Three more men ahead.
I move first.
Left angle. Close distance. I take the first out before he fully registers me. The second raises his weapon—too slow. I disarm him mid-motion, twist, and drop him hard against the wall.
Valeria handles the third. Two shots. Precise. No wasted movement.
We don’t slow down.
We push forward together into the next corridor, where movement is heavier now—organized resistance meeting the counterattack from her father’s allies outside.
A man steps out from cover.
I fire. He drops.
Another tries to flank—Valeria catches him before I even turn.
We catch movement up ahead and whip our heads at the same time. Anton.
Running. Not wounded. Not cornered.
“Anton!” I snap.
I don’t think. I move.
We chase immediately, boots pounding the corridor, gunfire fading behind us as we break away from the main engagement. The hall opens toward the rear exits—glass doors shattered outward, night air pouring in like a warning.
He’s heading for the forest.
I push forward fast, locking onto the rhythm of his movement, tuning everything else out until there’s only distanceand pursuit. The ground shifts underfoot as we hit the exterior path, gravel snapping beneath every step.
Halfway into the unfamiliar terrain of the forest, silence. Sudden silence. I slow for half a second, instincts tightening—
Something hits me from behind.
Hard.
Pain flashes white through my skull. My ears ring instantly, the world tilting for a fraction of a second as I stagger forward.
I twist just in time to see him.
Anton. Holding a thick branch in his hands, raised again. His expression is calm in a way that’s almost worse than rage. Controlled violence.
I lift my forearms just before the second strike lands. The impact drives through bone and muscle, but I hold. I don’t go down. Not yet.
“Still chasing shadows?” he snaps.
I don’t answer.
I move.
I close the distance fast, taking the advantage back before he can reset. My elbow drives into his guard, forcing space. He swings again—too wide this time. I catch his wrist mid-motion and twist hard. The branch drops.
We collide fully now.
No distance. No weapons left between us. Just force.
He’s strong. Experienced.
