Chapter 1: The Summit
The streets of Vienna pulsed with the quiet hum of diplomacy.
Inside the Imperial Grand Hotel, where the International Security Summit was underway, Jasper Hawke blended seamlessly into the opulence. The ballroom shimmered under a grand chandelier, polished floors reflecting the soft glow of a hundred strategic conversations. Ministers, intelligence officers, and high-ranking officials from across the globe moved with rehearsed ease, exchanging pleasantries while silently assessing their counterparts.
Jasper wasn’t here to make conversation.
Dressed in a tailored midnight-blue tuxedo, he nursed a glass of champagne, his gaze sweeping the room. His target: a briefcase containing classified intelligence—leverage powerful enough to tip the scales of global security.
His handler’s voice crackled in his earpiece.
“You’ve got five minutes before the handoff. Target is en route.”
Jasper took a casual sip, keeping his movements natural. He had rehearsed this a hundred times. Identify the courier, secure the package, and extract without a trace. A textbook operation.
But experience had taught him—nothing ever goes by the book.
The Setup
He spotted his mark.
Jean-Luc Moreau, a mid-level intelligence officer from France, walked in through the east entrance, clutching a sleek black briefcase. His expression was tight, nervous—a man who knew he was carrying something worth dying for.
Jasper adjusted his cufflink, signaling to his team.
Across the room, Elias King, his tech specialist, acknowledged with the barest nod. He was stationed near the bar, maintaining overwatch on potential threats. Evelyn Carter, his field partner, was stationed at the exit, dressed as a diplomat’s assistant, keeping their escape route clear.
Moreau cut across the floor, heading toward a Russian delegate, Minister Volkov—a man with deep Kremlin ties.
Not good.
Jasper moved.
He intercepted Moreau near the edge of the ballroom, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “You’re late,” he murmured.
Moreau flinched but recovered quickly. He turned slightly, meeting Jasper’s gaze. “I—”
The moment stretched too long. Something was off.
Jasper tightened his grip. “Do you have it?”
Moreau hesitated—just a flicker—but it was enough.
The deal had changed.
Before Jasper could react, Moreau twisted free, stepping away as if nothing had happened. He wasn’t handing over the package.
Jasper exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the room. Something bigger was at play.
Then—
A woman screamed.
The chandelier above shattered as a gunshot rang out. Panic erupted.
Jasper’s instincts took over.
Moreau bolted toward the side corridor—briefcase still in hand.
Jasper didn’t hesitate.
The mission had just turned into a chase.
A Race Through Vienna
Moreau was fast, but Jasper was faster.
The moment they hit the hotel’s private wing, Jasper closed the distance, grabbing Moreau’s shoulder and slamming him against the wall.
“Who changed the deal?” Jasper demanded.
Moreau’s hands trembled, but his grip on the briefcase remained iron-tight. “I—I was compromised. They know. They know everything.”
Jasper’s blood ran cold. “Who?”
Bang!
A shot tore through the wall inches from his head.
Moreau’s eyes widened in horror. “They found us.”
Jasper had no time to ask who they were. Moreau shoved the briefcase into his hands.
“Take it—”
Another shot.
Moreau jerked—then crumpled, a red stain spreading across his chest.
Jasper turned, gun drawn.
A masked assassin stood at the far end of the hallway. Silenced pistol. Controlled stance. Professional.
Jasper fired first.
The assassin twisted away, the bullet missing by inches. He darted through a side passage before Jasper could get a second shot.
Elias’s voice crackled in his ear. “Hawke—get out now! Security’s flooding the building.”
Jasper grabbed the briefcase and ran.
Betrayal
The fire escape led to a deserted alley. Cold Vienna air hit him as he stepped into the open, heart pounding.
Evelyn was waiting at the rendezvous point, already in the getaway car. The black Audi idled, exhaust curling into the night air.
Jasper threw himself into the passenger seat, locking the briefcase between his legs.
“We’re compromised,” he said. “Moreau’s dead.”
Evelyn peeled onto the main road, her knuckles white on the wheel. “Who else knows we were here?”
Jasper’s mind raced. The summit was supposed to be controlled—only select intelligence agencies knew about the classified exchange.
If someone had found out, that meant only one thing:
They had a leak.
Elias’s voice cut through the silence. “We’ve got a problem.”
Jasper checked his side mirror. Two black SUVs had pulled onto the road behind them.
Elias’s voice was tight. “The assassins weren’t the only ones hunting you.”
Jasper’s gut twisted. “Who else?”
A pause. Then—
“Our own people.”
Evelyn glanced at him. “You think we’ve been burned?”
Jasper clenched his jaw. “I think someone inside our agency sold us out.”
The road ahead curved, leading toward the edge of the city. Evelyn pushed the car faster, but the SUVs behind them did the same.
Jasper unlatched the briefcase. Inside—a single encrypted flash drive.
He held it up to the light.
“This is what they’re willing to kill for.”
Evelyn kept her eyes on the road. “Then we better figure out what’s on it before they bury us too.”
Jasper looked at the mirror again.
The SUVs weren’t backing off.
He exhaled sharply. “Hold on.”
Then he rolled down the window—and opened fire.
