chapter 12:The hit list

The monastery's stone halls echoed with footsteps as Monroe paced, phone pressed to his ear. Alessandro stood nearby, tension radiating from him like heat. Rachel watched from the shadows, rifling through the last pages of Vescari's journal.

Monroe ended the call with a curse. "We've got problems. Two judges and a federal agent connected to the Consortium were found dead overnight—execution style. Someone's cleaning house."

Alessandro's eyes narrowed. "They're killing anyone who could testify or turn on them."

Rachel held up a page, her voice low and urgent. "It's worse. This list—names, addresses, patterns of movement—it's a kill list. And our names are at the top."

Nico grabbed the journal, scanning the entries. "They're going scorched earth."

Alessandro looked at Monroe. "What's law enforcement's response?"

Monroe hesitated. "They're rattled. They're pulling protection details, moving witnesses into hiding. But they don't have the resources or will to chase down the Consortium's remnants right now."

Alessandro slammed his fist into a stone column, the echo thundering through the monastery. "So they'll come for us. Tonight, tomorrow—whenever they choose."

Rachel stepped forward, determination in her eyes. "Then we don't wait. We go after the ones left. Finish this before they finish us."

Monroe's phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen and his face went pale. "That was a contact in the mayor's office. A bomb just leveled the hotel housing FBI investigators. Casualties are unknown."

Alessandro's voice was ice. "They're trying to erase every trace of what we exposed."

Nico checked his rifle. "Then we fight. We go hunting."

Rachel touched Alessandro's arm. "But we do it smart. We use the last of Vescari's intel to predict their moves. We hit them first."

He looked at her, seeing not just an ally, but the unwavering partner he needed. "Then let's end this," he said, voice low and final.

In the monastery's candlelight, they assembled their weapons, checked their gear, and prepared for the storm to come—knowing that if they failed now, there'd be nothing left to save.