Chapter 17: No Safe Place

The warehouse felt colder than it should have. Bishop stood there, cigarette still burning between his fingers, watching them like a wolf watching its pack. The weight of the revelation settled between them.

A kill list.

Not money, not weapons—a goddamn list of people marked for death.

Maya crossed her arms. "So, what now?"

Bishop exhaled smoke. "Now, we pretend this never happened."

Ellie scoffed. "Right. Because that'll be easy."

Bishop's smirk was thin. "You got paid. Walk away."

Alex wasn't convinced. His gut told him that just handing over the drive wasn't enough. "And what happens when whoever wants this back comes looking for us?"

Bishop's expression darkened. "Then you'd better not be around to find out."

Alex clenched his jaw. Not the answer he wanted.

Ellie shook her head. "This is bullshit."

Bishop took another slow drag from his cigarette. "No, kid. This is survival."

He tossed the briefcase onto a metal table. "This stays with me. You? You disappear."

Alex glanced at Maya and Ellie. They weren't the type to just let things go.

Neither was he.

Bishop sighed. "Look, I like you three. But if you push this… you'll be dead by sunrise."

The words hung in the air like a storm cloud.

Maya spoke first. "So, who exactly are we pissing off?"

Bishop crushed his cigarette under his boot. "If I tell you, you're already dead."

Alex met his gaze. "Then we'll take our chances."

Bishop studied him for a long moment. Then, finally—

"Black Sun."

Ellie frowned. "Sounds like a bad action movie."

Bishop wasn't smiling. "They make the CIA look like boy scouts."

Silence.

Maya exhaled. "Shit."

Ellie frowned. "So, we just walk away?"

Bishop shrugged. "That's your call. But if you stick your nose any deeper? You'll end up on that list."

Alex nodded slowly. They had their answer.

Now, they had to decide what to do with it.

One Hour Later – Safehouse

The safehouse was a small apartment above an abandoned mechanic shop. No cameras. No paper trail. Just four walls and a locked door.

Alex stood by the window, watching the street below. No movement. No tails.

Yet.

Maya sat on the couch, flipping a knife between her fingers. "So? What's the plan?"

Ellie leaned against the kitchen counter. "We go dark."

Maya smirked. "We already are dark."

Ellie shook her head. "I mean completely. No phones. No accounts. We ghost."

Alex sighed. She was right. If Black Sun was even half as dangerous as Bishop made them sound, they were already being hunted.

Maya leaned back. "So, what? We just disappear? Let them keep making their little hit lists?"

Alex clenched his jaw. That was the real question.

Ellie folded her arms. "I don't like it either. But staying alive beats getting a bullet in the skull."

Silence.

Maya tapped the knife against her knee. "We could run. Or… we could hit them first."

Alex turned to her. "You serious?"

Maya's smirk was sharp. "They don't know us. But we sure as hell know them now."

Ellie shook her head. "That's suicide."

Maya grinned. "Maybe. But at least it's on our terms."

Alex exhaled slowly. Two choices. Run, or fight.

Neither was safe.

But only one gave them control.

His fists tightened.

"We take the fight to them."

Maya's grin widened. "Now you're talking."

Ellie groaned. "We're gonna die."

Maya winked. "Yeah. But we'll look good doing it."

Alex turned back to the window.

No more running. No more hiding.

They were in this now.

And they were about to make Black Sun regret ever putting them on their radar.