Beneath the ashes

Jackson was done with killing-or so he thought.

Once the most feared hitman in a ruthless Thai crime syndicate, Jackson walked away after stealing something he should've never touched-an encrypted hard drive filled with secrets powerful enough to dismantle the empire he once served. He vanished off the map, trading blood-soaked Bangkok alleys for the burnt sienna rooftops of Morocco, dreaming of anonymity.

Now, he sips coffee in Marrakesh with Karen, a sharp-witted American dancer he met in a neon-lit Bangkok strip club, who sees him as nothing more than an ex-soldier with a mysterious past. The world has been quiet. Peaceful. Too peaceful.

Until it isn't.

Without warning, a man emerges behind him-silent, precise, deadly. Jackson acts on instinct. A fist shatters the table, sending boiling coffee splashing into the attacker's face. The past has found him.

Back at their sleek penthouse, Jackson scrambles to explain everything-his former life, the drive, the enemies closing in-when a whisper of death flits through the air. A blow dart pierces the counter inches from his hand, embedding itself in the coffee cup he was about to lift.

No more time.

They scramble to the roof, Jackson's hidden escape route waiting. The city below, once their sanctuary, is now a labyrinth of shadows and danger. The men he betrayed have come to collect what's theirs-or kill him trying. As old ghosts rise and bullets fly, Jackson and Karen must navigate a deadly cat-and-mouse chase through Marrakesh's winding streets and desert fringes.

The only rule now? Trust no one. Run fast. Hit first.

And don't look back.