MTL NOVEL Chapter 15: CHAPTER 2: HUNTED
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1. A City That Never Sleeps
Neon lights flickered.
Somewhere in the slums of Las Cruces, a city ruled by criminals, corrupt cops, and desperate men, Jaxon "Driver 88" Carter pulled into an abandoned parking lot.
The motel in the desert was too risky.
Every bounty hunter with a gun and a grudge would be looking for them.
"We need a place to lay low," Vera said, glancing around.
Lucas, still shaken from the chase, nodded.
Jaxon exhaled.
He had spent years behind bars, but out here?
He was still caged.
He needed a plan.
But before he could come up with one—
They found him first.
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2. The Black Suits
Two black SUVs pulled in behind them.
Engines cut off.
Four doors opened.
Men in black suits stepped out, carrying suppressed SMGs.
No badges.
No words.
Just professional killers.
Jaxon gritted his teeth.
"Go through the back," he muttered to Vera and Lucas.
"What about you?" Vera asked.
Jaxon's fingers curled around his brass knuckles.
"I got this."
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3. One Man vs. Four Killers
The first hit came fast.
A bullet whizzed past Jaxon's ear.
He ducked behind a concrete pillar.
One of the men moved in—
Jaxon lunged.
CRACK!
His fist shattered the assassin's jaw.
The second killer raised his gun—
Jaxon grabbed the first man's body and used it as a shield.
BANG! BANG!
Two shots.
One man down.
Two left.
Jaxon ran straight at them.
The third attacker swung a knife—
Jaxon sidestepped, grabbed his wrist—
SNAP!
A scream.
Jaxon finished him with a knee to the face.
One left.
The last killer backed away, raising his gun.
Jaxon threw a wrench.
CRACK!
The weapon slammed into the man's forehead.
He hit the pavement, unconscious.
Silence.
Jaxon wiped the blood from his hands.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
Vera and Lucas had just watched him take down four men alone.
Lucas swallowed.
"You... you used to do this before prison, didn't you?"
Jaxon didn't answer.
He just turned to Vera.
"We need to move. Now."
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4. The Underground Kingpin
Deep in Las Cruces, inside a luxury penthouse, a man in a white suit watched the footage of Jaxon's fight.
He swirled a glass of whiskey.
"Impressive."
A woman in a red dress leaned against his desk.
"He took out your men like they were nothing."
The man smirked.
"That was just a test."
He turned to his assistant.
"Put out the word. Driver 88 is here."
The bounty had just doubled.
And now?
Every killer in the city would be coming for Jaxon.
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5. The Last Safehouse
Jaxon, Vera, and Lucas arrived at a run-down auto shop in the outskirts.
Inside, a mechanic in his sixties stood over a half-built race car.
His eyes widened when he saw Jaxon.
"Kid… I thought you were dead."
Jaxon smirked.
"Not yet, Old Man Reyes."
Reyes had been a father figure to him before prison.
A man who had taught him how to race… and how to fight.
Now, Reyes looked Jaxon over.
The scars.
The blood.
The weight of a $20 million bounty.
"You need a new car," Reyes muttered.
"And a whole lotta luck."
Jaxon chuckled.
"Luck is for amateurs."
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6. The City is Watching
The next morning, the city exploded with rumors.
Driver 88 was in Las Cruces.
The bounty was now twenty million.
Assassins, gangsters, racers, and bounty hunters all took notice.
One of them?
A woman with a sniper rifle and a history with Jaxon.
She smiled, loading her weapon.
"Hello again, Jaxon."
The next 24 hours?
Would be hell.
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TO BE CONTINUED…