"Movement at the gate," Andre calls out. "Vehicle approaching fast—it's Radimir!"
My uncle's black sedan barrels through what's left of the gate, clearly intending to flee before his coup completely collapses. But I'm not letting him escape to try this again another day.
"Cut him off," I order. "Non-lethal if possible. I want him alive. Find Bogdan. I saw him earlier.”
Two SUVs move to intercept, boxing in Radimir's sedan before he can reach the main road. He tries to ram through, but my men are ready. Bullets shred his tires, and the sedan lurches to a stop.
Radimir emerges with his hands up, his expression a mix of fury and calculation. Even now, even caught, he's looking for angles.
"Dante," he calls out. "We can discuss this. Come to an arrangement?—"
"The time for discussion ended when you tried to kill my family."
"Your family?" He laughs bitterly. "A woman you've known for weeks and a bastard not even born yet? That's not family. That's weakness."
The urge to put a bullet in him is almost overwhelming. But I force myself to stay calm, to think strategically rather than emotionally. I have to let the council handle this.
"Secure him," I tell my men.
The hunt for Bogdan intensifies as gunfire echoes through the corridors. I navigate the chaos, my focus solely on finding the man who threatened everything I hold dear.
Bogdan emerges from a darkened hallway; his face twisted in a snarl of defiance. "You can't stop me, Dante," he taunts, raising his weapon.
I fire without hesitation, the crack of gunshots mingling with the acrid scent of smoke filling the air. The adrenaline pulses through me as I fall to the ground feeling the searing pain as a bullet slams into my arm. I push through, determination fueling every movement. I roll into the living room, moving behind what’s left of my couch.
"This ends here, Bogdan," I call out.
"You think you can defeat me?" Bogdan sneers, his words laced with arrogance. I can hear him coming into the room.
I push through the burning pain in my arm and raise my gun, using the cover of the couch. His next shot goes wide.
I aim for his chest and pull the trigger. The bullet hits his thigh, but he doesn’t drop. The man is operating on jealousy and rage.
"You were family!" I shout, anger overriding tactical sense for just a moment. "How could you betray us like this?"
"Family?" He laughs, the sound bitter and twisted. "My father should have been pakhan! They chose an American-raised son over the man who actually understood this world. I've been waiting years for this moment."
He fires again. The bullet grazes my side, tearing through fabric and skin. The pain is white-hot, but I've been shot before. I know how to compartmentalize, how to keep moving when my body wants to shut down.
I return fire, forcing him to duck behind a chair. The living room where Mila plays—has become a battlefield. Bullet holes mar the walls. Blood stains the pristine floors.
This is what my world does. It destroys everything beautiful.
"Hannah's pregnant," I call out, trying a different tactic. "Your own blood. Does that mean nothing to you?"
"It means leverage I didn't plan for." Bogdan shifts position. I catch a glimpse of his face. There's no remorse there, no hint of the cousin I grew up with. “I will kill her and your bastard.”
He breaks from cover, sprinting toward the west corridor. I fire, but my injured arm throws off my aim. The shot hits the wall behind him. He disappears around the corner. The fucker is moving fast despite the bullet to his leg.
I pursue, ignoring the protest of my wounded body. Each step sends fresh pain radiating through my arm and side, but I pushthrough it. Hannah and Mila are safe for now, but they won't truly be safe until Bogdan is dead.
The west corridor leads to the library. Bogdan is using the tall shelves for cover, firing blindly around corners.
"You can't win this!" he shouts. "The elders will never accept your bastard half-breed child as heir!"
The words are designed to wound, to make me angry and reckless. Instead, they crystallize my resolve. This ends tonight. Not just Bogdan's threat, but the entire toxic system that values bloodlines over loyalty, tradition over love.
I walk into the library, years of training making my footsteps soundless despite my injuries. Bogdan is breathing hard. He’s panicked, his earlier confidence evaporating as he realizes how badly his plan has failed.
