Rain hammered the metal roof of the abandoned warehouse. Kai Adeyemi stood alone in the darkness, listening. Drip. Drip. Drip. Somewhere beyond the broken windows, thunder rolled across the city. Kai checked the small digital watch on his wrist. 11:47 p.m. Three minutes. That was all he had. Three minutes before the convoy arrived. He tightened the straps of his backpack and looked across the warehouse. Rusted machines stood like skeletons beneath layers of dust. Broken crates were scattered across the concrete floor. A single hanging light flickered above him. The building had been abandoned for years. Tonight, it was the center of the biggest operation the city had ever seen. Kai reached into his jacket and pulled out a photograph. Four people stood in the picture. His older brother Daniel was on the left. Daniel was smiling. Kai stared at him for a moment. "Hold on, brother," he whispered. Then he folded the photograph and put it away. A sound came from outside. Engines. Kai immediately crouched behind a stack of wooden crates. Headlights appeared through the broken windows. One vehicle. Then another. Then another. A convoy of black SUVs rolled into the warehouse yard. Kai counted six. Six vehicles. His information had been correct. The men had arrived. The middle SUV stopped. Four armed guards stepped out. Kai watched carefully. Then the rear door opened. A tall man wearing a dark coat stepped onto the wet pavement. Victor Kane. The most dangerous criminal in the city. For two years, the authorities had tried to find him. Tonight, Kai had found him first. Victor looked around. "Bring it inside." Two guards opened the back of the middle SUV. Kai couldn't see what was inside. But he knew. The package. The reason Daniel had disappeared. The reason dozens of people had been threatened. The reason Kai had spent six months following clues across the city. The reason he was standing inside a warehouse surrounded by criminals. A guard carried a black metal case into the building. Another followed. Kai waited. Five guards entered. Then Victor. The remaining guards stayed outside. Kai looked at his watch. 11:51. Now. He threw a small metal object across the warehouse. It struck the floor. CLANG! Every guard turned. "What was that?" Kai moved. He sprinted from behind the crates. The first guard saw him. "Hey!" Kai ducked as the man lunged toward him. He grabbed the man's arm, redirected him, and sent him crashing into a wooden table. Another guard charged. Kai stepped aside. The man slammed into a support pillar. Kai kicked a loose crate toward him. The guard stumbled. Two more men rushed forward. Kai grabbed a hanging chain and swung across the room. His boots kicked one attacker backward. He landed hard. Victor stared at him. For the first time, his expression changed. "Who are you?" Kai didn't answer. He ran toward the metal case. Victor shouted. "Stop him!" Three men moved simultaneously. Kai jumped onto a crate. One guard swung. Kai ducked. Another grabbed his jacket. Kai twisted free, leaving the jacket behind. The third man reached for him. Kai pushed off the crate and vaulted over him. He landed beside the metal case. His fingers closed around the handle. Then— BANG! A gunshot echoed through the warehouse. Kai froze. The bullet struck the metal case inches from his hand. He dropped behind it. Victor stood across the room. He was holding a pistol. "You're brave," Victor said. Kai looked at him. "Where's my brother?" Victor smiled. "Daniel?" Kai's heart tightened. "You know him." "I knew him." Kai stared. "What did you do to him?" Victor slowly lowered the pistol. "Your brother made a mistake." "What mistake?" "He believed people could be trusted." Kai's fists tightened. "You killed him." Victor didn't answer. That was enough. Kai grabbed the metal case and ran. "Get him!" The warehouse erupted into chaos. Kai sprinted toward the side door. Two guards blocked his path. He threw the case forward. Both men instinctively moved to catch it. Kai jumped between them. He grabbed the case as it fell and continued running. A bullet struck the wall beside his head. Kai crashed through the side door. Rain exploded across his face. He ran. Behind him, shouting filled the warehouse. He crossed the yard and climbed over a fence. The case was heavy. But he didn't stop. He reached the alley. A motorcycle waited beneath a streetlight. Kai threw the case onto the back. He climbed on. The engine roared. Behind him, the warehouse doors burst open. Guards flooded into the street. Kai accelerated. The motorcycle shot forward. --- The city became a blur. Streetlights streaked across Kai's vision. Rain covered the windshield of his helmet. He turned sharply into a narrow road. A black SUV appeared behind him. Then another. Kai looked over his shoulder. "They're following me."