Chapter 2: Burn Notice
The night air roared past Jasper Hawke as he leaned out of the moving car, his grip firm on his pistol. The pursuing black SUVs swerved as his bullets tore through their windshields. One driver lost control, the vehicle veering off the road and slamming into a row of parked cars. The second SUV stayed locked onto their tail.
“Faster!” Jasper barked, ducking back inside as another burst of gunfire rattled against the Audi’s rear bumper.
Evelyn gritted her teeth, weaving through Vienna’s narrow streets. “This thing isn’t built for high-speed chases, Hawke!”
Jasper didn’t reply. He was already leaning back out, lining up another shot.
The second SUV surged forward. The passenger leaned out—a professional, judging by his steady aim.
Jasper fired first. The bullet struck home, and the man toppled out onto the pavement. The SUV wobbled before recovering, still giving chase.
“Take the next left!” Jasper ordered.
Evelyn hesitated. “That leads to the—”
“Now!”
She wrenched the wheel hard, sending the Audi into a sharp turn onto a construction site. The half-built road was littered with scaffolding and equipment.
Jasper turned back to the SUV. The driver hesitated—a mistake.
A crane loomed ahead, its steel cable swinging low. Evelyn swerved under it just in time. The SUV wasn’t so lucky—the cable ripped through its windshield, crushing the vehicle instantly.
Jasper exhaled. One problem down.
Evelyn didn’t slow. She maneuvered through the site, heading for a side exit. “We need to disappear. Now.”
Jasper checked his watch. “We’ve got about five minutes before every agency in Europe knows we’re here.”
The briefcase sat on his lap, the encrypted flash drive inside. It had cost Moreau his life. Now, Jasper had to find out why.
And that meant going dark.
A Safehouse Compromised
Evelyn drove them to a safehouse on the outskirts of the city—an old apartment complex, long abandoned but still useful for agents in need of an emergency hideout.
Jasper led the way inside, scanning for signs of disturbance. The place was exactly as he had left it months ago: dust-covered furniture, a few stocked supplies, and an emergency laptop with secure access.
Elias was already waiting, his laptop open on the makeshift table. He didn’t look up. “Tell me you have something good.”
Jasper tossed him the flash drive. “Find out what Moreau died for.”
Elias plugged it in, fingers flying over the keyboard. His expression turned grim.
“This encryption is military-grade. Not just any military—our military.”
Jasper exchanged a look with Evelyn. If this information was secured with their own country’s encryption, then they weren’t just dealing with an external threat.
They had been burned by someone inside the system.
Elias swore. “I need time to crack this.”
Jasper nodded. “You have thirty minutes.”
Evelyn crossed her arms. “And in the meantime?”
Jasper checked his gun. “We prepare for whoever comes knocking.”
The Betrayal
Twenty minutes later, Elias cursed under his breath. “We’ve got a problem.”
Jasper didn’t look up from cleaning his weapon. “Bigger than the one we’re already in?”
Elias turned the screen toward them. A live feed of their safehouse, taken from a street surveillance camera.
Jasper’s stomach dropped.
The camera feed shouldn’t have been accessible—unless someone with high-level clearance was watching them.
“Who has access to this?” Evelyn asked.
Elias’s face was grim. “Only one organization can pull street-level surveillance on demand without leaving a trace.”
Jasper clenched his jaw. Their own agency.
Someone had already sold them out.
The laptop beeped. The decryption had finished. Elias pulled up the file.
Lines of data scrolled across the screen—dossiers, financial transactions, classified intelligence reports.
And then—
Jasper’s blood went cold.
The last file was a kill list.
Names, faces, mission details. Agents who had been quietly eliminated over the past six months.
One name stood out:
Jasper Hawke – Termination Order Approved.
Silence filled the room.
Jasper’s own agency had sanctioned his execution.
He exhaled, steadying his pulse. “Looks like I wasn’t just burned. I was marked for elimination.”
Evelyn’s expression darkened. “By who?”
Jasper scrolled further. And then he saw the final signature at the bottom of the file.
A name he knew all too well.
Director Richard Calloway.
The man who had recruited Jasper into the agency. His mentor.
Betrayal burned deep.
Before anyone could speak, a sharp beeping filled the room.
Elias paled. “They’ve locked onto our signal.”
Jasper snapped into action. “We need to move—now.”
Evelyn grabbed the laptop, while Elias packed what he could.
Jasper pushed open the door—
And came face to face with a squad of armed men.
The leader—dressed in a sleek, black tactical suit—smirked. “Jasper Hawke. You’ve been a very busy man.”
Jasper raised his hands slightly, assessing his options.
The man stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“Director Calloway sends his regards.”
Jasper tensed.
Then he moved.
