Chapter 148

Sofia. Vengeance had a taste. It was bitter, metallic, laced with the promise of death. I could feel it on my tongue as I stood in the safehouse’s war room, staring down at the map of the city, my fingers trailing over the names we had carved into our list. Petrov. Mikhailov. Vaschenko. Their days were numbered. And tonight? Tonight, the countdown began. Luca was the first to break the silence. "We start with Vaschenko," he muttered, tapping the red mark on the map where the bastard’s operations were stationed. "He’s the easiest to take out first. He thinks he’s untouchable in that casino of his, but we’ve already got men inside." "He’s a coward," Nikolai added, his voice sharp. "He runs his mouth, but he won’t fight. He hides behind security, behind money. He won’t see it coming." Good. I wanted him to be afraid. I wanted him to choke on it. Valentino leaned against the table, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "We make an example out of him." A slow, dark smile curled at my lip