MIKE
The ride was quiet at first too quiet. The kind that makes every thought in your head twice as loud. Tiger’s hands were tight on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched. I could feel his confusion eating him alive.
“I don’t get it,” he muttered, shaking his head. “What the hell is Leon doing? What’s he after? None of this makes sense.”
I didn’t answer. Truth is, I was just as lost. The image of Leon with Siren was still burning in my mind like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from. That’s when my phone buzzed. The screen lit up, finally, a signal.
Ener’s name flashed.
I answered fast.
“Ener?”
His voice came through, a little rough but steady.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m back at the safehouse with David. We’ve got something information you’ll want to hear.”
I leaned forward in the seat, instantly alert.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
Tiger glanced at me from the corner of his eye, still frowning, still trying to put together pieces that didn’t fit.
The road stretched ahead, headlights carving a narrow path through the dark. I finally broke the silence.
“You should start thinking outside the box, Tiger.”
He glanced at me sharply, then back to the road. “You don’t understand,” he said, his tone firmer than usual. “Leon’s not the bad guy. He was never the bad guy.”
I leaned back, staring out the window at the shadowy streets.
“What if he’s being manipulated?” I asked quietly. “What if someone’s using him against Siren?”
Tiger’s grip on the wheel tightened, his jaw working. He didn’t answer right away.
So I pressed. “What’s Leon’s history with her? With Siren?”
Tiger exhaled slowly, like he had been holding this story in for too long. “Before the Elites were even formed, Leon and Siren were already partners. She’s the one who discovered him… trained him. Everything he knows, he learned from her. That’s the story I know. And Mike…” his voice dropped lower “they were more than just partners.”
I let the weight of that sink in. So Leon’s connection to her ran deeper than any of us thought.
I shifted in my seat and said,
“Drop me off at the next station.”
“Listen to me, Mike. Italy is not America. This place… it’s layered. You’ve got the government, sure, but beneath that? There’s the underworld families that have run this country longer than the agencies ever existed. Black markets, old blood feuds, men who don’t answer to anyone. The rules here aren’t written, and they don’t forgive outsiders who break them.” He looked back at the road, voice sharper now.
“One wrong step, and you won’t just be fighting Siren. You’ll be fighting Italy itself.”
I met his warning with a faint smile.“Thanks for the heads-up.”
The narrow alley smelled like rain and old brick. I kept my head down, trying to blend in just another tourist wandering the backstreets. Hat low, glasses on, hands in my pockets. Nothing suspicious.
Then I turned left.
And froze.
Agent Rock was standing there like he’d been waiting all along. His sharp eyes scanned me, and for a second I thought maybe just maybe he wouldn’t notice. I tugged the brim of my hat lower, adjusted the glasses.
No luck.
His mouth curled into that trademark smirk.
“Well, well… Agent Mike. What the hell are you doing in Italy? You know this place is off-limits. Beyond America’s control.”
My little act crumbled. There was no point pretending anymore. I straightened, meeting his gaze. “Fine. Cut the sarcasm. Just answer me why is Siren here?”
Rock tilted his head, saying nothing. But I didn’t need him to. The pieces were falling together fast. The mafia ball. Siren’s sudden arrival in Italy. Her walking alongside men who carried themselves like they owned the city.
It clicked like a gun being cocked.
“She’s tied to them,” I muttered, almost to myself. “The Italian mafia… she’s not just here on coincidence. She’s their partner.”
Rock didn’t confirm. He didn’t deny. He just stared at me, all the humor gone from his face now.
Then his voice dropped to a dangerous calm.
“You’re coming with me. Right now. Or I don’t have a choice but to kill you here for unauthorized entry and for tailing Siren.”
My pulse spiked. His hand hovered near his weapon. And then he added, almost casually:
“Oh, and Mike? I know about your two friends. The ones who came with you. Consider this your wake-up call"
I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to think fast. Rock wasn’t bluffing. If they knew about me, then Ener and David were already in danger, my chest heaving, the echo of Rock’s gunfire still bouncing off the narrow walls. My mind calculated fast, fighting him here wasn’t just reckless, it was suicide. This wasn’t America. This was Italy, Siren’s playground maybe?. Even if I managed to drop Rock, I’d never make it two blocks before the whole city was on me.
Slowly, I raised my hands again and stepped out from cover.
“Alright, Rock. You win.”
He kept his gun leveled on me, eyes sharp with suspicion.
“Just like that?”
I forced a smirk. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m just not in the mood to dig my own grave in a country that isn’t mine.”
Rock gave a short, dry laugh, then gestured with the barrel. “Smart choice. Move.”
I walked ahead of him, the uneven cobblestones crunching under my shoes. Every step felt heavier, like the city itself was swallowing me. I could sense Rock’s eyes burning into my back, waiting for me to twitch wrong.
Inside, though, my mind wasn’t still, I was already thinking of ways out. Ener and David were waiting. If Rock knew about them, then they were probably in danger too. I couldn’t risk leading him straight to them.
Rock finally broke the silence.
“You really don’t get it, do you, Mike? Italy isn’t yours to play spy in. Here, you’re just another pawn. And pawns don’t last long.”
I bit back a reply. He wasn’t wrong but pawns had one advantage: nobody saw them coming when they decided to break the rules of the game.
So I played along. For now.