The wind tore at my coat as I clung to the roof of the moving train. The city below was a blur of neon and rain-slicked streets, the smoke from the hospital curling upward like a dark, living shadow. Every muscle in my body burned from the impact and the sprint across the rooftop before the jump.
The hospital was behind me, flames licking the night sky. Somewhere in that fire was Marcus Ellory, calm, waiting, watching. The realization hit me like ice: he had marked me now. And no matter how far I ran, the game had only just begun.
I rolled to the side, trying to catch my breath, every step precarious on the wet metal. Sparks flew where my boots scraped, the train humming beneath me like some mechanical beast hungry for speed.
I forced my mind to focus. The envelope with the old number, the message, Eva—everything came rushing back. The chaos had pulled the memory from the haze: the old lead, Dock 17…
I clenched my fists. That detail, forgotten until now, made the plan suddenly make sense. Marcus had led me here, but why? And why was Eva's number suddenly alive with a message, a single word—HELP?
The train swayed, a gust of wind knocking me against a pipe. I held on, letting my eyes track the city passing below. Somewhere along this line, Marcus' network would follow. Somewhere along this line, the next move would land.
For now, I was alive.
And alive meant I still had a choice.
A choice Marcus couldn't take from me.
The smoke from the hospital rose higher, a column of fire stretching toward the dark clouds above. Somewhere in that inferno was the face of the enemy, calm as a god. And somewhere beyond, Eva's silent plea waited for me to decipher it.
I slid off the side of the train as it slowed at a bridge crossing, landing in a narrow alley with a splash. Water mixed with soot, ice-cold, soaking through my clothes. My lungs burned, my heart raced, but I was on solid ground.
For the first time in hours, I allowed myself a moment to breathe.
Then my phone buzzed.
A single message.
HELP — Dock 17
The words burned into my mind. The city's shadows had shifted again, and the first move of this game was far from over.
I pocketed the phone, eyes scanning the alley, and felt the weight of the city pressing down.
Marcus Ellory was out there.
Eva Moon was out there.
And I had a long night ahead.