Chapter 16 - THE FALLEN SYNDICATE|
The coal chute emptied out into a dense thicket of pine trees two hundred yards below the main estate.
Rain poured down, washing the dust from their clothes as they emerged into the mud.
Adrien pulled out an encrypted satellite phone from his tactical belt—one that ran on a secondary private frequency Vance couldn't track.
He punched in a three-digit code.
"Command," Adrien stated coldly into the receiver. "Initiate Protocol Omega at the Alura estate. Leave no one standing."
Ten seconds later, two dark, unmarked helicopters roared over the tree line, searchlights cutting through the rain. Heavy automatic fire rained down on the mansion above, completely overwhelming Vance’s mercenaries.
Adrien wrapped his coat around Elena’s shoulders, holding her tightly against his side as they watched the perimeter light up with tactical flares.
"You threw a wine rack at an armed hit squad," Adrien noted, looking down at her with undisguised pride and wonder.
"It was expensive wine," Elena muttered, shivering against him. "Seemed like a waste not to use it."
Adrien let out a rich, dark laugh that echoed through the wet woods. He pulled her chin up, kissing her deeply under the pouring rain—a fierce, possessive kiss that tasted of iron, rain, and survival.
May you like
By morning, the siege was over.
Dominic Vance and his traitors were gone. The Alura estate was secured by Adrien's remaining loyal forces, and his authority over the city's underworld was solidified forever. No one would ever dare challenge the Russo throne again.
