CHAPTER 3 — The Warden’s Secret
The man on the balcony slowly stepped into the light.
Warden Victor Hale.
The most feared man in Blackridge.
Every inmate knew his name. Every guard obeyed his orders. Every dirty fight in that prison existed because Hale allowed it.
But Ethan knew him by another name.
The man who erased him.
Eight years ago, Ethan Cole had not been a criminal.
He had been an undercover federal agent investigating a secret network that sold prisoners, evidence, and identities to the highest bidder.
Then one night, his team was ambushed.
His badge disappeared.
His records vanished.
And the world was told he died in a prison transport accident.
But Ethan had survived.
Barely.
Now he stood in the pit, blood running down his face, staring at the man who had stolen his life.
Warden Hale smiled coldly.
“Well done, Agent Cole.”
The entire prison froze.
Agent?
Brutus looked horrified.
Ethan clenched his fists.
“You finally admit it.”
Hale leaned against the railing.
“I admit nothing. Dead men don’t testify.”
Then the lights went out.
Screams exploded through the arena.
Gunshots cracked in the dark.
And when the emergency lights flickered back on...
Brutus was gone.
So was the warden.
Only one thing remained in the center of the pit.
A folded photograph covered in blood.
Ethan picked it up.
His hands trembled.
It showed him eight years ago...
Standing beside his partner.
A woman he believed had been murdered.
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But on the back of the photo, someone had written:
“She is alive. And she has your son.”
