The drive back to the city felt like a countdown to chaos. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a pale golden light across the horizon, but the sense of urgency in the air weighed heavily on Hayes and Wallace. They knew that the moment Reed realized what had been taken from his safe house, all hell would break loose.
"We need to go dark for a while," Hayes said, glancing at Wallace. "No phones, no contact with anyone who could give us away. We'll regroup and keep digging until the agent calls."
Wallace nodded, his expression tense. "Reed's going to retaliate hard. He doesn't leave loose ends. We need to stay a step ahead or we'll end up like the others."
They drove in silence for the next hour, the city skyline slowly coming into view. But as they neared the city limits, the anxiety in Hayes' gut began to spike. Something felt wrong. Paranoia crept in, a nagging feeling that they weren't as alone as they thought.
"We're being followed," Wallace muttered suddenly, his eyes fixed on the side mirror.
Hayes shifted in their seat, glancing in the rearview mirror. A black SUV, sleek and unmarked, was keeping a steady distance behind them. It hadn't been there earlier, but now it seemed to shadow every turn they made, staying just far enough behind to avoid suspicion.
"Damn it," Hayes cursed under their breath. "Reed's people."
Wallace's hand instinctively moved toward his gun. "What's the play?"
Hayes tightened their grip on the wheel, their mind racing. They couldn't afford to lead the SUV anywhere near their safe spots. But an all-out confrontation on the open road wasn't ideal either. They needed to lose them—and fast.
"Hold on," Hayes said, making a sharp right turn down a narrow side street. The tires screeched as the car sped through the alley, dodging trash cans and parked cars. Behind them, the SUV accelerated, closing the gap.
"We're not shaking them," Wallace said, checking the rearview mirror. "They're closing in."
Hayes gritted their teeth and slammed the gas, the car surging forward as they took another sharp turn onto a side road that led into the industrial district. The streets here were deserted, the towering warehouses and abandoned factories casting long shadows across the cracked pavement.
As they rounded a corner, the SUV made a bold move, pulling alongside them. The passenger window rolled down, and Hayes caught a glimpse of a man aiming a handgun directly at them.
"Down!" Hayes shouted, ducking just as the first shot rang out. The bullet shattered the side window, spraying glass across the car. Wallace pulled his own gun and fired back, the sharp cracks of gunfire echoing through the empty streets.
"Take the next alley!" Wallace barked, leaning out the window to get a better shot at the SUV.
Hayes jerked the wheel hard, swerving into a narrow alley between two towering factories. The car skidded over broken asphalt, narrowly avoiding a stack of wooden crates. The SUV tried to follow, but the narrow alley forced it to slow down, giving Hayes and Wallace a brief advantage.
"We need to get out of here," Hayes muttered, their knuckles white as they gripped the wheel. "We can't outrun them forever."
As they emerged from the alley, a stroke of luck presented itself—a dilapidated garage with a rusted metal door, half-open and covered in graffiti. Without hesitating, Hayes steered the car toward it, pulling into the garage just as the SUV came into view at the end of the alley.
Wallace jumped out and yanked the metal door down, the loud clang of the door slamming shut reverberating in the quiet space. For a moment, the garage was plunged into silence, the only sound the ragged breathing of both detectives.
"Think they saw us?" Wallace asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Maybe," Hayes replied, peeking through a crack in the door. The SUV slowly rolled past the alley, the men inside scanning the area. After a few tense minutes, the sound of the engine faded as the SUV disappeared down the road.
"They're gone," Hayes muttered, stepping back from the door. "For now."
Wallace holstered his gun and let out a long breath. "This is just the beginning. Reed's got men everywhere. He's going to come after us with everything he's got."
Hayes nodded, still catching their breath. "We knew this was coming. We need to lie low, just like the agent said. If we make any noise now, we're as good as dead."
Wallace looked around the dusty garage, his eyes narrowing. "We can't stay here. This place is a deathtrap if they find us."
"I know," Hayes said, their mind racing. "But we can use it for now. We need a plan—somewhere to regroup and figure out our next move."
As they checked the garage for anything useful, Hayes' phone buzzed. They quickly pulled it out, frowning when they saw the number—it was the burner phone the agent had given them.
"It's him," Hayes said, flipping the phone open and pressing it to their ear. "What do you have for us?"
The agent's voice was sharp, urgency clear in his tone. "You've stirred up a hornet's nest. Reed's people know you hit the safe house. They're tracking you. You don't have much time."
"We know," Hayes replied, glancing at Wallace. "We've already had a run-in with some of his men. What's our next move?"
The agent was silent for a moment, and Hayes could almost hear the gears turning in his mind. "I'm moving the case forward. We've got enough to start dismantling Reed's operations, but we need more time. You need to disappear until I give the signal. There's a safe location in the mountains. I'll send you the coordinates. Lay low there until this is over."
Hayes exhaled slowly. "How long?"
"Not long," the agent replied. "But until then, you're on your own. Reed won't stop until he finds you."
"We'll be there," Hayes said, hanging up the phone and turning to Wallace. "He's sending us coordinates for a safehouse in the mountains. We need to disappear until the heat dies down."
Wallace rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And then what? We just sit and wait while Reed hunts us?"
Hayes shook their head. "No. We regroup, we stay ahead of him. But right now, our only play is to survive. If we can make it to the safehouse, we'll figure out the rest from there."
The sound of a car engine in the distance made both of them freeze. It was faint, but it was getting closer. Hayes and Wallace exchanged a quick glance, their instincts kicking in.
"Let's move," Hayes whispered, grabbing the bag of documents and heading for the back exit of the garage. "Time's running out."
They slipped out into the alley just as the sound of the engine grew louder. The early morning light was creeping over the rooftops, casting long shadows across the deserted streets. Every step felt like a race against time, the weight of the stolen documents a constant reminder that they were carrying something worth killing for.
As they made their way toward the car, the air seemed to thicken with tension. They could feel it—Reed's men were closing in, and the window to escape was narrowing fast.
Hayes fired up the engine and slammed the car into gear, pulling out of the alley just as the black SUV appeared at the far end of the street, headlights bearing down on them like a predator.
"Go, go, go!" Wallace shouted, bracing himself as the car lurched forward.
Hayes floored the gas, the tires screeching as they sped down the road, the SUV right behind them. The chase was on, and they both knew that this time, there would be no room for mistakes.