The first shot cracked like thunder.
Luca dropped low as bullets tore through the air, shattering glass and ricocheting off steel beams overhead. Smoke billowed from shattered light fixtures, casting the subway station into a swirling haze of fire and shadow.
Reyes didn't flinch. He simply stepped back as Vince raised his hand, signaling his men to hold their fire, for now.
"You had your chance," Vince said, voice calm despite the chaos. "Now it ends."
Luca scrambled behind a rusted support beam, heart pounding. Sarah was already moving, ducking between cover with the grace of someone who had survived too many betrayals.
Enzo was beside him in seconds, breathing hard. "We need to move. Now."
Luca put the notebook in his jacket. Reyes, the man he had trusted, the ally he had hoped for, had sold them out.
He looked up at the traitor, voice raw with fury. "Whats with the betrayal, Reyes?"
Reyes met his gaze without hesitation. "Because Rocco wins. Always."
Luca shook his head. "Not this time. I'll bring him down."
Vince smirked. "You're outnumbered. Outgunned. You think you can fight an empire with nothing but rage and daddy issues?"
Luca didn't answer. He just pulled the trigger.
A silenced shot rang out.
One of Vince's men dropped before he could react.
Pointed the gun at Reyes and pulled the trigger with no hesitation in his eyes. Reyes dropped down with a hole between his eyes.
Chaos erupted.
Gunfire exploded across the platform as Luca, Enzo, and the woman, Sarah, broke into motion. They sprinted toward the far end of the station, dodging bullets and leaping over debris. A train sat idle on the tracks, its doors half-open, beckoning like a lifeline.
"Go!" she shouted.
They ran.
More shots followed, bullets tearing through brick, sparking off steel, slicing through the cold night air. One grazed Luca's shoulder, it was a scratch but sent a searing pain through his body, but he kept moving.
They reached the train just as another explosion rocked the tunnel behind them. A gas line had ruptured. Flames roared to life, swallowing the station in fire.
Vince cursed, shielding his face from the heat. "Don't let them get away!"
But it was too late.
The train doors slammed shut.
With a groan, the ancient locomotive lurched forward, grinding against rusted rails as it pulled out of the burning station.
Inside, Luca collapsed onto a worn seat, clutching his wounded shoulder. Blood soaked through his coat, staining the fabric dark red.
The woman, Sarah, knelt beside him, pressing a cloth to the wound. "Hold still."
Luca gritted his teeth. "It's just a scratch. Reyes is dead."
She met his eyes. "And that's a good thing. Now they know what you are capable of."
Enzo leaned against the wall, panting. "We need to get off before they track us."
She nodded. "There's an old maintenance hatch two stops ahead. We can disappear before they even know where we went."
Luca exhaled sharply, staring at the notebook still clutched in his hand.
Outside, snow began to fall.
Heavy, thick flakes drifted down like ashes from a dying war.
The train screeched to a halt at an abandoned stop buried beneath the Brooklyn waterfront. The station was long since decommissioned, its signs rusted, its lights flickering like dying stars. A thin layer of snow covered the tracks, untouched by footsteps.
They disembarked quickly, weapons drawn, scanning the darkness.
"This place is dead," Enzo muttered.
"It used to be a safe house," she replied. "Before everything changed."
Luca wiped sweat from his brow. "How much farther?"
She pointed to a crumbling stairwell leading upward. "Five minutes."
They moved fast, boots crunching through snow as they ascended into the night.
By the time they reached street level, the city was silent.
Snow blanketed everything, rooftops, streets, alleyways. It muffled sound, softened edges, made the world feel unreal.
Luca looked around. "Where the hell are we?"
She exhaled, her breath visible in the cold. "Brooklyn Heights. Close enough to disappear. Far enough to breathe."
Enzo frowned. "We should keep moving."
She shook her head. "Not tonight. He needs rest."
Luca swayed slightly, dizziness creeping in. "I'm fine. I need to end this once and for all"
She caught his arm before he could fall. "No, you're not."
They found shelter in a derelict theater on the edge of the neighborhood. Its marquee had long since fallen, and the lobby was filled with dust and broken seats. But there was warmth inside, a fireplace still intact, remnants of wood stacked nearby.
She lit a fire while Enzo checked the perimeter.
Luca sat near the flames, staring into the glow.
Finally, she spoke. "This isn't over."
Luca looked at her. "It won't be until Rocco's gone."
She nodded. "Then we prepare."
Luca tightened his grip on the notebook.
Outside, the snow kept falling.
Inside, the fire burned.
And somewhere deep in the heart of the city, a new war was about to begin.