chapter 3

The city never slept.

It wasn't just the constant thrum of vehicles or the flashing lights of neon signs that kept it alive. It was the undertow ,the things happening in the dark alleys and in the obscure corners where people's like Adrian Moretti and Nikolai Volkov thrived.

Adrian stood in the shadows of his office looking out at the city skyline through the wide and panoramic windows. It was a habit, one he could not break even on the most darkest of nights. He took in the view as if it contained some sort of solution or some clues to the game he was playing.

His phone vibrated on the desk and successfully broke him out of his reverie. He didn't have to look up to know whose call it was.

"Adrian. We have a problem."

The voice on the other end of the line was smooth and controlled just like everything else in his life.

"Talk," Adrian growled, his voice was low and brusque.

"The shipment. It's missing. Not rerouted lost. The docks are clear. No one knows what happened."

Adrian tightened his hand around the edge of his desk, his heart was pounding. This wasn't a setback anymore. It was sabotage.

"How?"

“They hit the warehouse last night. It was Clean. No bodies. Just a trail of empty crates.”

Adrian’s mind raced calculating the implications. Someone had moved faster than he could. Someone had infiltrated his network someone who knew the ins and outs of the Moretti family.

The silence on the other end of the line was palpable.

“You’re telling me,” Adrian said slowly, “that not a single fucking soul saw anything?”

“Not a whisper.”

"Get a team on it," Adrian barked, his voice icy. "I want answers by tomorrow"

"Understood."

He slammed down the phone. His thoughts already racing, already adding up, already analyzing every lead and every possibilities. The walls of his office seemed to close in on him as the pressure of the situation bore down on his shoulders.

And as suddenly as the tension had built, the door swung open without notice.

And in came Nicolai.

Adrian didn't turn to confront him. "I told you to stay the fuck away until I had something," he said, his voice was strained.

Nikolai stepped in. He was as nonchalant as ever. His icy blue eyes sparkling with the same arrogant smugness that had always irritated Adrian. "Couldn't resist. You look ugly when you're angry".

Adrian swung around, his jaw muscles working as he stared back at Nikolai.

"You're fortunate I don't have time to put a bullet between your eyes."

Nikolai chuckled without a care for the threat.

"Oh, the charm is restored. So what's the lead Ace? What's so big that it's shaken your little universe apart?"

Adrian's eyes flashed with barely repressed fury. "The shipment is missing."

Nikolai arched an eyebrow. "Missing? Missing how?"

"The docks were clean. There was No trace of anything. The entire shipment vanished overnight."

Nikolai moved deeper into the room, looking around as if surveying his territory.

"Someone's getting bold, then."

Adrian clenched his teeth. "Bold, certainly. But brilliant? I don't think so. Someone's after us, and I have no idea who."

Nikolai's eyes narrowed. "You think it's Lazarov?"

Adrian nodded, his eyes narrowing. "It's him or one of his operatives. Either one, it doesn't make a difference because we're being played."

Nikolai slumped back against the doorframe. His arms folded across his chest.

"You don't become this paranoid unless there is someone in your family is involved. Who do you trust, Moretti?"

Adrian did not reply immediately. Instead his mind ran through the names and the faces of the men who were his employees. They were the ones who had been there since the start, the ones who had remained loyal… or at least it was what he believed.

And then there was the Russians. The Volkov name wasn't only infamous it was perilous. But Nikolai… Nikolai wasn't just a Volkov. He was a force of nature.

And Adrian couldn't help but think that in a world such as this one, where betrayal was just as probable to occur from within as from outside. Nikolai might be his sole ally.

"I don't trust anyone," Adrian replied softly, his tone was edged with something sinister.

"But I need your assistance. If we're going to locate Lazarov, we have to act quicker than they anticipate. We have to keep our adversaries off balance."

“Sounds like fun,” Nikolai said with a grin, pushing off from the doorframe. “I’m in. But only because I’m really curious to see who’s going to come crawling out of the woodwork.”

Adrian nodded. “You’ll get your answers. But if anyone fucks with this family,I will make sure to bury them myself.”

“Right.” Nikolai’s smile faded and was replaced by something sharper. “We’ll burn them all.”

The two men stood there in silence. There was an unspoken understanding between them. They weren't friends. They weren't allies in the classic sense. But tonight, at the very least they were on the same team.

At least, for now.

Adrian picked up his phone once more and called his head of security.

"Find everything. Everything about who knew the shipment was coming in. And get me information Lazarov. We're not stopping until we track him down."

The line crackled briefly before a voice responded. It was sharp and urgent.

“Understood. I’ll get to work immediately.”

Adrian hung up. His gaze moving back to Nikolai. “Let’s go. We’ve got a war to start.”

Nikolai stepped closer with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “And who better to start it with than us?”

Adrian did not answer. He gestured for Nikolai to follow instead. As soon as they exited the office the weight of the city pressed down upon both of them.

The streets far below were ablaze in smoky orange and red, alive with danger. But for Adrian and Nikolai, it was but a backdrop to a far greater game.

And both were players. Powerful, merciless, and unstoppable...

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