Semua Bab THE MAFIA'S BLOODY POSSESSION: Bab 211 - Bab 220

Nikolai's PovThe power came back on at 3:18 a.m. The emergency lights had been running for sixty seconds. The crib was empty.I stood in the doorway of the master bedroom and looked at the empty crib. The note was on the pillow. I read it twice. The words did not change."The second-in-command of The Veil sends his regards. The bloodline now belongs to us."I folded the note carefully. I put it in my pocket. I turned and walked out of the room.Ace was in the hallway. His face was pale. He had seen the empty crib. He had seen my face. He knew."Nikolai." His voice was controlled. The controlled version meant he was holding something together that wanted to break."He took the baby," I said. "The second-in-command. He was already in the building when we returned from the facility.""How.""He was inside someone. One of our personnel. Already turned before we brought them into the penthouse.""Marcus.""Marcus was the delivery system. The second-in-command used him to enter. Killed him

 Ace's Pov A few hours later, we went to the stronghold. It was a converted industrial complex on the city's southern edge. Three buildings connected by enclosed walkways, reinforced doors and personnel visible at every approach. The second-in-command had chosen his ground carefully. We approached from the east. The coalition was already inside. Rem's thermal imaging showed forty-three heat signatures across the complex. Forty-three people waiting for us. Forty-three people who wanted the bloodline. Elena was in a side room on the second floor of the central building. Ghost was with her. Theodore was in her arms. Our remaining personnel held the corridor outside the room. They would not hold long against forty-three. I looked at Nikolai. He looked at me. We did not need words. "East entrance," I said. "We go through the walkway. We reach the central building before t

Nikolai's PovThe temporary safe house was a converted warehouse on the city's eastern edge. Rem had prepared it months ago for exactly this scenario, scene rooms, reinforced doors and multiple exits. Enough supplies for two weeks.We arrived at dawn. Elena was exhausted. Theodore was sleeping. Ghost was carrying both of them. Ace was watching every corner. Ivan was checking the perimeter. I was standing in the center of the main room, processing everything that had happened in the past twelve hours.Sophia Lang was in the secondary room with a wound that needed attention. Rem was with her, the coalition was still out there. The second-in-command was still out there. The case was still open."We need to talk about Sophia," Ivan said. He had finished the perimeter check. He was standing in the doorway."Yes," I said. "We do.""She helped us escape. She also has legal authority over Elena and Theodore.""Legal authority is not the same as moral authority.""Tell that to a court."I look

Ivan's PovThe DNA report had arrived through Sophia's formal communication channel at seven in the morning. Attached to a supplementary document she described as relevant context for the cooperation framework negotiation.Rem had printed it and put it on the table. He stepped back and said nothing. That was how Rem handled things he understood were going to require a moment before they became a conversation.I read it first. Nikolai read it next. Ace read it last. He put it down and looked at the wall.The report claimed that Luca's biological connection to Ace and Elena's bloodline was incomplete. That suggested partial fabrication of the genetic markers used to establish the sibling relationship. The report did not conclude the relationship was false. It concluded the evidence base was insufficient for certainty.Luca was in the room. He had read it over Ace's shoulder. He had not moved since."This changes things." Nikolai's voice was flat."It changes the certainty. It does not c

Ace's PovWe got Dr. Hale out through the building's service exit. Ivan was on one side. I was on the other. The three documents were pressed flat against my chest under my jacket. They were going to stay there until we reached somewhere they could be secured properly.The Aegis vehicles at the north and south access had not anticipated the service exit. That told me they had the standard building layout. They did not have the building manager's version that included the maintenance modifications made eight years ago when the previous tenant ran a different kind of operation.Rem had that information because Rem had that information about every building we used as a meeting location.We reached the extraction vehicle in ninety seconds. Rem had Dr. Hale on the medical line before the door closed."Through the shoulder." Rem's voice was steady. "Not the chest. Conscious and communicating. We need the specific protocol for field stabilization."In the back seat Dr. Hale leaned against Iv