The dockyard was still burning. Smoke curled into the night sky, mixing with the scent of salt, gunpowder, and blood. Sirens wailed in the distance police, firefighters, maybe even Volkov's remaining men coming to check on the destruction.
Dominic knew they couldn't stay here.
He turned to his team. "We move. Now."
Alyssa wiped blood from her lips, smirking slightly as she met his gaze. "You always know how to ruin a good moment."
Julian snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Romance later. Right now, let's get the hell out of here."
Marcus was still swaying slightly, bruised and battered from his time in Volkov's custody, but he forced himself to stand tall. Eleanor passed him a gun, which he took without hesitation.
"Car's two blocks north," she said. "I parked it out of the blast radius, just in case you idiots decided to be extra dramatic."
Dominic shot her a look. "Smart."
She winked. "Always."
With sirens getting closer, they sprinted away from the burning docks, moving through the back alleys of the industrial district. The streets were mostly deserted at this hour, save for a few unlucky drunks and street workers who barely looked their way.
The SUV was waiting where Eleanor had promised. Julian yanked open the door, hopping into the driver's seat. "Everyone in! I am not getting arrested tonight."
They piled in, and Julian floored the gas. The SUV roared forward, disappearing into the night.
Twenty minutes later, they reached one of Dominic's safehouses—a high-end apartment tucked away in the outskirts of Prague. It was sleek, modern, and heavily fortified.
Julian parked in the underground garage, and they all piled out, exhausted.
The moment they stepped into the apartment, Marcus groaned and dropped onto the couch. "Okay. Not to be dramatic, but I might actually die."
Eleanor smirked. "You've said that at least four times this week."
He groaned louder. "Yeah, but this time I mean it."
Alyssa dropped into a chair, rubbing at her temples. "We need to talk about what's next."
Dominic nodded, rolling his shoulders as he paced. "Volkov's dead."
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Are we sure about that? Because last I saw, he was taking an unexpected swim."
Dominic exhaled. "If the explosion didn't kill him, the river did. Either way, he's gone."
Alyssa didn't look convinced. "Guys like him don't just disappear that easily."
"She's got a point," Eleanor agreed. "If he's alive, he's going to come back. And he'll be pissed."
Marcus groaned from the couch. "Can we not plan for more death right now? Maybe just… five minutes of peace?"
Dominic crossed his arms. "We don't have five minutes."
Julian tapped his laptop, already pulling up reports. "He's right. We just took out a major arms shipment, and Volkov dead or alive wasn't working alone. Someone's going to come looking for answers."
Silence settled over them.
Alyssa stood, crossing over to Dominic. Her voice was quiet. "What's really on your mind?"
He met her gaze, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "This isn't over. I can feel it."
She nodded, stepping closer until they were almost touching. "Then we deal with it. Together."
Dominic exhaled, some of the tension in his shoulders easing.
Then, Julian muttered, "Uhh… guys?"
Everyone turned.
Julian's face had lost all color as he stared at his screen. He slowly turned it around so they could all see.
The screen displayed a live feed from a security camera. The feed was glitchy, distorted, but the image was clear enough
A figure, standing in the shadows of the dockyard ruins.
Watching them.
And then, slowly, the figure turned its face toward the camera.
The screen glitched, but for a brief moment, they all saw it....
Volkov.
Alive.
And smiling.
Alyssa cursed under her breath. "Son of a...."
"Silence."
Marcus groaned from the couch. "I hate being right."
Dominic's jaw clenched. His fists tightened.
Volkov was still alive. And this was far from over.