Face to Face

Darkness.

The entire safehouse was bathed in black, the air thick with tension. The only sound was the faint hum of Henry's monitors shutting down, one by one.

Then—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

A slow, deliberate applause echoed through the space.

Sofia's breath hitched. She gripped her gun tighter, pressing herself against the wall. Henry fumbled in the dark, reaching for his emergency backup system.

Luca?

He didn't move.

Didn't speak.

He just listened.

Ghost was here. Inside.

And he wasn't in a rush.

A voice slithered through the darkness. "You're everything they say you are, DeLuca."

Luca smirked, his grip tightening around his own gun. "Flattery won't get you far, Ghost."

A chuckle. "Oh, I'm not here to flatter. I'm here to enjoy myself."

Click.

A small, red dot appeared on Henry's chest.

Sofia lunged, knocking Henry to the ground just as a suppressed bullet whizzed past where his head had been a second ago.

Ghost sighed. "Damn. Almost had him."

Luca moved fast. Silent. Calculated. He wasn't just some target—he was a predator himself.

He pressed his back against the wall, mentally mapping out the safehouse in the dark. Ghost had cut the power, but that meant he had a plan.

And plans?

Could be broken.

—

Meanwhile – Outside the Safehouse

A black SUV idled on the street, tinted windows concealing the men inside.

Raines leaned back in his seat, swirling a glass of whiskey, eyes locked on the abandoned warehouse.

His voice was calm. "He'll kill DeLuca tonight."

The man next to him shifted. "And if he doesn't?"

Raines' lips curled into a smirk. "Then DeLuca isn't just a problem. He's a threat."

A pause.

"And threats must be erased."

—

Back Inside

Henry gasped for breath, clutching his side. The bullet had grazed him—painful, but not fatal.

Sofia whispered, "We need a way out."

Luca nodded but stayed focused. Ghost wasn't shooting to kill—not yet.

He was enjoying the chase.

A faint movement—just enough for Luca to react.

He fired.

The shot rang out, a burst of light in the dark—then silence.

Then—

Laughter.

Ghost's voice was smooth, amused. "So predictable, DeLuca. You fire at shadows. I fire at certainties."

A metallic clink hit the ground.

A smoke grenade.

Sofia cursed as thick, choking gas filled the room.

Ghost was gone.

—

5:30 AM – Emergency Safehouse

Luca sat in a chair, jaw tight, his mind racing. Henry was bandaging his wound, while Sofia paced, furious.

"He got inside, Luca. He played with us."

Luca exhaled sharply. "Yeah. But he didn't kill us."

Henry glanced up. "Which means he's coming back."

Sofia shook her head. "We can't keep running. We have to end this."

Luca's fingers tapped against the table.

Ghost wasn't like the men he'd dealt with before. He was a shadow, a ghost in every sense. Killing him wouldn't be easy.

But everyone had weaknesses.

Luca just had to find his.

He leaned forward, a slow smirk forming. "Then we make him come to us."

Sofia frowned. "And how the hell do we do that?"

Luca's eyes darkened.

"We take the fight to him."

—

Next Chapter: A Trap for a Ghost – Luca sets a deadly trap, but Ghost is always one step ahead. Who will win this game of shadows?