"You… you broke the rules," he wheezed. "She's just… collateral. Not worth… dying for."
I stood over him, my Glock aimed at his head. "You're wrong."
I pulled the trigger twice more. His body jerked, then went still.
"Boss?" Enzo appeared in the doorway, weapon ready. "Building's secure. Six of Falco's men surrendered; the rest are down."
"Search him," I ordered, gesturing to Falco's corpse. "He has something that belongs to us."
Enzo knelt beside the body, methodically checking pockets. He extracted a small object from Falco's breast pocket—Antonio's flash drive.
"This what you're looking for?"
Enzo dropped the flash drive into my palm like it was a live grenade. Such a tiny thing to cause so much chaos. To nearly destroy everything we'd built.
"We tried everything. Password prompts are dead. Biometric scan’s coded to Antonio. Military-grade encryption. It’s locked six ways to hell."
I stared at the unassuming piece of plastic. Typical of Antonio to stash nuclear secrets in a device that looked like it belonged in a college kid’s backpack.
"So, we can’t access it at all?"
"Not unless we cut off his hand and pray it still reads the print."
I clenched my jaw. Of course, Antonio would ensure no one could use his secrets without him.
"Then we do it the old way," I said, slipping the drive into my jacket. "Face-to-face. He’ll either open it… or die with his secrets."
"Casualties?" I asked, pocketing the drive.
"Two of ours. Seven wounded, three critical. Our medic team is working on them now."
I nodded, holstering my weapon. "Have the bodies disposed of. No evidence. No witnesses."
"And the traitor?" Enzo nodded toward Jonah's corpse.
"Burn it all," I said coldly. "This place never existed."
Outside, the night air hit me like a physical force after the warehouse's stifling heat. Ambulances and SUVs formed a perimeter around the building, their headlights cutting through the darkness.
I spotted Mateo standing beside one of the medical vehicles, Sophie seated on the bumper as a paramedic examined her.
"How is she?" I asked, approaching them.
"Bruised, dehydrated, mild concussion," Mateo reported. "Nothing life-threatening."
Sophie looked up at me, her green eyes fierce despite her injuries. "You came," she whispered.
"Of course I came." I crouched before her, examining the bruises on her face, the split in her lip. Each mark was a personal affront, a debt to be paid in blood.
"I thought…" She swallowed hard. "I thought you might not."
"Never." I brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Not you."
Something shifted between us in that moment—something fundamental and irreversible. She wasn't just a pawn anymore, a piece in the game between Antonio and me. She was… essential.
"Let's go home," I said softly.
She nodded, allowing me to lift her into my arms. Her head rested against my chest, her body trembling slightly against mine.
