Gunfire ripped through the night.

  Mike sprinted through the thick brush, branches clawing at his arms and face. Amina was right behind him, breathing hard, while Felix veered left, breaking off to draw fire.

  Kamau’s men shouted, their flashlights cutting through the darkness. "They went this way!"

  Mike didn’t stop running.

  His mind raced. They needed to disappear—fast. But they were in the middle of nowhere, wounded, outnumbered, and Kamau was still playing some twisted long game.

  Amina caught up beside him, her voice sharp. "This isn’t working! We need a plan!"

  Mike glanced behind them—just in time to see Felix double back.

  "What the hell are you doing?!" Mike shouted.

  Felix dove low, snatched up a rock, and hurled it at one of Kamau’s men.

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  The man crumpled with a grunt. His rifle hit the ground.

  Mike’s eyes widened. "Oh."

  Amina didn’t hesitate. She sprinted forward, grabbed the rifle, and swung it up in one fluid motion.

  Kamau’s men hesitated.

  Amina didn’t.

  She opened fire.

  The gun’s sharp bursts echoed through the trees. Two of Kamau’s guys hit the ground, scrambling for cover.

  Mike and Felix used the distraction to bolt.

  "Go, go, go!"

  They ran deeper into the wilderness, knowing Kamau wouldn’t give up that easily.

  ---

  By the time they stopped, dawn was creeping over the horizon.

  They were in the dry riverbed now, a deep trench carved by years of floods, littered with rocks and sparse shrubs.

  Felix collapsed onto the ground. "We’re so dead."

  Amina wiped sweat from her brow. "Not yet. But if we don’t figure something out soon, Kamau’s going to find us."

  Mike was pacing. "He’s not going to kill us outright."

  Felix snorted. "Forgive me if I don’t find that comforting."

  Mike shook his head. "Think about it. If he wanted us dead, he would’ve shot us instead of talking back there."

  Amina crossed her arms. "So what? You think he’s using us?"

  Mike exhaled. "I think… whatever we stole is bigger than we thought. And Kamau needs us alive to find it."

  Felix sat up. "So if we find it first…"

  Amina smirked. "We turn the game around."

  Mike grinned. "Now you’re thinking."

  Felix groaned. "Great. So all we have to do is find something we don’t even know we have, while avoiding people who want to kill us. No big deal."

  Mike clapped him on the back. "That’s the spirit."

  Felix groaned louder.

  Amina checked the rifle. "Ammo’s low. We’ll need supplies."

  Mike nodded. "Nearest town is Makutano. We go in, lay low, get what we need, and figure out our next move."

  Felix frowned. "And if Kamau’s already there?"

  Mike smiled. "Then we say hi."

  ---

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