Page 74 of Cold Ignition

Keanu stood in the middle of it for a second—watching it come alive around him—then glanced once more at the two men beside him.

Rangi met his gaze. Alexios did the same. And just like that—everything aligned.

Chapter Thirteen

Rangi hated this part. Not the drive. Not the setup. Not even the fact that they were about to walk straight back into a place that chewed people up and spat them out when they stopped being useful.

He hated the distance.

Hated the fact that Keanu was ahead of them—out there alone, even if it was by design. Even if it was necessary and part of the plan.

His hands rested loose on the wheel, but there was nothing relaxed about him. The engine beneath them hummed low and controlled, the blacked-out SUV eating up the uneven road as they moved without headlights, guided by memory, instinct, and the faint glow of Keanu’s car cutting through the dark ahead.

Ahi.

Even from here, Rangi could feel it. The shift.

The way the world bent slightly around that car, like it recognized what it was before anyone said the name out loud.

Beside him, Alexios sat angled just enough to see past him through the windscreen, one arm braced lightly against the dash, the other resting near his thigh. Calm. Still.

Watching and processing everything. Rangi exhaled slowly, eyes tracking the road, the edges, the movement that most people would miss.

“They’ve tightened it,” he muttered.

“They have,” Alexios agreed.

No hesitation. No delay. That was Alexios.

Rangi glanced at him briefly. “More than last time.”

“Yes. They are expecting disruption.”

Rangi huffed quietly. “Good.”

Because if they were expecting something—they weren’t expecting it from them.

The road dipped, the terrain shifting under the tires as the surface gave way to something rougher, less maintained, more ... intentional.

Rangi knew this road. Not this exact one, but definitely the type. The kind that didn’t forgive mistakes and didn’t give second chances.

Ahead of them, Keanu’s car didn’t slow. Didn’t hesitate. It moved like it belonged there.

Rangi’s grip tightened slightly on the wheel.

“Perimeter density has increased,” Luca’s voice came through the comms. “Multiple elevated positions. Heat signatures—armed.”

Rangi’s gaze flicked to the ridgeline. There.

Movement. Not obvious. But enough.

“Yeah,” he said. “I see them.”

Alexios leaned forward slightly, adjusting his angle. “North ridge. East tower. Rear structure.”

Rangi snorted softly. “You counting that off for fun or—”

“Efficiency,” Alexios replied.