Chapter 8: Old Friends, New Enemies

The car’s tires screeched as I took a sharp corner, narrowly missing a lamppost. Evelyn gripped the dashboard, bracing herself as we sped through the dark streets.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice still shaky from our narrow escape.

I didn’t answer right away. My mind was racing, flipping through the list of people I could trust — a list that had grown painfully short over the years. Most of them were either dead, in hiding, or had sold out for a quick payday. But there was one name that kept rising to the top, someone who owed me more than a favor.

Finally, I glanced over at her. "To see an old friend. If anyone can help us, it’s him."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

I smirked. "Nope. But he's all we’ve got."

I turned the car down a narrow alley that led to a hidden entrance beneath an abandoned warehouse. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a relic of the city’s industrial past. But I knew better. I’d spent enough nights here nursing wounds and plotting revenge to know every crack in its walls.

I killed the engine and climbed out, scanning the shadows before motioning for Evelyn to follow. "Stay close."

As we approached the door, a small panel slid open, and two cold eyes stared out at me. A moment later, a deep voice rumbled, "You’ve got some nerve showing up here, Damien."

"Good to see you too, Marcus," I replied, forcing a grin. "Mind letting us in? We’ve got a problem. A big one."

The door stayed shut for a moment longer before finally creaking open. Marcus stood there, towering as always — all muscle and scars, the kind of guy you don’t want to cross unless you’re ready to die.

Inside, the warehouse was dimly lit, filled with crates of black-market gear — weapons, tech, you name it. Marcus led us to a side room, locking the door behind us.

"Alright," he said, crossing his arms. "Talk."

I tossed the flash drive on the table between us. "Marrow Corp. They killed a journalist, Blackwell. He was working on exposing them. We’ve got everything he found — names, projects, the whole rotten mess."

Marcus whistled low. "That’s a death sentence, Damien. You brought heat straight to my door."

"Not by choice," Evelyn said sharply. "They were coming for us either way. We need help — backup, gear, a safe place to figure this out."

Marcus eyed her for a moment before turning back to me. "You always did know how to pick your company. But if what you say is true, Marrow won’t stop until you’re both dead."

"Then we need to hit them first," I said, my voice hard.

Marcus laughed, shaking his head. "You haven’t changed. Always looking for a fight."

I leaned forward, locking eyes with him. "This isn’t about me. They’re planning something big. Something that will kill a lot of innocent people. You think I’m walking away from that?"

There was a long pause before Marcus finally sighed. "Alright. I’ll help you. But if we do this, we do it my way. You follow my lead."

"Deal," I said without hesitation.

"First, we see what’s on that drive. If you’re right, we’ll burn Marrow to the ground. If not..." His eyes narrowed. "We’ll make sure they never touch either of you again."

As he plugged the drive into an encrypted terminal, Evelyn and I exchanged a glance. For the first time since this nightmare started, we had a glimmer of hope.

But deep down, I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Nothing ever was.

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