Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: The Suicide Mission

The first shot rang out before Ethan could react, a bullet grazing his shoulder as he dove behind a stack of rotting crates. The warehouse erupted into chaos, shadows moving fast as Moretti's men emerged from the darkness, guns blazing. Ethan cursed under his breath, his mind racing. This wasn't a pickup. It was an ambush. And he'd walked right into it.He pulled his pistol and returned fire, his aim steady despite the sting in his shoulder. One of Moretti's triggermen dropped with a grunt, clutching his chest. Ethan moved quickly, using the crates for cover as he picked off another, then a third. These weren't strangers; he recognized their faces. Tony. Marco. Guys he'd shared drinks with, laughed with. Now they were trying to kill him. The betrayal cut deeper than the bullet had.Sweat dripped into his eyes as he reloaded, his back pressed against the splintered wood. Why? The question burned in his mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. He had to survive. He peeked around the corner, spotting the last of them, a wiry guy named Sal, aiming a shotgun his way. Ethan rolled out of cover, firing twice. Sal hit the ground hard, and the warehouse fell silent again, save for the ringing in Ethan's ears.He stood, chest heaving, blood trickling down his arm. He'd won. Barely. But before he could catch his breath, red and blue lights flashed through the broken windows. Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder by the second. Ethan froze. This wasn't just an ambush. It was a setup. Moretti hadn't just wanted him dead; he'd wanted him caught.He sprinted for the back exit, but it was too late. The doors burst open, and armed cops flooded in, shouting orders. "Drop the weapon! Hands up!" Ethan hesitated, his gun still warm in his hand, but the odds were against him. He let it fall, raising his hands as the lights blinded him. A figure stepped forward, tall and broad-shouldered, his face carved with hard lines. "Ethan Cole," the man said, his voice calm but firm. "You're under arrest."Ethan glared as the cuffs snapped around his wrists, the cold metal biting into his skin. The cops swarmed the scene, but all he could see were those flashing lights, illuminating the trap he'd been led into. He'd survived Moretti's killers, but this? This was something bigger. And he had no idea how deep it went.