led in the ruins of an old industrial district. The windows were boarded, the

door behind us. "We don't have much t

n my weapon. "Then let's make

ld respond, my

e've got a problem. The evidence you pulled o

mach d

one lit up with

ad. We'r

mant had just

Her breathing quickened, and she stumbled back toward th

No, he wasn't. We still have you. And we still have

le. They erase them. You saw what happened to those files. If they can wip

re's always something they can't erase. A mistake, a loose end. They th

"I might have something. But it's dangerous.

's not wa

out a worn notebook. The cover was tattered, the pag

gh the pages. "He was tracing money. Off-the-books transactions, shell co

me was scrawled across the top of the p

l Indu

maceutical company. Mostl

you'll find their real business. Weapons. Biotech experiments. Human trials no one ever he

ine. "You think they'r

mly. "I think the

oth freeze. The creak of footste

een the boards, I spotted a dark SUV idling near the alleyway. The driver stayed insi

nd us," I

nd the notebook. "Not again! Ho

spare mags. Not great, but better

the front. The first shadow passed the boarded-up window, fo

enclosed space. A grunt of pain. The second figure ducked back, re

sprinted toward her, bullets tearing into the wall behind me. I barely made it in

the SUV roared to

as she swerved hard, tires s

cked, returning fire through the broken glass, hitting the

lose them!

place!" She jerked the wheel, sendin

UV fo

e the road ended abruptly. Mar

ried to follow suit, but it was too fast, too heavy. It clipp

crawled from the wreckage, blood trailing down his

ed sharply.

the staggering f

e's not just some hired gun-he's one of them. He'

bloody teeth. "You think you stopped anything? W

gripping her notebook. "Then wh

lights flared in the distanc

a's arm. "We ne

he truck. "There's someone else we need to f

ho

e, her eyes dark w

died protecting. If we don'

brated in my pocket. Another message had c

WE KNOW WHO Y

't just mean me as a detective. They knew something d

the night, one thing be

ere no longer

inside o

might already