Chapter 18 – The Game Begins
Adrian's grip tightened around his gun as his storm-gray eyes locked onto the five figures standing before him. They stood in eerie silence, their expressions unreadable, but their presence carried something far more dangerous than brute strength.
Influence. Power. Control.
Evelyn stepped closer, keeping her voice low. "Who are they?"
One of them chuckled. A tall man in a sharp three-piece suit, his demeanor unnervingly calm. He stepped forward, hands in his pockets, exuding effortless authority.
"We," he said smoothly, "are the architects of order."
Adrian's jaw clenched. Orion's Circle.
The man offered a polite smile. "And you, Adrian Hale, have been quite the inconvenience."
Checkmate
Adrian kept his gun steady, but something was off. They weren't afraid.
Which meant—
He heard it before he saw it.
The soft click of rifles being cocked.
The quiet shuffle of boots positioning behind him.
Surrounded.
Evelyn tensed beside him. "They set us up."
The suited man tilted his head, amused. "Of course we did. You were never supposed to leave Blackgate. But instead, you've been running around—killing my associates, destroying my facilities, thinking you were winning."
He exhaled, like a disappointed mentor.
"You never stood a chance."
Adrian's mind raced. No cover. No exit. Outnumbered.
Then why were they still talking?
Adrian smirked. "If you wanted me dead, I'd already be on the floor."
The man's smile faltered.
Good.
Adrian had dealt with men like him before—calculated, overconfident, convinced they held all the pieces.
But there was something they didn't know.
He wasn't here alone.
The Real Trap
Somewhere outside the mansion, a countdown hit zero.
The explosion rocked the building.
The lights flickered.
Security feeds cut to static.
Gunfire erupted outside—unseen attackers striking the perimeter.
Adrian moved.
One second. He disarmed the nearest guard, flipping the rifle in one fluid motion.
Two seconds. He fired—two clean shots—two men down.
Three seconds. Evelyn dived behind a console, snatching up a fallen weapon.
The suited man snarled, his composure breaking. "Kill them!"
The room exploded into chaos.
Survival and Escape
Adrian moved like a ghost, weaving through bullets, taking down guards with brutal efficiency. This was his world. His battlefield.
Evelyn wasn't far behind, her shots precise, covering his blind spots.
They had fought through hell before.
They weren't stopping now.
The suited man retreated, barking orders into an earpiece. But Adrian was already closing in.
He grabbed the man by the collar, slamming him into the wall. "Who's really in charge?"
The man coughed, laughing through the pain. His eyes gleamed—not with fear, but certainty.
A phone rang.
The suited man smiled. "She's already here."
She?
Before Adrian could react, the doors burst open.
A woman stepped inside.
Dressed in all black.
Cold. Unreadable. Powerful.
Adrian's breath slowed. This was it.
The true leader of Orion's Circle had arrived.