The safe house was finally decidedly unsafe. The walls were pocked by bullet impacts, the floor slick with blood most of it not their own, but that was small comfort. The city outside still throbbed with life, unaware of the war raging in the shadows. It was a city of ghosts and betrayals, and James Brown was starting to feel like both.
The tension inside was thick. Hassan cleaned his rifle, jaw set tight around frustration. With grim deliberation, Sarah ensured that her ammo was secured; her features betrayed nothing. Lina typed like a woman possessed, her eyes glued to the glowing screen of her laptop. And the Broker their interloper had posted up against a wall, an unremitting smirk on their face despite the pandemonium around them.
James rubbed his hair, running his fingers through i
