Chapter 4: Shadows in Prague
The Road to Prague
The bitter Berlin wind cut through Jasper Hawke’s stolen jacket as he and Evelyn boarded the night train bound for Prague. The compartment was dimly lit, its occupants a mix of tired travelers and businessmen too engrossed in their laptops to notice the two fugitives in their midst.
Jasper adjusted his cap, angling his face away from the overhead cameras.
Evelyn slid into the seat opposite him. “You’re sure about this?”
Jasper’s gaze remained fixed on the passing darkness outside. “If Ronan Wolfe is alive and reaching out, I need to know why.”
Evelyn exhaled, pulling her coat tighter. “Last I heard, Wolfe went rogue. Burned every bridge.”
Jasper smirked. “Sounds familiar.”
Evelyn didn’t argue. She knew what was at stake. If Wolfe had intel on the leak inside the agency, this meeting could be their only shot at clearing Jasper’s name.
But there was one problem.
If Calloway knew they were headed to Prague, then someone would be waiting for them.
The Setup
They arrived at Prague’s main station just before midnight. The city’s Gothic skyline loomed under a low fog, the Vltava River glistening under the moonlight.
Jasper led the way through the maze of cobblestone streets, weaving past bars spilling out late-night revelers and tourists.
Evelyn kept close. “Where’s the meet?”
Jasper didn’t slow. “A bridge over the river. Wolfe always liked dramatic spots.”
As they neared the Charles Bridge, Jasper’s instincts screamed at him.
Something was off.
The bridge was too quiet. No late-night street performers, no couples lingering. Just the sound of distant traffic and the rhythmic slap of water against the stone.
Jasper scanned the rooftops.
Nothing.
Then he saw it.
A small infrared laser dot flickering against the stone railing—too faint for anyone else to notice.
A sniper’s scope.
Jasper didn’t stop walking, but his voice dropped. “We’re not alone.”
Evelyn’s posture stiffened. “How bad?”
Jasper’s gaze swept the area. “Sniper on the east tower. Two men near the steps. Possible backup in the shadows.”
Evelyn kept moving beside him, her tone unreadable. “Wolfe?”
“Maybe,” Jasper murmured. “Or maybe someone wants to make sure this meeting never happens.”
Ambush
Jasper reached the middle of the bridge and stopped.
A lone figure stood near the stone railing, a cigarette glowing between his fingers. He was older now, but Ronan Wolfe’s presence hadn’t changed—all coiled tension and careful stillness.
Wolfe turned, exhaling a slow stream of smoke. “Hawke.”
“Wolfe.”
Evelyn stayed a step back, watching everything.
Jasper didn’t waste time. “You said Calloway was compromised. Tell me what you know.”
Wolfe flicked his cigarette into the river. “First, tell me something. Why’d you come alone?”
Jasper’s gut clenched. Test.
He didn’t blink. “Because I trust you.”
Wolfe smirked. “Bad habit, Hawke.”
Then he moved. Fast.
Jasper caught the shift of Wolfe’s stance just in time, twisting as the ex-Black Ops agent lunged forward.
A knife flashed under the streetlights.
Jasper barely dodged as the blade slashed the air where his throat had been.
He countered, catching Wolfe’s wrist and twisting. The knife clattered against the cobblestones.
Evelyn reached for her gun—
“Don’t,” Wolfe growled.
A red laser dot appeared on her chest.
Sniper.
Jasper clenched his jaw. It was a trap.
Wolfe stepped back, rubbing his wrist. “Calloway put a kill order on you, Hawke. You really thought you’d walk out of this alive?”
Jasper didn’t flinch. “You reached out to me.”
Wolfe’s expression darkened. “I reached out to warn you. You’re chasing the wrong enemy.”
Evelyn’s hands curled into fists. “You mean Calloway isn’t the one who burned him?”
Wolfe shook his head. “Calloway’s just another pawn. The real power behind this? You don’t even see them coming.”
Jasper’s mind raced. “Then give me a name.”
Wolfe hesitated.
A shadow shifted at the end of the bridge.
Jasper knew the look in Wolfe’s eyes before he even spoke.
“No time.” Wolfe took a step back. “You need to run.”
Then—
Gunfire erupted.
Into the Night
Jasper yanked Evelyn down as bullets tore through the air.
Wolfe vanished into the chaos, disappearing into the shadows like a ghost.
Jasper fired two quick shots at the sniper’s perch—enough to make him duck for cover.
Evelyn grabbed his arm. “We’re cut off!”
Jasper scanned the area. No exit. No time.
Then he spotted it—a moored riverboat below the bridge.
“Jump,” Jasper ordered.
Evelyn didn’t argue.
They vaulted over the stone railing.
Cold air. A moment of weightlessness.
Then—impact.
The icy river swallowed them whole.
Above, the bridge filled with flashing lights and shouting voices.
Jasper surfaced first, dragging Evelyn up with him. The current pulled them toward the riverboat’s hull.
They grabbed onto a rusted metal ladder, hauling themselves onto the deck.
Evelyn coughed. “Remind me—why do I follow you into these situations?”
Jasper gave a tight grin. “For the thrill.”
She rolled her eyes but took his offered hand.
Then she tensed. “What now?”
Jasper exhaled.
“We disappear.”
