Chapter 3 - The Traitor's Toll
The interior of the SUV became suffocatingly quiet.
Nina stared at the dark barrel of the gun, her mind entirely blank with terror.
Alex did not even flinch at the ultimate betrayal of his trusted driver.
"Five million is a lot of money to spend in hell, Marco," Alex said softly.
Marco sneered and tightened his finger on the trigger.
Alex moved with a blinding, lethal speed that Nina could barely comprehend.
He violently slapped the barrel of the gun upward just as it fired.
The suppressed bullet shattered the luxury sunroof above them.
Alex grabbed Marco's wrist and twisted it backward until a sickening crack echoed through the car.
Marco screamed in intense agony and dropped the weapon onto the center console.
Alex followed up with a brutal strike to the side of the driver's head.
Marco immediately slumped against the steering wheel, completely unconscious.
"Get into the front seat," Alex ordered Nina as he shoved Marco's body into the passenger side.
Nina climbed clumsily over the center console, her hands trembling violently.
Alex climbed into the driver's seat and threw the heavy vehicle into gear.
The armored SUV roared to life and sped away from the industrial district.
Nina stared at the blood slowly dripping from Alex's knuckles.
"He was your friend," she whispered in shock.
"In my world, friendship is just a liability waiting to be purchased," Alex replied coldly.
He drove them in tense silence to an abandoned shipyard in the Seaport district.
He pulled the car into a rusted, empty warehouse and shut off the engine.
"There is a safehouse hidden beneath the old shipping office," he explained, leading her out of the car.
They walked down a hidden staircase into a surprisingly luxurious underground bunker.
"Go to the bathroom and wash the glass dust off your face," he told her gently.
Nina nodded numbly and walked into the immaculate modern bathroom.
She splashed cold water on her pale face, trying to ground herself in this insane new reality.
When she finally walked back out, Alex was busy securing the heavy steel door.
Nina walked over to the kitchen island to pour herself a glass of water.
She noticed a thick manila folder resting on the granite countertop.
Her own name was printed clearly across the top tab in bold black ink.
She cautiously opened the heavy file.
May you like
Dozens of high-resolution surveillance photographs of her spilled out onto the counter.
There were pictures of her getting coffee, walking to work, and sleeping on her couch from three years ago.
