9:11 PM – Rooftop above 91st & Halden
Kairo didn't run.
Running meant panic. Panic meant mistakes. Mistakes meant death.
Instead, he slid silently off the rooftop's edge, dropped to a fire escape, and moved like smoke into the shadows of the alley. His earpiece was still silent — too silent. Crowe always monitored the line. Always gave confirmation. Always watched.
Unless…
Kairo's mind raced. If this was a setup, he was the bait — or the loose end. Either way, he had to vanish.
He ducked behind a dumpster, pulled out his burner phone, and hacked into the Organization's local network. Minimal signals. Just static noise.
Except one ping — a signal from the SUV. It was broadcasting. Not encrypted.
That wasn't a government snitch in the back seat.
It was a body.
And it was already dead.
"No witnesses. No survivors."
Those words echoed in Kairo's mind.
This wasn't a hit.
It was a message.
To him.
10:33 PM – Alicia's House
Alicia was still on the porch, fingers ice-cold around her phone.
No call. No text. Not even a dumb emoji.
She was about to go inside when a whisper cut through the night:
"Alicia."
She turned sharply. At first, she saw nothing. Then, out of the dark, Kairo stepped forward from behind her neighbor's hedge, hoodie up, eyes sharp and breathing heavy.
"What the hell?!" she gasped, stepping back. "Where have you—?"
"I don't have time to explain," he said quickly, glancing behind her house. "Are your parents home?"
"No, but—"
"Good. Pack a bag. Three days' worth. Now."
"Kairo," she said, grabbing his arm. "You're scaring me."
He met her gaze, and for the first time, she saw fear in his eyes.
"I'll explain everything," he said. "But right now, we need to move. Please, Alicia."
She hesitated. But something in his voice — that trembling edge he never had before — told her this wasn't just about some "family thing."
This was real.
She nodded.
11:01 PM – Safehouse 3
The door slammed behind them. Kairo activated the deadlock and covered the windows.
Alicia stood in the living room, arms crossed, eyes blazing.
"You're going to tell me what's going on. All of it."
He paused, then gave her the smallest nod.
"I'm not who you think I am," he said. "I work for an underground group — assassins. Covert operatives. I've been trained since I was a kid."
She stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language.
"I kill people," he said flatly. "Bad people, mostly. Corrupt officials. Dirty cops. Gang leaders. People no one else will touch."
Alicia blinked. "You're joking."
He pulled the silenced pistol from his belt and set it on the table.
"I wish I was."
She looked at the gun, then at him.
"How long?"
"Since I was twelve."
The silence between them stretched, cold and suffocating.
Finally, she whispered, "Why tell me now?"
Kairo looked at her — really looked at her — and for once, his assassin mask cracked.
"Because tonight, they tried to kill me."
1:15 AM – Organization HQ, Hidden Room
Crowe stood before a wall of monitors, watching security footage from 91st & Halden. He sipped black coffee, calm and calculated.
A man in a gray suit stepped into the room behind him. Mr. Vance — one of the higher-ups in the Organization.
"Status?" Vance asked.
Crowe didn't turn around. "He survived. Slipped the net. He's better than I thought."
Vance frowned. "You sent him into a fake op. With a corpse. Why?"
Crowe smirked.
"To see if he could spot the setup. He did."
"And?"
"He's dangerous. Too smart. Too moral."
Vance paused. "What's the next move?"
Crowe's smile faded. His eyes turned hard.
"Issue the black mark. As of now, Kairo Vale is a rogue asset."
End of Chapter 2
🔥 Chapter 3 Teaser: Rogue
Kairo and Alicia go on the run. The Organization sends hunters after him — other assassins trained like he was. Crowe starts erasing Kairo's identity from every system. Kairo must turn to someone he swore never to contact again: his old mentor, the one who left the Organization… alive.