Chapter 153: The Counterattack Begins

As Alyssa, Luca, Gray, and Mark sped away from the warehouse in a stolen car, the tension inside the vehicle was palpable. The headlights cut through the night, illuminating the desolate road ahead. No one spoke for a moment, the adrenaline from their narrow escape still coursing through their veins. Alyssa kept her gaze fixed on the road, her thoughts racing.

"Where are we headed?" Mark finally asked, breaking the silence.

"A safe house," Luca replied, his eyes darting to the rearview mirror, scanning for any sign of Darren's men. "We need to regroup and figure out our next move before Darren retaliates."

Gray grunted in agreement. "That bastard won't let this slide. He's going to come at us with everything he has."

Alyssa tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She knew they had only bought themselves a brief reprieve. Darren was ruthless and resourceful. It wouldn't take him long to track them down. "Then we have to strike first," she said, her voice steady and determined.

The others glanced at her, surprised by the sudden resolve in her tone. "Are you serious?" Luca asked, raising an eyebrow. "We barely made it out alive. What do you have in mind?"

Alyssa met his gaze through the rearview mirror. "We need to hit one of Darren's key operations. Something that will cripple him and force him to come to us on our terms."

Gray's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "And you think we can pull that off just like that? It sounds like you already have a plan."

Alyssa smirked. "Not a full plan yet, but I know where we can start." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small USB drive. "While we were at the warehouse, I managed to lift this from one of Darren's men. It should contain information on his network—locations, supply routes, maybe even his safehouses."

Mark's jaw dropped slightly. "You did all that while we were under attack?"

"Multitasking," she said with a shrug. "Let's just hope it was worth the risk."

Luca glanced at Gray, a flicker of approval in his eyes. "We'll need to decrypt whatever's on that drive. I know someone who can help. It's going to take time, though."

"We don't have time," Alyssa interjected. "We need to act fast before Darren realizes what we're up to. The moment he figures out we've taken something from him, he'll double down on hunting us."

Gray leaned forward, his tone serious. "Then we don't wait. We take the drive to the hacker and see what we can get right away."

Alyssa's eyes flicked to Mark, who had been silent for a while. "What do you think, Mark? You've been quiet."

Mark exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "It's risky, but if that drive has what we need, it could give us an edge. We can't afford to let Darren keep the upper hand."

Alyssa nodded, turning her attention back to the road. "Then it's settled. We go to the hacker. But once we have the information, we need to move quickly."

The car sped on, a sense of urgency driving them forward. Alyssa could feel the weight of the choice they were making. The path ahead was uncertain, and one wrong move could cost them everything. But hesitation wasn't an option.

As they neared the outskirts of the city, the lights of the safe house came into view. Alyssa's heartbeat quickened. The stakes were rising, and Darren's fury would soon catch up to them. But they were about to take the fight to him, and this time, she was ready to go all in.

To be continued...