The knock came again.
Slow. Controlled.
Victor Kane never rushed. He didn't need to.
Kevin stood between the door and Shalom without thinking. His body reacted before his mind could catch up. He raised one hand slightly behind him—a silent signal.
Stay back.
Shalom understood instantly. She moved quietly toward the hallway, pressing herself into the shadows, her gun steady but lowered. Not because she wasn't ready to shoot—but because she knew shooting Victor Kane would end everything.
Kevin took a breath and opened the door.
Victor stood there alone.
No guards. No visible weapons. Just his calm expression and that sharp, unreadable gaze that always made Kevin feel like he was being dissected.
"Good evening," Victor said. "May I come in?"
Kevin forced his shoulders to relax. "Of course."
Victor stepped inside slowly, his eyes scanning the apartment with casual interest. He noticed everything—the half-packed bag, the broken window hastily covered, the tension in Kevin's posture.
"You've been busy," Victor said mildly.
"Work follows me home," Kevin replied.
Victor smiled faintly. "Work usually does."
He walked farther into the room, stopping near the couch. He turned once, taking in the space like a man visiting a museum.
"Sit," Victor said.
Kevin sat.
Victor remained standing.
That alone told Kevin this wasn't a friendly visit.
"We detected movement," Victor continued. "Unusual signals. A pattern that suggests… emotional interference."
Kevin kept his face neutral. "You promoted me knowing that risk."
"Yes," Victor agreed. "Because pressure reveals truth."
He paused.
"And truth," Victor added softly, "always surfaces."
Kevin's pulse thudded in his ears.
Behind the wall, Shalom barely breathed.
Victor's gaze shifted—just slightly—toward the hallway.
Kevin noticed.
That was the moment he knew.
Victor suspected.
Maybe not everything. But enough.
"You live alone," Victor said.
"Yes."
"No visitors?"
"No."
Victor hummed thoughtfully. "Funny. Our systems say otherwise."
Kevin leaned back, forcing a small smile. "Your systems make mistakes."
Victor finally looked directly at him.
"They don't," he said.
The silence stretched.
Kevin felt sweat gather at the base of his neck, but he didn't move.
Victor stepped closer.
"Tell me something, Kevin," he said quietly. "If someone betrayed you… would you see it coming?"
Kevin met his gaze. "Betrayal always feels sudden. Even when it isn't."
Victor's lips curved slightly.
"Good answer."
He turned away, walking toward the window.
Kevin's heart slammed.
If Victor reached the hallway—
Shalom shifted.
Just a breath.
Just enough.
Victor stopped.
Slowly, he turned his head.
"There it is," he said calmly. "That sound."
Kevin stood up. "Victor—"
Victor raised a hand.
"Relax," he said. "If I wanted you dead, this conversation would be shorter."
He faced Kevin fully now.
"You care about someone," Victor said. "That's the problem."
Kevin didn't speak.
"Caring makes people sloppy," Victor continued. "Predictable. Weak."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"And weak people get others killed."
Kevin's jaw tightened. "Say what you came to say."
Victor smiled. "I came to warn you."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a thin tablet, placing it on the table.
On the screen—
A blurred image.
A woman.
Hood up.
Injured.
Alive.
Kevin's blood froze.
"We haven't confirmed her identity," Victor said. "But she's… interesting."
Kevin stared at the image, forcing himself not to react.
"Looks like a ghost," Kevin said.
Victor watched him closely. "Ghosts tend to return to familiar places."
Kevin met his gaze.
"I'd kill a ghost if it threatened the Circle," he said.
Victor studied him for a long moment.
Then he laughed softly.
"That's what I wanted to hear."
He turned toward the door.
"One more thing," Victor said, pausing. "Your next assignment begins tonight."
Kevin's chest tightened. "What assignment?"
Victor looked over his shoulder.
"Find her."
The door closed behind him.
Kevin didn't move for a full ten seconds.
Then his legs almost gave out.
Shalom stepped out of the hallway slowly, her face pale but composed.
"He knows," she said.
"Not fully," Kevin replied. "But he's close."
She swallowed. "He showed you a picture."
"Yes."
"And you still lied."
Kevin looked at her. "I'll keep lying until it kills me."
She walked toward him, placing her hand over his chest. His heart was still racing.
"This is my fault," she said quietly.
"No," Kevin replied. "This is the Circle."
He looked down at her wound. "You shouldn't have come."
She met his eyes. "And let them break you?"
A beat.
Kevin exhaled. "We don't have much time."
They moved fast.
Kevin contacted Elena using an encrypted channel that burned itself after one message.
KEVIN: Victor knows she's alive.
The reply came almost instantly.
ELENA: I assumed. You need to separate. Now.
Kevin clenched his jaw.
KEVIN: Not happening.
A pause.
Then—
ELENA: Then one of you won't survive.
Kevin shut the phone off.
Shalom watched him carefully. "She told you to leave me."
"Yes."
"And you didn't listen."
"No."
She nodded once. "Good."
They didn't pack much.
Every extra second was a risk.
Kevin led them through the service exit, down stairwells and alleys, moving like shadows. Shalom leaned on him slightly, the pain catching up with her.
"You're slowing down," he murmured.
"I've been shot," she replied dryly.
He almost smiled.
They reached an abandoned parking structure several blocks away. Kevin checked corners, signals, reflections.
Nothing.
Too quiet.
"That's worse," Shalom said.
Kevin nodded. "They're herding us."
A sudden vibration buzzed in Kevin's pocket.
A Circle channel.
He hesitated—then answered.
Victor's voice came through, calm and amused.
"Kevin," he said. "I hope you're enjoying the hunt."
Kevin stiffened. "You said tonight."
"Yes," Victor replied. "I like to watch people prepare."
Shalom listened, eyes sharp.
"You'll report in one hour," Victor continued. "With progress."
Kevin swallowed. "And if I don't?"
Victor chuckled softly.
"Then I'll assume you've chosen her."
The call ended.
Shalom leaned back against a concrete pillar.
"So," she said quietly, "you're supposed to hunt me."
Kevin nodded.
"And if you don't—"
"They kill us both."
She closed her eyes briefly.
"Then we stop running," she said.
Kevin frowned. "What?"
She opened her eyes, resolve hardening. "We flip the script."
"How?"
"I go back," she said. "Not as prey. As bait."
Kevin's chest tightened. "No."
"They're already watching," she continued. "If I disappear again, they'll use you to flush me out."
He stepped closer. "I won't hand you over."
She touched his face. "You won't. I will."
"No," he said firmly.
She pressed her forehead to his. "Kevin. Listen to me."
He didn't move.
"I trust you," she whispered. "That's why this works."
His breath shook. "This is insane."
She smiled faintly. "So is loving you."
A long silence followed.
Finally, Kevin nodded once.
"Then we do it together," he said.
Her eyes widened slightly. "Together?"
"I won't let you walk back alone," he said. "If the Circle wants a show—"
He reached for his gun.
"—we give them one."
High above the city, Victor Kane watched tracking points converge on his screen.
"They've stopped running," Elena observed quietly.
Victor smiled.
"Good," he said. "That means they've chosen."