Emma pressed her back to the doorframe, gun raised, breath steadying into deadly calm.
Darrick crouched behind the old couch, heart pounding, watching her silhouette sharpen in the dim firelight.
Another sound—slow, deliberate. Footsteps circling the cabin.
Emma mouthed: One person. Maybe two.
Darrick nodded.
A sudden knock hit the door.
Not a frantic knock.
Not a desperate one.
A calm… calculated tap.
Emma's eyes narrowed.
She signaled three fingers—countdown.
3
2
1—
She swung the door open, gun aimed straight at—
A man.
Tall. Unbothered by the rain soaking his black coat. Silver hair plastered against his forehead. Eyes dark, unreadable. And a small smile playing on his lips, as if he'd been expecting her.
"Emma Hart," he said softly.
His voice was smooth. Too smooth.
She froze.
Her finger tightened on the trigger.
"How do you know my name?"
He didn't step inside. Didn't raise his hands. He simply looked amused.
"Please. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have opened this door."
"Try that line again," Emma said coldly, "and I'll test how fast you die."
The man chuckled.
Darrick stood slowly from behind the couch. "Who are you?"
The stranger's smile widened.
"Darrick Hellsing."
He dipped his head politely.
"I've come a long way for you."
Emma moved between them instantly, blocking Darrick with her body.
"Answer the question," she demanded.
The man held his hands out slightly—enough to show he wasn't armed, not enough to seem threatened.
"My name," he said, "is Adrian Voss."
Darrick's eyes widened.
He knew that name.
"You're— You're the chairman of Voss Security."
Emma stiffened. Voss Security was notorious—elite protection, infiltration, espionage… the type of organization that only the richest and most dangerous people used.
"And the last person I want showing up uninvited," Darrick growled.
Adrian tilted his head.
"Believe it or not, I'm here to help."
Emma scoffed. "People like you don't 'help' for free."
"You're right," Adrian said, stepping closer to the doorway. "This is business."
"Don't move another inch," Emma warned.
His smile stayed, but his eyes sharpened like steel.
"Emma Hart. Ex-top student fighter at Westbrook Academy before dropping out. Arrests: five. Convictions: zero. Guardian of two brothers. Knife specialist, unregistered firearm holder, and currently the only person alive to kill four trained hunters in under six minutes."
Emma's blood ran cold.
Darrick whispered sharply, "Emma, how does he know all that?"
Emma didn't answer.
Adrian continued, his voice a quiet blade:
"I know you.
And I know you're protecting him.
Which means we're not enemies—unless you choose otherwise."
Emma's grip tightened.
"What do you want?"
Adrian's smile faded.
"Someone much more dangerous than me is hunting Hellsing. And they will not stop until his body is on a table."
Darrick swallowed. "Who?"
Adrian looked directly at him.
"Your partner. Victor Kane."
Darrick's face drained of color.
"No," he whispered. "He wouldn't—"
"Oh, he would," Adrian cut in coldly. "And he's already on his way. With men who make tonight's attackers look like children."
Emma's eyes flickered with calculation.
"Why tell us?" she asked.
Adrian finally stepped out of the rain and into the doorway, his expression deadly serious.
"Because Victor sent a kill squad to intercept you at sunrise. If you stay here, you'll both die."
Emma exchanged a glance with Darrick.
She read the fear behind his eyes.
He saw the fire in hers.
Adrian continued:
"I can get you out. Get you safe. But you'll need to trust me."
Emma stepped forward until her knife touched his throat.
"We don't trust strangers."
Adrian didn't flinch—even as the blade grazed his skin.
"Then trust this," he said slowly.
He reached into his coat… and pulled out a small device.
A tracker.
He tossed it at Emma's feet.
"You were marked the moment you entered this forest. They know exactly where you are."
Darrick's breath caught.
Emma's rage flared.
She crushed the tracker under her boot.
The cabin lights flickered—just once—as a distant, mechanical hum echoed from the forest.
Darrick tensed. "What was that—?"
Emma looked at Adrian.
"What did you bring to our doorstep?"
He met her eyes.
"The kill squad," Adrian said softly.
"They're already here."
Then—
BANG.
The cabin window shattered.
Red laser sights swept across the room.
Emma grabbed Darrick, pulling him down.
Adrian drew a gun faster than humanly possible.
And all three dove as bullets ripped through the cabin.