The air inside the safe house was thick with tension. Every breath felt heavier as Grimm approached the door, his heart pounding against his chest. Bull stood ready, his hand resting on the butt of his weapon, but neither of them made a move to open it.
The knocks echoed again, this time louder, more urgent. "Mercer, open the damn door," the voice on the other side barked, as gritty and familiar as the storm itself. It was a voice Grimm hadn't heard in years. Not since the operation that had gone sideways.
"Ghost," Grimm muttered under his breath.
Behind him, Tanya shifted, her eyes sharp with suspicion. "You know him?"
Grimm nodded, his gaze locked on the door. "I used to. But that was a lifetime ago."
Bull raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound good."
"Not all ghosts are friendly," Grimm said, his voice low. He motioned for Bull to step aside.
With a swift, practiced movement, Grimm turned the handle and threw the door open. Standing in the pouring rain was a figure draped in a dark coat, his face partially obscured by the hood and the storm. The wind whipped around him, making the scene feel like a ghostly apparition materializing out of the mist.
"Grimm," the man said, his voice low and rasping. "It's been a long time."
Grimm didn't waste a second. He lunged forward, grabbing the man by the collar and pulling him inside. "What the hell are you doing here, Ghost? We thought you were dead."
Ghost—real name Jake Harper—wasn't the type to make unnecessary small talk. He wasn't dead, but he had been buried deep in the shadows for a reason. He had disappeared after a botched mission, a mission that had left more questions than answers. The world had moved on, but Grimm never forgot the man who had once been part of his team.
"Not dead. Just... keeping a low profile," Jake said with a wry smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. He was as cold as the rain falling around them.
Grimm didn't let go of him, his eyes narrowing. "Low profile? Or hiding from someone?"
Tanya stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "Who are you running from, Ghost?"
Jake's gaze flickered to her for a moment, then back to Grimm. "Does it matter? I'm not here to discuss old ghosts. I'm here to help you with the one you're chasing."
Grimm's grip on Jake tightened. "Help? I don't need your help."
"Oh, you do," Jake shot back. "Or at least, you will. You're in way over your head, Grimm. I'm here because Kessler isn't the only one you should be worrying about."
Bull snorted, his arms crossed over his chest. "Kessler? You're telling us there's someone worse than him?"
Jake nodded grimly. "Much worse. There's a new player in town, and they're far more dangerous than Kessler could ever be. I've seen their work. They're systematic. Ruthless. They won't stop until every last one of you is in the ground."
Grimm finally let go of Jake, but the tension in the room remained thick. "Who the hell are they?"
Jake's eyes flickered to the laptop on the table, where Reyes was working frantically. "They go by Blackthorn. A shadow network operating behind the scenes. They're pulling strings on a global scale, and they have access to resources you can't even imagine."
"Blackthorn?" Tanya repeated, her voice hard. "Is this connected to Kessler?"
Jake shook his head. "Kessler was a part of it, but he's small potatoes in the grand scheme. Blackthorn's reach is limitless. And if you're not careful, you'll be nothing more than collateral damage."
Grimm ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. The storm outside seemed to reflect the chaos brewing inside. Blackthorn. The name had been buzzing around in the back of his mind ever since Reyes mentioned it. But now, hearing it from Jake, it felt real. Tangible.
"What do they want?" Grimm asked, his voice tight with frustration.
Jake's face grew darker, more serious. "Control. Power. The kind of power that can reshape the world as we know it. They've been working in the shadows for years, manipulating governments, corporations... hell, entire economies. And now, they're ready to move."
Grimm looked out the window, his mind churning with the implications. "And you're telling me this now? After all this time?"
"I didn't choose this, Grimm," Jake said, his voice soft but firm. "I didn't choose to be caught in their web. But I'm not going to let them take you down without a fight."
Tanya crossed her arms, eyeing Jake with distrust. "You expect us to trust you after everything that's happened? After you disappeared without a word?"
Jake didn't flinch. "You don't have to trust me. But you can't ignore the facts. Blackthorn is real. And they're coming for you. For all of us."
Bull stepped forward, his expression hard. "So what's the plan? You just show up out of the blue with no warning, no intel? How the hell do we know you're not working for them?"
Jake's eyes locked onto Bull's, unflinching. "You don't. But I'm the best shot you've got at surviving this."
Grimm took a step back, processing the weight of Jake's words. This wasn't just about Kessler anymore. This was bigger. Far bigger. Blackthorn had its tendrils in every corner of the world, and they weren't about to let go.
Grimm's voice was steady, but the weight of his decision was clear. "Alright. We work together. But if you're lying—if this is some kind of setup—you'll regret it."
Jake's lips curled into a cold smile. "I'm not the one you need to worry about, Grimm. Blackthorn is the enemy now. And we're all in this together whether we like it or not."
The storm outside intensified, but inside, the storm was only beginning. With every second that passed, the walls seemed to close in tighter.
The game had changed. And this time, the ghosts they were chasing were no longer just in the past.