Chapter 12 – Shadows at Midnight
The night air was thick and cold as Nate perched atop the crumbling rooftop overlooking the old Cathedral Plaza.
Below, in the moonlight, Eira Locke waited.
Alone.
No guards.
No hidden weapons Nate could see.
She wore a dark jacket, her silver hair catching the faint light, making her look almost ghostly.
Nate's heart pounded.
This could be a trap.
It probably was a trap.
But he had to know.
---
He dropped down silently, boots kissing the ground without a sound.
Eira turned — almost like she had sensed him.
> "You're late," she said softly.
Nate kept his pistol hidden behind his back.
> "You betrayed me."
Her eyes flickered — not with guilt, but with something deeper. Sadness?
> "It wasn't supposed to be this way," she said. "I fought for you. But the Syndicate... They own everything. Even me."
> "You're lying," Nate growled.
> "Am I?"
She stepped closer.
Nate could smell the faint scent of rain on her clothes.
He could see the tremble in her hands.
> "They gave me a choice," she whispered. "Deliver you... or die."
Nate's grip on the pistol tightened.
> "And you chose survival," he said bitterly.
> "No," Eira said, voice breaking. "I chose you. I gave them false information. I led them away from you. I saved you!"
---
For a moment, the rage inside Nate faltered.
Could it be true?
Could she have risked everything?
> "Then why is your name on the kill list?" he demanded, tossing the flash drive at her feet.
Eira's face went pale as she knelt and picked it up.
She scanned the screen.
> "No..." she muttered. "This—this is wrong. They know I helped you. They're coming for both of us."
Her hands shook.
> "Nate... we don't have much time. You have no idea how deep this goes."
He hesitated.
Trust her... or walk away?
---
Suddenly, headlights blazed at the far end of the plaza.
Black SUVs.
At least four.
Doors flew open.
Armed men poured out, weapons gleaming under the moonlight.
The Syndicate had found them.
Eira tossed Nate a pistol from her belt.
> "Believe me or don't," she said. "But if you want to survive tonight, you're going to need me."
Nate cursed under his breath, instincts taking over.
He chambered a round.
> "We fight together," he said grimly. "For now."
Eira smiled — not with happiness, but with fierce, desperate relief.
Together, they sprinted into the shadows, bullets tearing through the plaza behind them.
The hunt had begun.
---