The narrow alleyway in Vienna was thick with the copper tang of blood and the acrid scent of a discharged firearm. Shadows seemed to cling to the damp stone walls, hiding the groans of the men who lay scattered across the cobblestones like broken puppets. Kai stood in the center of the c*****e, his chest heaving, his knuckles throbbing with a dull, insistent ache. Beside him, Elea was as still as a statue, her breathing remarkably controlled despite the high-stakes violence they had just navigated with terrifying efficiency.
Kai looked at the man he had pinned against the metal door, then slowly released his grip. The attacker slumped to the ground, unconscious. The silence that followed was heavier than the noise of the struggle. It was a silence filled with unspoken questions and the
