Chapter 9 - The Fall of the Castellano Empire
When Nina and Grimm breached the gates of Lorenzo’s estate forty minutes later, it looked like a war zone.
Smoke billowed from the upper-story windows. Castellano guards lay unconscious or worse across the manicured lawns. The heavy oak front doors had been blown off their hinges.
Nina moved through the ruined foyer with lethal precision, her weapon raised, Grimm pacing a half-step ahead of her like a demon unleashed from hell.
In the center of the grand library, Viktor Rostov stood holding a smoking revolver. Tied to a mahogany chair in front of him was Lorenzo Castellano—bleeding from a deep gash across his temple, his whiskey eyes cold and defiant, refusing to break.
"Ah, the loyal pet returns," Viktor smiled, turning his weapon toward the doorway as Nina stepped out of the shadows. "And she brought the dog. How poetic."
"Let him go, Viktor," Nina said, her voice steady, her gun locked directly onto the center of Rostov’s forehead.
Viktor laughed, pressing his pistol harder against Lorenzo’s temple. "You think you have leverage, little girl? You're a caterer. You were a pawn in a game you never understood."
"She’s not a pawn," a deep, gravelly voice cut through the room.
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Viktor blinked, confused. It wasn't Nina.
Lorenzo’s lips curved into a bloody, terrifying smile. "She’s the one who trained the dog."
