Chapter 1: The Briefing
Zurich, Switzerland – Safe House, 02:45 Hours
The rain drummed against the windowpane in steady, rhythmic beats as Jasper Hawke sat in a dimly lit room, staring at the classified dossier in front of him. A single desk lamp cast shadows over the documents—photographs, intelligence reports, and last-known locations of the target. The rogue agent’s name was Elias Kosta, a man Hawke once considered an ally.
Kosta had vanished six months ago after a covert mission in Eastern Europe went sideways. The official report stated he had gone off the grid, but intelligence chatter suggested otherwise. He hadn’t disappeared—he had defected.
And now, Hawke had been sent to track him down.
A sharp knock at the door broke his focus. He placed his hand instinctively near the silenced pistol resting on the table. A second knock, three beats this time—the signal was correct.
Hawke stood and opened the door just enough to see the man outside. Gray hair, cold eyes, a face weathered by years in the field.
“Langley’s not happy, Hawke,” said Victor Kane, his handler. He stepped inside, shaking rain from his coat. “Kosta’s gone dark, and you know what that means. We need this done quietly.”
Hawke gestured toward the folder. “I assume this is all you have?”
“For now,” Kane said, pulling a chair. “Kosta was last seen in Belgrade, meeting with an arms dealer tied to a black-market weapons syndicate. We have reason to believe he’s brokering a deal.”
Hawke flipped through the files. Satellite images, a grainy photo of Kosta in a crowded marketplace. He was moving—always one step ahead.
“Authorization?” Hawke asked.
Kane hesitated before sliding a small encrypted drive across the table. “Full discretion. Off the books. No backup.”
Hawke nodded. He was used to working alone.
“Where do I start?”
Kane exhaled. “We have an asset in Belgrade—a fixer named Nadia Petrova. She can get you inside the network.” He paused. “Hawke, listen to me. If Kosta really has switched sides, we need confirmation before you pull the trigger.”
Hawke’s jaw tightened. “I don’t miss.”
“See that you don’t.”
Kane stood, pulling his coat tighter around him. “Your flight leaves in an hour. We’ll arrange an extraction when the job’s done. Until then, you’re on your own.”
Hawke watched him leave before turning back to the files. His instincts told him something wasn’t right.
A simple elimination job? No. It was never that simple.
Hawke packed his gear, his mind already racing ahead.
The hunt had begun.
