being taken into custody.Adrian Cross surrounded by federal investigators.Commissioner Richard Sullivan refusing to answer questions.Judge Charlotte Morgan leaving the courthouse through a side entrance while reporters shouted questions at her.For the first time in years, powerful people in Blackridge were afraid of the law.But Ethan Carter knew better than anyone that fear did not mean defeat.He stood beside the window of a small apartment overlooking the river, watching the city wake beneath a pale morning sky.Traffic moved slowly along the str

Ethan read the message again.Then again.He handed the phone to Olivia.She stared at the screen for several seconds before looking up."This could be fake.""I know," Ethan said.Jack Donovan stepped farther into the apartment."It could be."Ethan looked at him."Then why bring it to me?""Because the message came through a channel that should have been impossible to access."Mason immediately took the phone."What channel?""An old federal emergency network."Mason frowned."Those systems were shut down years ago.""Most of them."Mason studied the phone."Give me a minute."He connected it to his laptop.Ethan watched him work.Samuel Grant.Project Nightfall.Damian Blackwood.Every answer seemed to create another question.Three weeks ago, Ethan had believed the murder of Senator Blackwood was the center of the conspiracy.Now he wasn't even sure the story he had believed was real.Emily sat down slowly."If Blackwood survived the shooting, whose body was recovered?"Nobody ans