Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Julian caught wind of the growing commotion. Exchanging a sharp look with Noah, the two men moved swiftly to Yuri's room, taking up positions outside the door. Weapons drawn, they stood guard, ready for whatever was coming. Antonio was already standing there.
Deep beneath the city, Henry and Talia sprinted through the damp, dark tunnel. After a few minutes of hard running, Henry abruptly halted, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the concrete.
This is it.
Without a word, he drove a heavy kick into the wall. The concrete fractured, caving inward to reveal a hidden, pitch-black passage. Talia gasped, her eyes wide with shock.
"Come," Henry commanded, stepping through the dust. Talia hurried after him.
Suddenly, the phone in Henry's pocket buzzed. He pulled it out, a single text flashing on the screen: Take Talia to that other safe house.
Henry looked at empty screen.
"Who was that?" Talia asked, breathless.
Henry didn't answer. Instead, he immediately dialed Beast.
Across town, a phone vibrated aggressively on a stone bench, but its owner was entirely distracted.
"That's not fair. How the hell am I losing three times in a row to you two?" Beast growled. He sat hunched over a concrete chessboard in the park, glaring at the pieces. Across from him, the two took turns tearing his strategy apart.
"Sorry, big guy," one of the assassins chuckled, sliding a rook into place. "You just ain't built for this game."
"One more round," Beast demanded.
"Fine," the assassin replied.
The phone continued to vibrate.
"Why the hell isn't he picking up?" Henry muttered, cutting the line.
Before he could pocket the device, it flared to life again, an unknown number ringing through.
Henry answered instantly. "Speak."
"Hello? Is this Henry?" a sharp voice asked from the other end.
"Yes?"
"I'm Talia's brother," the man said, his tone urgent. "Please, bring her to this location. We're waiting there with our own private security detail."
"Understood. Send the coordinates," Henry said.
"Doing it now."
The call went dead. Talia looked up at Henry anxiously. "Who was it?"
"Your brother," Henry said, keeping his eyes on the path ahead. "He's sending a location. I'm taking you to him."
Up ahead, a heavy steel door blocked the end of the tunnel. Without breaking his stride, Henry threw a devastating punch straight into the center of the metal. The door tore off its hinges, flying forward and crashing onto the ground outside.
They stepped out into a sprawling, shadowed, port. Ships of all sizes swayed in the dark water, flanked by massive, towering warehouses.
Hearing footsteps, Henry violently yanked Talia into the shadow of a shipping container. A second later, a patrol of guards in crisp military uniforms marched past, their assault rifles held at the ready.
"Our weapons shipment just docked," one guard muttered.
"Yeah, I already contacted the commander," the other replied. "They're sending a transport team."
As soon as the patrol passed, Henry slipped toward the docks, guiding Talia into a small, unassuming motorboat. He cut the ropes and quietly steered the vessel out into the open water. Right on cue, his phone vibrated with the incoming GPS coordinates. Henry checked the map and throttled the boat toward the destination.
Talia huddled in the back, gripping the damp seats. Fear choked her; she had spent her life on multi-million dollar luxury yachts, never in a fragile, bouncing skiff in the dead of night. She stared at Henry's stoic silhouette against the city lights.
Where on earth did he find a man like him? she wondered.
The boat skidded onto a secluded shoreline where a black sedan sat waiting, its headlights cutting through the mist.
"Get in," Henry ordered.
Talia scrambled into the back seat, while Henry sat in the passenger side.
"Henry, where to?" the driver asked, shifting into drive.
Henry silently handed over his phone with the GPS route active. The driver nodded, slammed his foot on the gas, and the car roared into the night.
Back in the underground passage, gunfire echoed off the walls. The bald man stepped through the smoke, flanked by heavily armed of assassins.
"Trace that woman's phone, now!" the bald man roared.
"Sir, the signal vanished a while ago," a henchman replied, frantically tapping a tablet. "The last known ping was right here in this tunnel."
The bald man's face contorted with rage. He grabbed the henchman by his collar, dragging him close. "Do everything in your power to find them! We can't lose them—we're being paid billions of dollars for this hit!"
He threw the man away, sitting down on a foldable transport chair and lighting an expensive cigar, his hands trembling with fury. "Search every damn inch of this place. I want that woman dead, and that old bastard Henry right alongside her."
A few minutes later, a scout rushed back from the darkness. "Sir!"
The bald man exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "Did you find anything?"
"We searched the entire perimeter. There are two paths. One leads to the safe house we just blew apart with the RPG. The other leads somewhere further out. Our men are already tracking it."
"Let's move," the bald man growled, standing up and marching deeper into the breach.
The sedan pulled up to the gates of a massive, heavily fortified villa. Talia's family was already waiting out front, surrounded by armed guards. The moment the car doors unlocked, Talia's parents rushed forward, pulling her into a fierce embrace.
"Oh, thank God. You're okay," her mother wept.
Her father held her shoulders, his voice shaking. "Talia, you have no idea how terrified we were. Thank heavens you're in one piece."
Her brother stepped up next, his face a mix of pure anger and lingering fear. "Didn't I tell you not to go anywhere without me?"
Henry stepped out of the car, completely ignoring the emotional reunion. He leaned down toward the driver and handed him a heavy coil of rope.
"Go to the hotel owned by Ms. Yuri's family," Henry instructed calmly. "Find Beast. He should be in a park nearby."
The driver stared at the rope, confused. "What's this for?"
"If Beast refuses to come, tie one end to the bumper, loop the other around his leg, and drag him here. Text me when you arrive."
The driver burst out laughing. "Hahaha! So the old Beast is still active? Don't worry, I will bring him back." He threw the car into reverse and sped off.
Henry turned back toward the villa. As he did, the grand front doors swung open. A man stepped out. Though the man wore a warm, relieved smile as he walked toward Talia, his eyes remained cold and dark.
"Talia," the man said smoothly. "Thank goodness you're safe."
Henry's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the man's posture, the forced warmth in his voice, and the subtle calculation in his eyes.
So, Henry thought, you're the one who leaked her location to the assassins.
Talia's father, Lewis, turned around. His eyes locked onto Henry, a dark, dangerous glint reflecting in his gaze.
"Who is this guy?" Lewis demanded coldly.