The weight of Petrov's name still lingered in the air, thick with tension and long-buried ghosts. Dominic Hayes had dealt with powerful enemies before rival businessmen, corrupt officials, even dangerous criminals but this?
This was different. Because now, it wasn't just about survival. It was about Alyssa.
She stood across from him, arms crossed, sharp-eyed despite the exhaustion creeping into her stance.
The warehouse was their temporary refuge, but it wouldn't be safe for long. Petrov wouldn't stop until she was dead, and Volkov? He had an empire built on precision. On hunting down threats before they even knew they were marked.
And Alyssa had been marked for years.
Dominic took a step closer, his voice measured but firm. "We can't stay here."
Alyssa nodded, already thinking three steps ahead. "I know."
She had spent her entire life running toward danger, not away from it. And right now, running meant hunting Petrov before he could find her.
Dominic turned toward Marcus Reed, who had been quietly scanning their surroundings, ensuring no unexpected visitors arrived. Marcus didn't need an explanation he'd seen enough in the past hour to know that their next move needed to be fast and ruthless.
"Petrov has contacts in Geneva," Alyssa said, slipping into the mindset that had kept her alive all these years. "We need to go after him before he realizes we're on the offensive."
Dominic's gaze narrowed. "You want to take this fight to him?"
She met his eyes bold, unwavering. "I don't intend to wait for him to take another shot at me."
Dominic didn't argue. He understood the weight of vengeance, the consuming fire of unfinished battles. But even as he saw the determination in Alyssa's stance, he knew that this wasn't just about Petrov.
It was about the past she couldn't let go. The man who had stolen her father's life. The secrets that had chased her for a decade.
Dominic stepped forward, closing the space between them. His voice was quieter now, meant only for her. "We end this together."
Alyssa inhaled sharply, something flickering behind her eyes something vulnerable, raw, unspoken.
But she didn't hesitate.
"Together," she agreed.
Outside, the storm raged on. But inside this moment, they had already declared war.