Operation Redemption

THE HUNTER'S TRAP

The road stretched ahead of us, an endless trail going into the unknown. The shadows outside the car appeared to close in as we drove further away from the city, and the faint glimmer of the city lights faded behind us. We were alone now, with nothing but the vastness of the night and the bulk of what lied ahead.

"Killian," Nat began gently after a lengthy silence, "when we find Moretti, how do you intend to handle him? Will you confront him about the past?"

"I do not know yet. But I am certain that no matter what happens, we cannot let him walk away this time." I responded.

"He's not the type to walk away easily," she stated. "He always pull the rug out from under you when you least expect it."

I did not react. She was right, and we both knew it. Moretti had been one step ahead of us for far too long, spinning his web of deception and ruin. He was not about to go down without a fight. Neither were we.

The car's headlights cut through the darkness as we entered the fringes of the Badlands, the first jagged ridges of barren rock and dead desert appearing on the horizon. The temperature had fallen, and the air seemed thicker and more oppressive.

The quiet between us had become harsher.

Nat's phone buzzed. She looked at it, her eyes narrowing.

"What is it?" I asked, detecting a change in her manner.

She did not respond quickly. Instead, she flipped the phone to show me the message:

"Watch your backs. "They know where you're going."

My stomach sank. We both understood what this meant. The message had come from an encrypted number—one of Matthias’ old channels. That indicated he either tipped us off or someone intercepted our discussions.

"We need to get off the main road," I remarked immediately, checking the GPS. "They could be tracking us."

Nat did not argue. She was already checking the surrounding area for an exit off the freeway. A few hundred meters ahead, a tiny dirt road led to a series of high hills. Without saying anything, I turned the car into the dirt road, the tires kicking up dust as we sped away from the highway.

The sense of being chased was clear now. Every action felt premeditated, with each second ticking away toward something unknown and deadly.

The headlights highlighted the desolate landscape, and as we wound over the hills.

My senses, trained over years of chasing shadows, warned me that something was awry.

Then, unexpectedly, a piercing c***k rang through the night. The windshield broke, and a bullet whizzed over Nat's shoulder, missing her by inches.

"Get down!" I yelled, swerving the car as another shot went off. I stepped on the gas, but it was too late. The car jerked as one of the tires blew out, causing us to lurch onto a steep precipice.

It came to a stop, the car tumbling dangerously on the rocks, and smoke poured from the engine. I reached for my handgun and scanned the area. The rounds came from someplace up ahead, but the darkness made it hard to tell where.

Nat slid out of the car, her gun pulled and her eyes sweeping the ridges for any signs of movement.

"They're coming for us," she said. "We need to move."

I nodded, adrenaline rushing through me. Whoever fired at us wasn't far away. And if they were Moretti's men, they would not stop until we were killed.

"Into the hills," I murmured, gesturing toward the rugged landscape above. "We can lose them in the dark."

We rushed for the jagged rocks without saying anything else, the sound of footsteps and voices following us.

We climbed up the steep slope, the rocky terrain making it difficult to move rapidly. But we had no option. Staying still meant certain death.

We reached a small ledge and took refuge behind a huge boulder. The night was strangely still again, but I could feel them approaching. Nat squatted alongside me, her breath calm and her firearm at the ready.

She murmured, "Do you think they know about the rogue agent?"

I shake my head. "They probably don't mind. They merely want us dead before we get too near to Moretti."

A rustling in the distance made both of us nervous. I lifted my pistol, aiming at the sound.

Then a shadow darted quickly through the darkness, too fast to distinguish.

Nat's voice broke the tension,.

"Killian… I guess they've already arrived."

Then, from the shadows, a calm and chilling voice spoke through the night: "You didn't really think you'd make it out alive, did you?"

I turned, my heart sinking as the person emerged from the darkness.

And then I saw him.

Moretti.

Moretti stood there, cloaked, his chilly smile scarcely apparent against the thin moonlight.

"You didn't think you could make it out alive, did you?" His voice was like ice: calm and unhurried.

Nat stiffened beside me, her gun pointed solidly at him. I could sense her anxiety; we both knew this wasn't simply another encounter.

"You've been chasing ghosts, Killian," Moretti said, his eyes blazing. "And now, here we are."

I kept my pistol pointed on him, my heart pounding in my ears. "This ends tonight, Moretti."

He chuckled in a low, menacing tone. "You're still playing checkers while I've been playing chess."

Then we heard a stir behind us. I turned and saw a shadow moving too quickly to respond.

"They're here," Nat said quietly.

In a moment, gunfire broke out from the darkness, striking the rocks surrounding us. Moretti did not flinch, his gaze never leaving me.

"We're surrounded," Nat said under her breath, examining the shadows.

Moretti's smile grew. "You never had a chance. Let's do this the old way shall we?"

The sound of their footsteps approached from all sides. We were trapped. And this time, there may be no way out.