LOGINENZO’S POV By the time the first light of dawn began creeping through the windows, I was still awake. I hadn’t slept for even a minute. I picked up my phone and called Bruno. He answered on the second ring. “Sir.” “How long?” There was a pause. “The air traffic restriction?” “Yes.” “We’re still waiting for a final update, but from what we’ve been told, it could last a few more hours. There’s also a possibility it could remain in place for up to twenty-four hours.” I closed my eyes. Twenty-four hours. Nina had spent months unconscious, and now that she was finally awake, I was supposed to sit in Rome and wait for the sky to open. “No.” “Sir?” “I’m driving.” There was silence on the other end. “Sir, Rome to Milan is—” “I know how far it is.” “Six to seven hours, depending on traffic.” “I don’t care.” I got to my feet and grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair. “Order me a driver.” “A driver?” “Yes. A good one. I don’t want someone who’s going to stop every
ENZO’S POV I got into the car and shut the door harder than I meant to, then pulled away from the warehouse before the engine had even settled, my hands tightening around the steering wheel as the city blurred past the windows. I called Bruno back. He answered almost immediately. “Sir.” “Book me a ticket to Milan in the next hour.” There was a pause. “Sir, that’s impossible right now.” My grip tightened around the wheel. “What do you mean, impossible?” “I knew you’d want to leave immediately, so I’ve already checked every available option, but there are no flights to Milan at the moment.” “Then find one.” “I’m trying, sir, but there are temporary air traffic restrictions over Rome. Something happened earlier tonight and they’ve restricted departures for now. Commercial flights are affected, and private aviation is being held as well.” For a second, I said nothing. I could still hear Bruno breathing through the phone. “Fuck.” My hand came down hard again
NICO’S POV I still had my gun pointed at Enzo when I noticed a shift in his expression. He went completely still for a moment. “Say that again,” he said, listening to the phone. I could see the change in his breathing from where I stood; it was the kind of breath that told me he’d just heard something that flipped his world upside down. He put down the phone and stared into space for a couple of beats before hardening his expression again. “Tie them up,” he ordered. “Or kill them. Both of them.” “Enzo.” I lowered my gun a bit. “We can deal with this later. What’s up?” “Later?” He turned to me, his anger now different—more focused, more urgent. “I need to get back to Milan. Right now.” “It’s three in the morning,” I replied. “What’s going on?” “Nico.” He said my name like a tri
“Look closer,” I said, keeping the gun aimed and not lowering it. “Her neck.” I’d noticed it the moment she stepped into the light. The tattoo. Half hidden by her hair but unmistakably there. A snake wrapped around a dagger. The same image that was on the tablet Bruno had prepared. The same image that adorned every member of the network we’d just spent the last ten minutes dismantling. Nico wasn’t moving. He wasn’t speaking. Which was answer enough. “You know her,” I said. He remained silent. “You know this woman.” “Enzo—" “So you do know this bitch,” I said, already on the move. My gun still aimed at her, while my other hand found Volkov. I gripped his collar, spun him around, and placed my arm across his throat from behind. The gun pressed to his temple. Volkov went completely still. I turned my gaze to the woman across the warehouse. She looked back at me. Her gun hadn’t moved… still raised and steady. Her eyes darted between me, Volkov, and Nico, calculating he
ENZO'S POVWe parked in a dark alley two blocks from the warehouse.I cut the engine and sat there for a moment, listening to the city around us. This area of Rome was tranquil and had little industrial activity.I reached under the dashboard and pulled out the drawer. Inside were two loaded guns, just like I always ensured they would be before I arrived.I took one and slid it into my waistband. Nico glanced at the other gun and picked it up.“Shit,” he said quietly. “I don’t like this.”“This is business, Nico.” I checked the magazine and clicked it back into place. “Stay behind me.”He didn’t respond.We got out.The warehouse was large and old. It had been changed so many times that it no longer remembered its original purpose. There was a loading dock on the east side and three entry points that I could see. Light came from inside through gaps in the upper windows. Not much, but enough. We moved along the outer wall.I paused at the corner and glanced around it.From this angle,
GABBY’s POV I ducked, caught his wrist and drove my elbow into his throat. He stumbled, cursed, and reached for the gun tucked beneath his jacket. I kicked his knee before he could pull it free, heard the crack, then drove him into the wall hard enough to knock the air out of him. The second man was already behind me. I felt the blade, a sharp burst of heat tore through my side. I looked down. Blood. “Shit.” He came at me again. I moved. The next few minutes blurred into movement, pain and instinct. By the time I made it outside, my hand was pressed against my side and my breathing had turned shallow. I ran anyway. One street. Then another. My vision started swimming before I found the doorway. I shoved myself into the darkness and pulled out my phone. Anton. The call rang. And rang. Voicemail. I called again. Nothing. My fingers were slick against the screen. “Come on.” Third call. Still nothing. Anton had answered every call I’d made,







