Chapter 16: The Price of Victory

The car sped through the dimly lit streets, weaving through traffic as sirens wailed somewhere in the distance. Alex kept his grip tight on the briefcase, his mind racing through what had just happened. They had pulled it off—but at what cost?

Maya sat in the passenger seat, one hand gripping the dashboard as she glanced over her shoulder. "We clear?"

Ellie, driving like a woman possessed, didn't take her eyes off the road. "For now. But they'll be looking."

Alex exhaled. "They already were. We weren't the only ones after Langley tonight."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, and that means whoever those hunters were? They're gonna be pissed."

Ellie scoffed. "Let 'em be. We got what we came for."

Alex looked down at the steel briefcase resting in his lap. The lock was broken, but the contents were still a mystery. What the hell was so important that multiple factions wanted this?

He ran a hand over his face. "We need to get to Bishop."

Ellie gritted her teeth. "You trust him with this?"

Alex hesitated. That was the real question, wasn't it?

Bishop had set up the job. But he hadn't warned them about the hunters.

Maya seemed to be thinking the same thing. "What if we check what's inside first?"

Ellie smirked. "Now you're speaking my language."

Alex sighed. He wanted to know too. But cracking open the case before handing it over? That could make them enemies before they even got paid.

"We do this, there's no going back," he said.

Ellie's smirk didn't fade. "When have we ever gone back?"

Maya reached into the glove compartment, pulling out a small lockpick set. "Let's see what's worth killing for."

She got to work.

Ten minutes later, in an abandoned parking garage.

The car sat idling under flickering fluorescent lights. The lock on the briefcase had been wrecked from Alex's gunshots, but the mechanism still resisted.

Maya grunted, adjusting her grip. "Almost… there."

Click.

The case popped open.

Inside, nestled in black foam, was a sleek black hard drive.

Alex frowned. "That's it?"

Maya picked it up, turning it over. No markings, no labels. Just a simple external drive. "Could be worth nothing… or worth millions."

Ellie leaned in. "What the hell's on it?"

Alex didn't answer. His gut told him that this drive wasn't just valuable—it was dangerous.

Maya pulled out her phone. "We could plug it in—"

"No."

Alex's voice was firm.

Maya raised an eyebrow. "You scared?"

Alex met her gaze. "I'm careful."

Ellie sighed. "So what now? Take it to Bishop?"

Alex clenched his jaw. "We don't have a choice."

Ellie tossed the drive back into the case. "Fine. But if this thing gets us killed, I'm haunting you."

Maya smirked. "You'd make a terrible ghost."

Ellie rolled her eyes, put the car into gear, and sped off.

Bishop's Safehouse

Bishop stood in the shadows of a dimly lit warehouse, cigarette smoldering between his fingers. His expression didn't change when Alex set the briefcase down in front of him.

"You got it," Bishop murmured.

Alex nodded. "We did."

Bishop let out a slow exhale. "And Langley?"

Ellie smirked. "Let's just say he won't be making any deals anytime soon."

Bishop chuckled, but his eyes stayed on Alex. "Good work. And the case?"

Alex stepped back as Bishop flipped it open. His gaze flickered over the hard drive, unreadable.

Then, he closed it again. "Payment's in your accounts."

Maya arched a brow. "That's it? No celebration?"

Bishop's smirk was thin. "I don't celebrate until I know I won."

Alex folded his arms. "What's on the drive, Bishop?"

Bishop tapped ash from his cigarette. "Not your concern."

Ellie scoffed. "Bullshit. We almost died for this."

Bishop studied her, then exhaled. "Fine. You want the truth?"

He leaned in.

"What you stole… is a kill list."

Alex stiffened. "A what?"

Bishop's eyes darkened. "Names of people marked for elimination. High-value targets—politicians, CEOs, crime lords. And Langley? He wasn't just an arms dealer. He was the broker. The middleman making sure those deaths happened."

Ellie whistled. "Damn."

Maya frowned. "So, who ordered these hits?"

Bishop's smirk returned. "That's the million-dollar question."

Alex stared at the case. They had stolen something far worse than money.

Bishop clapped a hand on Alex's shoulder. "You did good, kid."

Alex barely felt it.

Because deep down, he knew—this wasn't over.

It was just beginning.