Chapter 108 The Price of Freedom

The SUV barreled down the highway, its tires humming against the asphalt. City lights blurred past, streaks of gold and red in the rearview mirror.

Ethan sat in the passenger seat, jaw tight, eyes scanning the road behind them. Luca, breathing hard, checked his ammo. The air inside the car was thick with adrenaline, the echo of their escape still rattling through their bones.

Alea’s grip on the wheel was steady, but her knuckles were white.

“We’re not out of this yet,” she said, voice clipped. “Vale will send more men.”

Ethan’s gaze flicked to the black folder on his lap. The key to everything. He flipped it open, scanning the pages.

Luca peered over. “Tell me there’s something in there worth almost dying for.”

Ethan didn’t answer immediately. His eyes moved across names, dates, transactions. A deep network of corruption, ties leading back to figures in government, corporations—even the Watson Group.

His stomach turned.

“This isn’t just about me,” Ethan murmured. “This is bigger than we thought.”

Alea glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “How big?”

Ethan shut the folder. “Big enough that Vale was willing to kill us over it.”

Luca exhaled sharply. “Fantastic.”

Headlights flared behind them.

Ethan twisted in his seat, pulse spiking. Two black sedans, sleek and aggressive, gained speed.

“They found us,” Luca growled.

Alea’s hands tightened on the wheel. “Hold on.”

The Chase

The first bullet shattered the back windshield.

Glass rained over them.

Luca cursed, ducking. Ethan reached for his gun, turning in his seat. The black sedans closed in, their engines roaring.

Alea yanked the wheel, the SUV swerving hard onto a side street. The tires screeched, barely holding grip.

“They’re trying to force us off the road,” Alea snapped.

Ethan aimed through the broken rear window. One shot. The front tire of the first sedan burst, sending the car spinning.

But the second was still coming.

Luca leaned out the window, firing. Bullets pinged off the hood, but the driver didn’t flinch.

“They’re armored,” Luca gritted out.

Ethan’s eyes flicked forward. An intersection. A chance.

“Alea—hard left, now!”

She didn’t hesitate.

The SUV veered left, barely missing a row of parked cars. The pursuing vehicle overshot the turn, tires screaming.

Alea hit the gas.

For a brief moment, the city stretched empty before them—no pursuers, no gunfire. Just the hum of the engine and the rush of cold air.

But Ethan knew better. This wasn’t over.

Nowhere to Run

“We can’t go to the safe house,” Alea said, voice tight. “If they tracked us this far, they’ll have eyes there too.”

Ethan nodded. “We need somewhere unexpected.”

Luca scoffed. “Great. You got a secret underground bunker I don’t know about?”

Ethan didn’t smile. “No. But I know someone who does.”

Alea and Luca both turned to him, questioning.

Ethan pulled out his phone. His fingers moved quickly, typing a message. A single name.

Andra.

The Meeting

The warehouse loomed ahead, a forgotten structure on the edge of the city. Rusted metal doors, boarded windows—a place no one would bother checking.

Alea pulled the SUV inside. The heavy doors slammed shut behind them.

Inside, the air smelled of oil and dust. Dim yellow lights flickered to life as a figure stepped out of the shadows.

Andra.

Her eyes locked onto Ethan, sharp as ever. “You look worse than usual.”

Ethan exhaled, stepping forward. “We need help.”

Andra’s gaze flicked to Alea and Luca, then to the folder in Ethan’s grip.

“I figured,” she muttered.

She led them toward the back, where an old conference table sat covered in blueprints and maps.

Ethan tossed the folder onto the table. “This is what Vale was hiding.”

Andra flipped it open. Her expression didn’t change, but her posture stiffened.

“Damn,” she murmured.

Alea crossed her arms. “Tell me it’s something we can use.”

Andra lifted a single document—a contract, signed in blood.

“This?” She held it up. “This is a kill order.”

Luca frowned. “On who?”

Andra turned the page, revealing the target’s name.

Ethan Watson.

Silence.

The weight of it settled over them like a vice.

Ethan’s expression remained unreadable. He’d known Vale wanted him dead. But seeing it there—official, undeniable—was different.

Alea reached for the paper, her fingers tightening around it. “This was signed weeks ago.”

Ethan nodded. “Which means Vale isn’t working alone.”

Andra exhaled. “He’s got backers. Powerful ones.”

Luca ran a hand through his hair. “This just keeps getting worse.”

Ethan didn’t reply. He stared at the name at the bottom of the contract.

The signature wasn’t Vale’s.

It was someone else’s. Someone higher up.

Someone Ethan recognized.

His breath hitched.

Alea noticed. “Ethan?”

He didn’t respond immediately. He just stared at the signature, pulse hammering.

Andra followed his gaze. Her eyes narrowed.

Then—her expression shifted.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Luca looked between them. “What? Who is it?”

Andra’s voice was tight with disbelief.

“It’s someone inside Watson Group.”

Alea froze.

Ethan’s fingers curled into a fist.

Because the name on the contract—the person who had signed his death warrant—

Was his uncle.