CHAPTER 8 – The Secret That Changed Everything

Chaos erupted inside the church.

Stone pillars exploded under heavy gunfire.

Lucas returned fire while Ethan rushed Emma and Noah toward the underground crypt beneath the altar.

Ryan followed close behind.

"Wait!" Ethan shouted.

"If this is another trick—"

Ryan interrupted him.

"If I wanted you dead, you never would've left your house alive."

They slammed the heavy iron door behind them.

Silence.

Only the sound of distant gunfire echoed above.

Ryan leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

For the first time...

He looked afraid.

"The General has lost control," he said.

"He always planned to kill me once you returned."

Ethan glared at him.

"You expect me to believe you now?"

Ryan slowly removed a thin metal chain from around his neck.

Hanging from it...

Was half of an old military dog tag.

Ethan froze.

He reached beneath his shirt.

Around his own neck hung the other half.

Together, the two broken pieces formed a single engraved message:

'BROTHERS UNTIL THE END.'

Emma stared in confusion.

Ryan lowered his head.

"I never betrayed you willingly."

"They kidnapped my wife."

"They threatened my newborn daughter."

"They gave me one choice."

"Help them set the ambush..."

"Or bury my family."

Tears filled his eyes.

"I chose wrong."

No one spoke.

Then Ryan pulled a small encrypted hard drive from inside his jacket.

"I spent twelve years pretending to work for Hawthorne."

"I copied everything."

"Every payment."

"Every assassination."

"Every politician he owned."

"And one final file..."

He handed it to Ethan.

Across the front was a single name:

PROJECT PHOENIX

Ryan whispered,

"This isn't about your unit."

"It never was."

"Hawthorne built a secret organization inside the military."

"And he's about to become the most powerful man in the country."

Before Ethan could respond...

The crypt lights suddenly went dark.

A metallic voice echoed through hidden speakers.

"Captain Walker..."

"Welcome back."

"You've finally reached the truth."

The voice paused.

Then calmly added:

"But you're already too late."

A timer began counting down on the wall.

00:59... 00:58... 00:57...

Ryan's face turned white.

"Oh no..."

May you like

The screech of metal on metal echoed through the dimly lit commuter car...

The wall-sized monitor in Victor Hale’s private penthouse suite flickere...

LEFT ME TO DIE FOR A LEATHER BAG: What My Husband Found In The Living Ro...

"He planted explosives beneath the church."

TO BE CONTINUED...