All Chapters of The Cold Compromise : Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

Chapter 92: The Submarine Pen Luca pushed the stolen Riva tender harder than it had ever been designed to run, forcing it over the rough Mediterranean chop as if speed alone could erase the danger closing in around them. Spray hammered across the mahogany hull. The engines screamed. The bow bounced violently with each rise of the sea. Behind them, Maxwell’s pursuit craft tore across the water—a narrow, military-grade interceptor that moved with predatory precision, gaining ground with terrifying ease. Its black hull cut through the waves like a blade. The white plume trailing behind it grew longer every second. To the east, Giuseppe’s hulking trawler pushed forward in a slow, deliberate curve, its jamming signal corrupting the GPS and filling the comm frequencies with thick static. It was moving like a whale turning in deep water, forcing the Riva toward the coast. The two threats were working in perfect, unspoken synchrony. “They’re boxing us in!” Ethan shouted against the roar

Chapter 94: Final Bargain The hedges around the Ambassador’s Residence were tall, dense, and perfectly manicured—shaped into elegant green barriers that hid the estate from prying eyes. Tonight, those hedges were Luca and Ethan’s only shield. The air smelled of wet grass and sea wind drifting up from the coast, a reminder of the world still turning while their universe narrowed into a single point of danger and resolve. The window on the second floor glowed with a warm, steady light. A quiet rectangle suspended above the gardens. Inside that room, Elena Maxwell operated with the calm assurance of a woman who believed herself untouchable. She had not merely built a case; she had built a kingdom. Tonight, Luca planned to take a hammer to its foundation. Ethan leaned heavily on Luca as they moved through the shadows, his breath shallow and uneven. He had pushed his body past the point of survival for hours, guided now only by instinct and adrenaline. “That drainpipe,” Ethan whispere

Chapter 96: The Reckoning Luca did not hesitate. There was no pause, no breath, no moment of doubt. The decision had been made in the same heartbeat that Ethan fell. His body moved on instinct, on raw survival sharpened by something deeper than fear. He sprinted along the sloping grass, vaulted over the thick hedge, and disappeared into the darkness that hugged the outer perimeter of the Ambassador’s Residence. The entire property hummed with tension. Security lights swept in slow, predatory arcs across the lawn while disembodied voices barked orders through clipped radios. He kept low, keeping to the wall’s shadow where the moonlight could not betray him. The air was heavy with the scent of trimmed jasmine, wet earth, and the faint chemical bite of freshly poured concrete. He moved quickly, tracing the structure by memory. He had studied the building during the first infiltration attempt. He knew the primary security focus was on the front entrance and the exposed garden, not the

Chapter 98: The Marine Blockade The distant thrum of heavy diesel engines grew steadily louder, vibrating through the granite base of the Menton lighthouse. The sound was low, oppressive—a rhythmic heartbeat of impending violence that mirrored Luca’s own. He crouched behind the irregular stone blocks of the lighthouse’s foundation. Ethan leaned heavily against him, sweat and blood mingling with the cold night air. The black water of the harbour shimmered faintly under the lighthouse’s red beam, reflecting the first glints of Giuseppe’s arriving trawlers. “They’ve got us boxed in,” Ethan muttered, teeth clenched around the pain shooting through his ribs. He rested a hand on Luca’s shoulder for balance. “Two trawlers. They’re not here to stop us. They want the money. All of it.” Luca didn’t respond immediately. His eyes narrowed as he raised the small, high-powered night binoculars to scan the approaching vessels. The trawlers were deceptively simple—rusted fishing hulls with work

Chapter 99: Deep Waters The Ithaca cut a steady, powerful path through the black Mediterranean. The water was a polished sheet of ink, reflecting only the faint, cold scatter of distant stars. Waves lapped quietly against the hull, but even that sound seemed hushed by the immensity of the night. Behind them, the lights of Nice and Monaco had vanished completely, swallowed by the open sea. The world felt emptied, as if the horizon had swallowed everything they were running from. Silence and darkness surrounded them. It was freedom, but it tasted of exhaustion and loss. Below deck, the main cabin looked like a field hospital in the aftermath of a war. Open equipment cases littered the floor. Wires coiled across tables. Medical supplies were scattered in careful disorder. A faint, sterile scent of antiseptic mixed with salt air and leather. The space carried the tense quiet of people who had survived something violent and close. Luca worked at the main console. His fingers moved wit