Page 113 of Vendetta Crown

"You trying to live forever, Artyom?"

"Forever?" He cocks his head, smiling. "No. Just long enough see what happens tomorrow."

The doors ding open and we surge forward, weapons raised.

Movement to the right. A guard reaches for his gun.

Too slow.

I squeeze the trigger twice. A flower of fire blooms at the barrel of my submachine gun. The man slumps to the ground.

More guards appear. Gunfire erupts. The sound echoes off marble floors and high ceilings.

A maid screams, diving behind a sofa. I signal my man to let her go.

"Armed men only!" I bellow over the chaos. "Leave the staff!"

Three more guards appear from the dining area. We drop them before they can get a shot off.

I slam my palm against the elevator button, sending it back down for reinforcements.

"Artyom!" I call out. "Take Pyotr and Maksim. Upstairs. Move!"

He nods sharply, motioning to the men. Together, the three of them move swiftly toward the spiral staircase.

A guard pops up from behind a bar counter.

I fire.

Glass shatters. Liquid pools. The smell of expensive vodka fills the air.

Followed by the ever-strengthening scent of blood.

Afanasy stays close to my left flank, his movements mirroring mine with the precision that comes from years of training. Two shots, and he dispatches a man trying to flank us with a single shot to the head.

"Pakhan, behind you!"

I pivot, dropping to one knee as I swing my weapon around. A single three-round burst and the guard's chest erupts in crimson as he crashes into an ornate vase. Priceless porcelain shatters beneath his weight.

"Got him." I rise in a fluid motion, pressing forward. "Good looks."

The elevator dings again, the sound cutting through gunfire and shouts.

"Reinforcements behind!" Someone calls out.

Five more of my men pour through the opening doors, weapons raised. They fan out instantly, securing the entrance foyer.

"Seva, Roma!" I call out. "East side. Kolyenka, secure our exit. The rest with me."

I don't bother waiting for acknowledgment from them. They'll do their jobs.

I sweep through a grand sitting room, all modern glass and steel. Another guard tries to ambush us from behind a column. I put him down with mechanical precision.

"Room one clear!" Seva shouts from down the hall.

"Room two clear," Roma's voice joins him.

Room by room, we methodically purge Semyon's defenses. Each shot deliberate. Each kill necessary.

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