Dawn of Betrayal

He paced his room while the key burned in his pocket. From inside, the first rays of sunshine turned the skyscrapers in Manhattan pink and orange. He hadn't slept because he kept holding Viktor's "gift" over and over again all night.

What game did Viktor have open?

An explosion far away broke his thoughts. The building shook, and alarms went off all through the rooms. Shouts and gunfire sounded from below.

Luca's heart raced. This was his chance to get away. But as he reached for the key, another blast rocked the building. This is the last one. A lot closer.

The door flew open. Viktor stormed in, his usual perfect look replaced by wild eyes and a bloody sleeve. "We need to move. Now!"

"What's happening?"

"Your brother sent us a morning gift." Viktor tossed Luca a gun. "Try not to shoot me with it."

Luca caught the weapon, checking its weight. Real shots. "You're trusting me with this?"

"I trust you want to live." Viktor peered into the hallway. "Marco's men are in the building. They're here for both of us."

As if to prove his point, bullets sprayed the entry. Viktor yanked Luca behind a wall as wood splinters flew everywhere.

"This way!" Viktor kicked open a hidden panel, showing a narrow passage. "The safe room is two floors down."

They raced through the secret passageway, their footsteps echoing off steel walls. Behind them, blasts and gunfire grew louder.

"How did they get past your security?" Luca asked between breaths.

"Someone helped them." Viktor's voice dripped with anger. "We have a traitor."

They exited into a high-tech command center. Screens covered the walls, showing chaos throughout the building. Armed men in black tactical gear were streaming in from various entry points.

Viktor rushed to a computer, his fingers flying over keys. "This doesn't make sense. They knew exactly when to hit us, exactly where to—" His eyes widened. "Get down!"

A bomb crashed through the ventilation shaft. Without thinking, Luca attacked Viktor. They hit the floor as the blast ripped through the room. Heat washed over them. Sparks rained down.

When the smoke cleared, Luca found himself spread across Viktor. Their faces inches apart. For a heartbeat, neither moved.

Viktor's gray eyes searched his face. "You saved me."

"Don't read too much into it." Luca rolled away, ignoring how his skin tingled where they'd touched. "I need you alive to kill Marco."

A smile tugged at Viktor's lips. "Of course."

More shooting erupted outside. Viktor crawled to a falling screen, checking the security feed. "They've taken the main lift shaft. We're trapped."

"There has to be another way out."

"There is." Viktor pulled himself up, hurting. "But you won't like it."

He led Luca to what looked like a regular wall. A hidden panel slid open, showing a sleek black motorcycle.

"You're joking."

"It's this or die." Viktor swung onto the bike. "Your choice."

Luca looked at the door, where footsteps were getting closer. With a curse, he got on behind Viktor.

"Hold tight," Viktor warned. He pressed a button, and the wall split open to show a tunnel. "This leads to the underground garage."

The bike roared to life. Luca wrapped his arms around Viktor's waist just as they shot forward into darkness. The tube twisted and turned, their speed making Luca's stomach lurch.

Behind them, shouts echoed. Then gunfire. Bullets pinged off the walls.

"Faster!" Luca yelled.

Viktor revved the engine. They burst into the garage, tires screaming as they swerved between parked cars. Ahead, the exit ramp glowed with morning light.

But three black SUVs blocked their way.

Viktor didn't slow down. Instead, he looked for a narrow gap between vehicles. "When I say now, shoot the red car on your left!"

"Why?"

"Trust me!"

They launched toward the SUVs. Gunmen opened fire. Viktor swerved, the bike tilting so low Luca's knee nearly scraped concrete.

"Now!"

Luca fired at the red sports car. His bullets damaged the gas tank. Viktor threw something—a lighter. The car exploded, forming a wall of fire between them and their pursuers.

They shot up the hill and onto the street, morning traffic scattering as they weaved between cars. Luca kept his gun ready, but no one followed.

Ten minutes later, Viktor pulled into another underground garage, this one beneath an abandoned factory. The bike's engine died, leaving them in quiet broken only by their heavy breathing.

Luca dismounted on shaky legs. "That was..."

"Exciting?" Viktor recommended, looking annoyingly composed despite everything.

"Insane." But Luca couldn't help grinning. The energy rush, the perfect escape—it had been like something from an action movie.

Viktor checked his phone, his face darkening. "Anya's been taken."

"Marco?"

"Has to be." Viktor ran a hand through his gray hair. "He's using her as bait."

"For you."

"For us." Viktor's eyes locked onto Luca's. "I have a proposition."

"I'm not interested in—"

"Help me save Anya and kill Marco, and you'll have your freedom. Plus half of everything he's stolen from you."

Luca studied Viktor's face, looking for the trick. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because you just saved my life. And because we both want the same thing." Viktor stepped closer. "Marco cheated you. Now he's trying to kill us both. Together, we can make him pay."

"And after?"

"After?" Viktor's lips curved into that dangerous smile. "After, we see where this game takes us."

Luca knew he should refuse. Viktor was still his enemy. Still his master. Still the man who'd forced him to kill an old friend.

But Marco's betrayal burned hotter than his hate for Viktor. And something about the way Viktor looked at him, like he saw past all Luca's walls, made his heart race in a way that had nothing to do with fear.

"Fine." Luca held out his hand. "Partners. Until Marco's dead."

Viktor's grip was hard, his skin warm. "Partners."

Neither let go quickly. Something crackled in the air between them, dangerous and electric.

A phone buzzed, breaking the moment. Viktor checked the message, his face stiffening.

"What is it?"

"Marco sent proof of life." Viktor turned the screen. The picture showed Anya bound to a chair, blood on her face. A clock behind her showed 9:47 AM.

"We have until midnight," Viktor said. "After that, he starts sending her back in pieces."

Luca checked his gun's ammo. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Viktor's smile turned aggressive. "Indeed." He opened a secret door in the warehouse wall. "Shall we begin?"

As Luca followed Viktor into the dark, he wondered if he'd just made a deal with a different devil. But watching Viktor move with lethal grace, seeing the fierce intelligence in those gray eyes, Luca discovered something that terrified him more than any enemy:

He was starting to like this devil.

The storage door sealed behind them with a final click. Somewhere in the city, Marco was waiting. The game had changed, the players moved.

And Luca had twelve hours to decide where his real loyalties lay.