The rain was freezing, slicing through Lucian’s shirt like needles, but he didn't feel it. He moved through the underbrush with the silence of a predator, the heavy revolver warm in his grip.
The wreckage of the black SUV was wrapped around a massive oak tree about a mile down the trail. Steam hissed from the shattered radiator, mixing with the fog.
Lucian approached the driver’s side. The airbag had deployed, but the impact had been too severe. The driver was gone.
He moved to the passenger side. The door was crumpled, but through the shattered window, he saw a man groaning. He was dressed in tactical gear—black Kevlar, no insignia. A mercenary.
Lucian didn't offer help. He jammed the barrel of the revolver into the man’s broken shoulder.
The man screamed, his eyes snapping open.
"W
