Rain hammered against the cracked windshield as I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles white. Riley sat in the passenger seat, her laptop open, fingers flying over the keyboard. The glow of the screen flickered across her face, but I barely saw it.
All I saw was the past.
Julian.
A name that burned like acid in my throat.
"You're spiraling," Riley muttered, her voice tight.
I wasn't.
I was drowning.
Julian wasn't just another ghost in the dark. He was once my brother, not by blood but by bond. We bled together, fought together, saved each other too many times to count. And now, he was the one pulling the strings. The Oath wasn't hunting me because I was a loose end.
They were hunting me because Julian ordered it.
"You gonna tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" Riley asked.
I exhaled slowly, staring at the road ahead. The wipers dragged across the windshield, smearing water in jagged lines.
"Julian swore loyalty to me once," I murmured. "We had a code. A promise. No matter what happened, we'd have each other's backs."
Riley glanced at me. "And now he's trying to erase you."
I clenched my jaw. "Yeah."
A memory surfaced—sharp, vivid, too real to ignore.
Years ago.
Julian and I stood in the remains of a burning safe house, bodies littered around us. Smoke choked the air. My ribs were cracked, blood dripping from a gash on my forehead. Julian gripped my shoulder, his face set like stone.
"You and me, Nate," he had said. "Until the end."
I had believed him.
And now?
Now, he was the one trying to put me in the ground.
Riley broke the silence. "You think he changed? Or was he always like this?"
I gritted my teeth. "Julian was a lot of things. A liar wasn't one of them."
Riley arched a brow. "Then explain why he's hunting you."
I didn't have an answer.
Something wasn't adding up.
I had spent years assuming Julian was dead. Now, not only was he alive, but he had been orchestrating The Oath's movements from the start. The real question wasn't just why he was after me.
It was why he let me live this long.
Riley's laptop let out a sharp beep. "I got something."
I flicked my eyes to the screen.
A series of encrypted messages flashed, the sender tagged under one name.
Julian.
Riley's fingers danced across the keys. "I traced his recent communications. He's setting up something big, and I think—"
A sharp, rhythmic knock echoed against the window.
My gun was in my hand before I could think.
Riley froze. "That's not possible. No one could've followed us—"
Another knock.
Deliberate. Unhurried.
I turned my head, pulse thundering.
A man stood outside the car, his face hidden by the hood of his rain-soaked jacket.
Slowly, he reached up and pushed the hood back.
Every muscle in my body locked.
Julian.
Alive.
And standing five feet away.
Riley inhaled sharply. "Nathan—"
"Stay in the car," I ordered, my voice like steel.
I shoved open the door, stepping into the downpour. Cold rain slammed against my skin, but I barely felt it. My gun was steady in my grip, aimed right at his chest.
Julian smiled. "You're going to shoot me, brother?"
Brother.
I had the overwhelming urge to put a bullet in his skull.
"Give me a reason not to," I growled.
Julian's hands lifted slightly, palms open. "If I wanted you dead, Nathan, you would be."
I tightened my grip. "Funny. That's not what the men you sent after me said."
His smile didn't fade. "Ah. You mean the ones you killed?"
I didn't answer.
Julian took a slow step forward. "I didn't order your execution, Nathan. If I had, you wouldn't still be breathing."
"Then why the hell are your men hunting me?"
"Because you keep digging where you shouldn't." His voice was calm, almost amused. "The Oath has its orders, and I have mine."
I stared at him, searching for the lie.
Nothing.
He was either the best liar I'd ever known—or he wasn't lying at all.
"Explain," I said.
Julian's gaze flicked toward Riley, who was still in the car, watching us like a hawk. "Not here. Too many ears."
I didn't lower my gun. "You're not calling the shots."
Julian smirked. "I never did."
Something about the way he said it sent a chill down my spine.
I glanced at Riley, then back at him.
I had a choice.
Trust him.
Or put a bullet in him.
And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't sure which one was the bigger mistake.