Chapter 111

Arsen. The moment of peace I shared with Sofia is quickly shattered. The first explosion rocked the walls, sending a tremor through the floor. The windows rattled violently before one of them burst, spraying shards of glass into the air. In the same breath, the lights flickered and cut out, plunging us into chaos. Fuck! They had where they wanted us. We didn't expect them to strike this fast. And that was our first mistake. “DOWN!” Nikolai roared, tackling Sofia to the ground as a second blast ripped through the room, deafening and blinding. The table flipped, and I hit the ground hard, the taste of dust and gunpowder sharp in my mouth. Gunfire erupted outside, sharp, controlled bursts—whoever was out there wasn’t just trying to scare us. They were here to finish the job. Nadei was the first to move, rolling into cover behind the overturned couch, his gun already in hand. “We’re under attack.” “No shit!” Nial growled, already pulling his own weapon. His face was twisted in fury, but hi