ALEX POV
The message flashes on my screen only once before vanishing.
No sender. No trace. Just four words burned into my mind like a scar:
"They're already inside."
For a heartbeat, everything slows , the soft crackle of dying embers, Camila's breathing, the steady hum of the storm outside.
Then the world snaps back into motion.
"Grab your things," I say, already on my feet.
She stands quickly, confusion tightening her voice. "What's happening?"
"They found us. We can't stay here."
Her hands shake as she reaches for the small duffel. "But—Alex, you said this place—"
"I said no one should know it exists." I yank open the drawer near the window and pull out the backup gun I hid days ago. "That doesn't mean they don't."
She freezes. "Ethan?"
"I don't know," I say. "But if they traced that message, they'll be here in minutes."
Her eyes flicker with fear, but she nods , trusting me. Always trusting.
We step outside into the cold, wet dark. The forest feels alive again, whispering, shifting. I lead her through the trees, my hand never leaving hers.
"Where are we going?" she whispers.
"North," I say. "To the coast."
She looks up at me, rain streaking her face. "You think that's where—"
"Project Ophidian," I finish for her. "It's where all of this leads."
Lightning cracks the sky, white and blinding. And in that flash , movement.
A figure at the treeline. Then another. Shadows that don't belong to us.
"Down," I hiss.
We drop behind a fallen log just as bullets tear through the air, splintering bark inches from her head. She gasps , quiet but sharp , and I shift to shield her, returning fire toward the flashes in the dark.
Three, maybe four of them. Silent. Coordinated. Agency-trained.
Not cartel.
Agency cleaners.
"Alex!" Camila's hand grips my jacket, trembling.
"I see them."
I shoot again , one body drops. The rest scatter, ghost-like, impossible to track through the trees.
Then, through the rain and chaos, a voice calls out.
"Agent Coulson! Stand down!"
The sound freezes me where I am.
That voice. I'd know it anywhere.
"Reece," I mutter.
Camila blinks. "Your boss?"
"Not anymore."
Another voice joins his, louder, mocking.
"You made this too easy, brother."
That one stops my heart completely.
Ethan.
He's alive , and standing with them.
"Come out, Alex," Ethan calls, voice smooth, confident. "Let's not turn this into another bloodbath. You've got something that doesn't belong to you."
Camila whispers, "He's working for Solano."
"No," I say bitterly. "He is Solano's insurance."
I squeeze her hand once , a promise , and whisper, "Run."
Her eyes widen. "I'm not leaving—"
"I'll find you. Go east. Keep moving. No lights."
She hesitates , but the look in my eyes must convince her. She turns and slips through the trees like a shadow, fast and silent.
I wait until I can't hear her footsteps anymore.
Then I stand.
Ethan steps out of the dark first, Reece just behind him , both in black tactical gear, rifles at their sides.
"Didn't think you'd make it this far," Ethan says. "You always did have a talent for ignoring orders."
"Funny," I reply. "You always had a talent for betraying them."
He smirks. "You think I sold out? No, brother. I adapted. You were too busy saving damsels to see the bigger picture."
"Solano isn't a picture. He's a disease."
Ethan shrugs. "And diseases need hosts. Someone has to keep the balance. You kill him, another rises. I just decided to be the one giving the orders this time."
I raise my gun, slow and deliberate. "Then this is where it ends."
But before I can fire, Reece steps forward. "You won't shoot him, Coulson. You need him alive. That girl—Camila—she's got something inside her neither of you understand."
I keep my gun trained on Ethan. "What did you do to her?"
Reece's smile is thin. "We didn't do anything. Her mother did. You think the cartel created the Ophidian project? No. It was ours. Camila's mother was a scientist. She hid the research in her daughter before Solano killed her."
Ethan chuckles. "And you've been guarding the key without even knowing it."
The truth hits me like a physical blow. My pulse roars in my ears.
"She's not a weapon," I say.
Reece's gaze hardens. "She's the future. Whether you like it or not."
Something inside me snaps.
Before either of them can react, I move.
Two shots , Reece goes down, clutching his shoulder. Ethan fires back, grazing my arm. I dive behind a tree, the pain sharp but clean, manageable.
I hear Ethan curse. "You always were stubborn!"
"Still am," I growl.
Then , silence.
No footsteps. No voices. Just the rain.
He's gone.
I press a hand to my arm, blood slick under my fingers, and push through the trees in the direction Camila ran.
Branches whip my face, mud sucks at my boots, but I don't stop.
If they're after her , if Ethan finds her before I do , she's done.
The storm breaks open above me, thunder shaking the ground.
Somewhere in the darkness ahead, I hear her voice , faint, terrified.
"Alex!"
My heart slams against my ribs.
I run faster.
CAMILA POV
The forest feels endless. Every sound could be him , Alex, or the men hunting me. My lungs burn, my feet slip in the mud, but I keep moving.
Branches snag my shirt, scratch my arms. I don't care. I just need to keep going east. Like he said.
Then, suddenly , silence.
Too much silence.
A hand grabs my wrist from behind.
I twist, ready to fight, but a voice whispers against my ear:
"Easy, little bird."
Dillon.
He's alive , and smiling.
"Miss me?"