LOGINShinjiro pushed the SUV door open and stepped into the mud. He walked toward the twenty Vanguard shooters gathered between the train cars."The warehouse is gone, boss," Kato said, his hands on his rifle. "The Italians pushed us out. The feds are sweeping the blocks."Shinjiro stopped in front of him. "You telling me to run, Kato?"Ren stepped forward, his face drawn. "We don't have the numbers. The flanks are open—"Shinjiro moved before Ren finished. He hit him across the face, hard enough to put him into the gravel. Then he took Kato by the collar and put his gun under the man's chin. The other eighteen didn't move."Anyone else?" Shinjiro said. No one answered. "Break the cargo containers. Pass the heavy rifles to the dockworkers. I don't care who they are — put a gun in every hand. We turn this railyard into a killing ground."Inside a safehouse downtown, Kenji looked at his tablet, one hand flat on the table."Ichiro locked the Tokyo Trust," he said. "The old man cut my funds."
Ichiro leaned on his cane. Madame Cleo stood near the window, eyes on her tablet."Talk to me," Ichiro said."Shinjiro lost the warehouse," Cleo said, looking up. "He ran. Left his people on the floor. Kenji took the sewers. Dominic missed them both."Ichiro's grip tightened on the cane. "The Italians had them.""Federal vehicles hit Dominic's blockade before he could close it," Cleo said, tapping the screen. "Black vans, heavy armor. They pulled Shinjiro's people out before the net came down."Ichiro turned to the glass. "Both of them want my seat. Kenji brings the money, the boy brings the guns.""Shinjiro still has what's left of the Vanguard.""He has nothing but a broken perimeter," Ichiro said. "And men who've lost their nerve make fatal errors. Lock down the building.""How deep?""Seal the gates. Kill the elevators. Guards in the lobby. If the boy wants what's mine, let him come through the front door."Cleo sent the codes. "Done."The door opened. Ella Khan came in breathing
The stench of raw sewage hit hard. Calf-deep in filthy water, Shinjiro clicked off his tactical light at a junction. "We’re splitting up," he told the remaining Vanguard guards. "North tunnel to the railyard. Move."Kenji leaned against the damp brick wall, his suit ruined and dripping. "You’re leaving me behind.""I’m keeping us alive," Shinjiro said, shoving the flashlight beam at him. "They’re hunting two targets. Split up and their numbers get stretched thin.""You’re just saving yourself.""I’m saving my army. Your Tokyo money brought Dominic’s crew down on us. This is on you." Shinjiro lowered the light. He turned left into the tunnel, his guards splashing after him until the darkness swallowed them.Up on the access level, Hugo tracked wet footprints across the concrete, rifle tight to his shoulder. Two operators moved silently beside him.At the bottom of an iron ladder, a Vanguard guard swung his rifle up. Hugo dropped to one knee and fired two quick bursts. The guard splash
The steel door came in. Smoke moved through the hall, and concrete dust fell from the ceiling rafters.Dominic stepped over the twisted metal, rifle up. Hugo covered his flank while four operators spread behind them. Two Vanguard guards tried to bring their rifles around. Hugo took them with two tight bursts. Brass hit the cement. The bodies went down."Push the line," Dominic said into his comms. "Secure the intersection."Inside the central hall, the blast shook the floor.Shinjiro took Kenji by the collar and pulled him back. "Move."Kenji stumbled against a shipping crate as rounds chipped the pillars behind them.Shinjiro keyed his radio. "Perimeter teams, collapse on the center. East side breached. Report." Static. He put the radio down."The Italians already have the perimeter," Kenji said."Keep moving." Shinjiro pushed him down the aisle, past the cargo pallets. More fire opened near the loading dock."They're taking the ground floor," Kenji said."We reach the West Wing, we'
A scout came out of the dark and laid a blueprint on the wet hood. Hugo clicked on a flashlight.Dominic leaned in. "Blind spots?""Six ways in," the scout said. "Shinjiro blocked three with his haulers. Loading docks are welded shut.""Kenji's inside?""Scanners show heat signatures in the west wing," the scout said, tapping the layout. "Ground floor is packed with shooters."Hugo killed the light. "This isn't a safehouse, Dominic. It's a summit."Dominic looked at the warehouse outline against the dark. "Both of them under one roof. They don't know we're out here." He stepped back from the hood. "We don't let this close.""They've got heavy muscle," Hugo said."So do we," Dominic said, turning away. "Seal the other four exits. Every opening, covered."Hugo raised his radio."Box them in," Dominic said. "Wait for my signal."The perimeter teams moved into the dark.Rain hit the truck. Dominic sat in the passenger seat, watching the dark warehouse across the street. The convoy held po
Lina stepped into the safehouse, rain dripping from her coat. Sophia didn't look up from her monitors."Lock it."Lina threw the deadbolt. She set the USB on the desk. "Trent came through. We have Wallace's drive."Sophia plugged the drive into an air-gapped port. A green light blinked. Her fingers moved across the keys. "Scanning for trackers.""Gabe's desperate," Lina said."We're clean," Sophia said, hitting enter. "No malware. He didn't even encrypt the directory." She opened the files.A window came up: a text ledger and an eleven-minute audio track."Open the ledger," Lina said.Sophia clicked. Financial data filled the screen. "Meridian routing codes. The exact sequences."Lina put the Cayman sheets next to the monitor. "Line them up."Sophia split the screen and ran the numbers. The digits locked together in pairs."Perfect match," Sophia said. "Every dollar went straight into Gabe's private Cayman trust.""Timestamps?""Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. Right when the Vanguard moved
Hugo kicked the door open and tossed a burner phone onto the table. It skidded across the wood, hitting Dominic’s hand."Talk," Dominic snapped. He didn't even look up from the board."Gary Pullan just pinged the dead drop," Hugo said. "Marco is moving. Twelve shooters, three vans. He’s heading for
"I’m in."Noah Kim kicked his chair back, the screech echoing against the concrete."Show me," Dominic said."A sync bridge," Sophia interjected, her eyes narrowing."It’s not a bridge, Soph. It’s a goddamn highway. The laptop is sitting inside the Tokyo network right now, shaking hands with the cl
"The Southside hub and the downtown complex? Gone," Lina snapped. "Takahashi isn't just winning, he’s erasing her.""I tracked the shell companies," Sophia interjected. "Panama, Caymans, Zurich. He’s moving money faster than a bullet. You can't fight what you can't see."Dominic stared at the photo
The curtain pulled back. Jane Sweet stood there.Victor’s hand flew to his holster. "You? You’ve got to be kidding me! This bitch is the reason I’m bleeding right now! She walked off the tunnel job and left me for dead!"Jane didn’t blink. She didn’t even look at his gun. "The wire transfer didn't







