Chapter 4: The Unlikely Alliance
The silence in the penthouse was broken by the sound of sirens in the distance—far away, but approaching. Mia had called them the second she heard the locks click.
Viktor looked at the unconscious Elena, then at the girl. He had spent his life choosing the wrong side, building a career on blood and betrayal. But looking into Mia's eyes, he saw the inevitable end of his path. He could kill them, and die at the hands of the Syndicate, or he could break the cycle.
He dropped the bat. It clattered loudly, rolling across the marble.
"If I help you," Viktor said, his voice hard, "you have to promise. Your father… tell him I didn't mean to."
"He knows," Mia said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He’s been watching you for years, Viktor. He’s been waiting for you to make a choice."
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Viktor grabbed the bat, not to strike, but to jam it into the handle of the heavy reinforced front door. "They’re coming up the elevator. I’ll hold the hallway. You get your mother to the fire escape. Go!"
Mia didn't hesitate. She grabbed her mother’s arm, pulling with a strength that defied her age, fueled by pure adrenaline. She dragged Elena toward the balcony, just as the elevator pinged, signaling the arrival of the Syndicate’s cleanup crew.
