Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Two

Dimitri

The Romano struck at dawn. Armed men stormed the compound in coordinated waves, breaking through defenses that were spread thin across fractured territories. Most of my elite guards were stationed at my wing. Most of Alexei's men were protecting the western district. The compound itself was undermanned and exposed.

Alarms screamed through the mansion. Gunfire erupted like thunder. The sound was deafening, a constant roar that shook the walls and rattled the windows. I grabbed my gun from the nightstand, checked the clip, and ran.

The hallways were chaos. Men were shouting, running, dying. I saw bodies on the floor, some ours, some theirs....