Echoes of Silence
Don’t move,” Lila whispered, her voice sharp in the pitch-black warehouse.
Mara froze. “You hear that?”
“I hear everything,” Lila hissed. “Footsteps. Three, maybe four. They killed the lights.”
Mara’s hand slid to her holster. “Armed?”
“Definitely. I caught the click of safeties.”
A whisper floated from across the warehouse. Male. Confident. “Detective Quinn… welcome home.”
Mara’s pulse thudded. “Who are you?” she called into the dark.
The voice chuckled. “You already know. Blood doesn’t lie.”
Lila grabbed Mara’s sleeve. “Don’t answer him.”
Mara yanked free. “Show yourself!”
Boots scraped against concrete. A beam of red light swept across the crates, dancing toward them.
“Laser sight,” Lila muttered. “We’re cornered.”
Mara’s jaw tightened. “Not yet. Cover left.”
“On it.”
They moved, crouching low, weaving through crates. Shadows breathed around them. Every sound carried like thunder.
“Detective,” the voice called again, closer now. “You’ve uncovered something you shouldn’t. That crest in your pocket it belongs to you.”
Mara’s fingers brushed the cold metal emblem. “Lies.”
“Truth,” the voice insisted. “Your father knew. He chose silence.”
Her chest tightened. “How do you know about my father?”
“Because,” the man whispered, so close she almost felt his breath, “he was one of us.”
A crash erupted as a crate toppled. Lila fired into the dark. Sparks flew. “Move, Mara!”
They bolted, bullets shredding wood behind them. Mara dove behind a pillar. “We need light!”
Lila yanked a small flare from her belt, struck it. Crimson glow burst, slicing the shadows. Shapes leapt three masked figures, rifles raised.
“There!” Mara shouted.
Gunfire cracked. Splinters rained. Mara returned fire, hitting one man’s shoulder. He dropped, screaming.
The leader’s laugh echoed. “Impressive. Just like your father.”
“Stop talking about him!” Mara snapped.
“You’ll understand soon,” he said calmly. “The Circle always reclaims its own.”
Lila grabbed Mara’s arm. “We need an exit.”
Mara scanned. A steel door loomed across the warehouse. “There!”
They sprinted. Bullets chased them, clanging off metal beams.
“Faster!” Lila urged.
Mara kicked the door. It groaned, then burst open into a narrow stairwell. They stumbled up.
“Where does this go?” Mara gasped.
“Topside, maybe,” Lila panted. “Unless it’s a trap.”
The warehouse door slammed behind them. Footsteps pounded the stairs.
“Keep climbing!” Mara shouted.
Halfway up, a voice echoed from below. “Detective Quinn! Don’t run from your blood!”
Mara stopped dead. “He knows my name. He knows everything.”
Lila shoved her forward. “Deal with it later. Move!”
They burst onto the rooftop. The city stretched below, neon bleeding into the night sky.
“Snipers,” Lila breathed, pointing. Red dots danced across their chests.
Mara cursed. “We’re exposed.”
“Hands up,” a cold voice commanded from the shadows.
Mara raised her weapon instead. “Not happening.”
“You’ll die defiant, then,” the voice said smoothly.
Engines roared. Black SUVs screeched into the alley below. Men in tactical gear spilled out.
“More of them,” Lila whispered. “We’re boxed in.”
Mara scanned desperately. “Rooftop to rooftop?”
“That gap’s ten feet. In heels, you’re dead.”
“Then we improvise.”
The masked leader stepped from the stairwell, face still hidden. “Detective… you’re standing where your father stood, thirty years ago. He chose silence. Will you choose betrayal?”
Mara steadied her gun. “You’re bluffing.”
The man lifted his mask slowly just enough for her to glimpse a scar across his jaw. “Bluffing? Ask your mother.”
Mara’s breath caught. “My mother’s dead.”
He smiled grimly. “Is she?”
Lila tugged Mara’s arm. “He’s lying. Focus.”
Mara’s voice trembled. “What do you know about her?”
The man’s eyes glinted. “She’s alive. And she’s waiting for you.”
“Where?” Mara demanded.
“Join us, and I’ll take you to her.”
Lila shook her head fiercely. “Don’t listen. It’s manipulation.”
Mara’s grip on her weapon faltered. “If there’s even a chance”
“Don’t,” Lila snapped. “That’s what they want. To control you.”
The leader raised his hand. Snipers’ lasers flared brighter. “Choose, Detective. Your partner’s life… or the truth about your mother.”
Mara’s heart pounded. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.” He gestured. One sniper shifted his aim to Lila’s head.
“Damn it!” Mara hissed.
Lila shoved her pistol into Mara’s hand. “Shoot him. Now.”
Mara’s hands shook. “If he’s telling the truth”
“Forget the truth!” Lila snapped. “Stay alive.”
The leader chuckled softly. “Still torn, I see. Just like your father.”
“I’m not him,” Mara growled.
“Then prove it.”
Mara aimed. Her finger tightened on the trigger.
Suddenly, the rooftop floodlights blazed on. Helicopter blades thundered overhead. A booming voice crackled from loudspeakers: “Detective Quinn! Drop your weapon and stand down!”
Mara’s eyes widened. “What the hell?”
Federal agents rappelled from the chopper, landing on the roof. Rifles trained on everyone.
“FBI!” an agent shouted. “Hands where we can see them!”
The masked leader raised his hands slowly, laughing. “Perfect timing.”
Mara swung between him and the agents. “What’s going on?”
The lead agent barked, “Detective Quinn, step away from them!”
Lila whispered, “They think you’re with him.”
Mara’s stomach dropped. “No…”
The agent’s tone hardened. “Detective Quinn, you are under arrest for conspiracy with the Circle.”
Mara’s weapon slipped from her grasp. “What?”
The masked leader’s chuckle slithered into her ear. “Told you. Blood never lies.”
Floodlights glared, rifles aimed, and the rooftop spun with betrayal as Mara realized every barrel was pointed at her.
