Kanyan (Gatti Enforcers #1)

43. Kanyan

43

KANYAN

T he happiest moment of today hits me like a sucker punch to the chest—the moment I see Lula’s face, streaked with tears and smeared with dust, but alive. Allegra is right behind her, trembling but standing on her own two feet. Relief floods through me so fast it almost brings me to my knees. But there’s no time to savor it, no time to hold her like I want to, like I need to.

Because the saddest moment comes right after. I have to let her go.

I pull Lula into my arms for a fleeting second, holding her so tightly she gasps. “You’re safe now,” I whisper, my voice rough with everything I can’t say out loud. Then I step back, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You’re getting out of here. Both of you.”

Lula shakes her head, her eyes wild with desperation. “What about you? You can’t?—”

“I have to,” I cut her off, my tone sharper than I intend. “Kadri’s still in here, and I’m not leaving until he’s done.”

Her hands clutch my shirt, her knuckles white. “Please, don’t do this. Just come with us. We can run, we can?—”

“No,” I say firmly, prying her fingers loose. It feels like ripping my own heart out, but I don’t let it show. “This ends here. Today. Now.”

I turn to Brando and The Jekyll. They don’t need a long speech; they know what to do. “Get them to the cars,” I order, my voice cold, clipped. “Don’t stop for anything. I want them out of this hell now.”

The Jekyll nods once, his face as stony as ever. Brando’s gaze lingers on me, his jaw tight, like he wants to argue. But he doesn’t. He knows better.

“I’m coming back for you,” I promise Lula, my voice softening for just a moment. “You just have to trust me.”

Her lips press into a trembling line, but she nods. She doesn’t say anything, and maybe that’s for the best. If she begs me again, I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to walk away.

I watch as Brando, The Jekyll, and Jayson escort them down the corridor, their footsteps fading into the distance. Once they’re gone, I turn to Attila, who’s been standing silently at my side, his massive frame like a shadow of death.

“Let’s finish this,” I say.

Attila grins, that wolfish glint in his eyes that means he’s ready for blood. “About fucking time.”

We move deeper into the monastery, the air thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burnt stone. The explosions have left gaping holes in the walls, beams hanging precariously overhead. The place feels like it’s on the brink of collapse, but we press on.

Kadri’s not running. If he wanted to escape, he’d have done it by now. No, he’s waiting. He lured us here for a reason, and I’ll be damned if I let him walk away after everything he’s done.

The corridor splits ahead, and we slow, our footsteps careful and deliberate. I gesture to Attila, and he nods, taking the left while I move right. The silence is deafening now, the distant sounds of gunfire and shouting fading into the background.

I grip my gun tighter, every muscle in my body coiled like a spring. My eyes scan every shadow, every corner, every flicker of movement. The monastery feels alive, like it’s breathing, watching, waiting for the next move.

I hear a sound behind me—a faint scrape of stone against stone. I whirl around, my gun raised, but there’s nothing there. Just the oppressive darkness and the weight of my own paranoia.

“Kadri!” I shout, my voice echoing off the ancient walls. “Come out and face me, you coward!”

Silence.

Then a voice, smooth and mocking, floats through the corridor. “So predictable, Kanyan. Always charging in, always thinking you can win.”

The sound is coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, bouncing off the stone walls. I grit my teeth, my eyes narrowing.

“You like to play games?” I growl, my voice low and dangerous. “You think you can play me?”

Kadri laughs, a low, chilling sound that sets my teeth on edge. “Oh, it’s no game. It’s a masterpiece. And you, Kanyan, are just another pawn.”

The ground beneath my feet trembles slightly, and my gut twists with the realization that Kadri isn’t done yet. There’s more to his plan, something we haven’t seen coming.

Attila’s voice crackles through my earpiece. “Got movement on my side. Might be him.”

“Hold position,” I reply, my voice tight. “Don’t engage unless you’re sure.”

I move forward, my steps slow and deliberate, the tension in the air so thick it’s suffocating. I know Kadri’s close. I can feel it, the way the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, the way my pulse pounds in my ears.

This isn’t just about revenge anymore. This is about survival. About ending the nightmare he’s unleashed once and for all.

And I swear to God, I won’t stop until I see him fall.

It becomes pretty clear, pretty fast, that Kadri likes to play games.

I don’t know how long he’s been planning this, but it’s clear now that he’s been laying the groundwork for a while. Maybe it started with that first meeting between us—when I told him he’d get his money but not his weapons. He didn’t like hearing “no.” Took the weapons anyway. Decided to help himself to what wasn’t his and never looked back.

Still taking what’s not his to touch.

I underestimated how deep his grudge ran. I thought it was about me, about settling a score. But it’s more than that. Kadri’s greed isn’t just personal—it’s insatiable. He wants power, and not just here. He’s gunning for all of us—Seattle included. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that Dante Accardi doesn’t forgive an insult like that.

By the time I make it to the front of the monastery, where we agreed to regroup, Dante’s pacing, fuming, his presence as heavy as the air after the explosion. His left hand is wrapped in a makeshift bandage—a strip of cloth that’s already stained through with blood. Dust clings to his dark hair, and his once-pristine suit looks like it’s been dragged through a warzone. It has. We all have.

Scar’s already gone. I watched him peel out with Allegra in his arms, heading straight to the hospital. No one dared to stop him. Not that they should have.

Dante turns when he hears me approach, his sharp eyes narrowing. “You let him get away.”

I don’t react right away, wiping soot off my face with the back of my hand. I know better than to rise to Dante’s bait when he’s in this mood. “We saved the girls.”

“And Kadri’s still breathing. That’s a problem.” He steps closer, his voice low but venomous. “You think this ends here, Kanyan? That bastard lured us here to take us all out. You, me, Scar—Seattle. He’s not done. He’ll regroup. And next time, he might not miss. He’s coming for all of us.”

“I know,” I snap, my voice sharper than I intend. My nerves are frayed, my body aching from the blast, but Dante isn’t wrong. Kadri’s plan was never about one man. It was about dismantling the entire foundation of our power.

Attila joins us, his face grim, carrying a bloodied knife in his hand. He nods to me, then to Dante. “We cleared the rest of the monastery. No sign of him. He’s gone.”

Dante exhales sharply, his jaw tightening. “You don’t just vanish without a plan. He’s got something else in play. And when he resurfaces, he’ll have the upper hand.”

“He won’t,” I say firmly, my voice low but steady. “We’ll find him first.”

Dante stares at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine, then gives a curt nod. “You’d better. Because if you don’t, this war gets a lot bigger. And a hell of a lot bloodier.”

Attila claps me on the shoulder as Dante stalks off to join the rest of the men. “You good?”

I nod, even though I’m not. My head’s pounding, my body screaming for rest, but I shove it all aside. This isn’t over. Kadri didn’t just come for us today—he sent a message. And now, it’s time to send one back.

As I stand there, staring at the smoldering remains of the monastery, a thought strikes me like a punch to the gut. If Kadri’s plan was to draw us all here, to distract us, then what the hell else is he doing while we’re tied up in the rubble?

“Attila,” I say, my voice sharp. “We need eyes on his network. Now.”

He doesn’t question me, just nods and pulls out his phone, barking orders to our tech team. I can’t shake the feeling that Kadri’s already three moves ahead. And if I’m right, this isn’t the end of his plan. It’s just the beginning.