Chapter 123 Dirty Moves And Clean Cuts

• The van rumbled up the winding, cracked road—trees crowding the shoulder, shadows long and tangled in the headlights. There were no neighbors. No streetlights. Just a weathered gate that opened with a click and a stretch of gravel that led to a house buried in the woods.
• Knox was the first out, weapon in hand, eyes scanning the treeline. Ellerei followed, stiff but focused, every instinct tuned for anything out of place. Behind them, Bishop stepped out with a duffel slung over his shoulder, and Decker brought up the rear, grumbling something about mosquitos.
• “Feels like a horror movie,” Decker muttered, dragging his bag. “We got a basement? We’re screwed if we got a basement.”