The wrong side of the hunt
Chapter 45: The Wrong Side of the Hunt
Victoria Moreau hated surprises.
Not because they frightened her.
Because surprises usually meant somebody had made a mistake.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
And as three black SUVs turned onto the street behind her...
Victoria realized somebody had made a very large mistake.
The specialist stood motionless beneath her umbrella.
Phone still pressed against her ear.
Rain falling steadily around her.
The atmosphere had changed.
Immediately.
Danger.
Pure danger.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Inside the underground hospital's security room, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody breathed.
Every eye remained fixed on the monitor.
Watching.
Waiting.
Calculating.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Lorenzo."
Victoria's voice came through the phone calmly.
Far too calmly.
The calm of someone who had already accepted violence.
A concerning calm.
A very concerning calm.
The king's jaw tightened.
Immediately.
"How many?"
Victoria watched the SUVs stop.
One.
Two.
Three.
Doors opening.
Men emerging.
Armed men.
Professional men.
Dangerous men.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Eight."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Several captains immediately started moving.
Phones appeared.
Orders were given.
Weapons were checked.
The Vitale organization shifted into motion.
Fast.
Efficient.
Relentless.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Amara never looked away from the monitor.
Not once.
The realization surprised her.
A little.
Maybe more than a little.
Because she should not care.
Logically.
Professionally.
Reasonably.
Victoria Moreau was a problem.
An annoying problem.
A manipulative problem.
A dangerous problem.
Yet somehow...
The idea of watching her die felt wrong.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
On the screen, the first man stepped forward.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Military posture.
Not Romano's people.
The realization hit immediately.
Dangerously.
Victoria noticed too.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because these men weren't nervous.
They weren't emotional.
They weren't gangsters.
They moved like professionals.
The worst kind.
The expensive kind.
The deadly kind.
"Lorenzo."
The specialist's voice lowered slightly.
"They aren't here for me."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
The room froze.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The king narrowed his eyes.
Dangerously.
"What."
Victoria watched the men spread out.
Formations.
Angles.
Discipline.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then she saw it.
A symbol.
Small.
Barely visible.
Painted on one vehicle.
The realization made her blood run cold.
Immediately.
The betrayal.
The impossible betrayal.
Undefeated.
"That's not possible."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Amara stepped closer to the monitor.
Immediately.
"What is it?"
For the first time since anyone had met her...
Victoria sounded shaken.
Actually shaken.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"I know them."
The words landed heavily.
Dangerously.
The lead man raised a hand.
The others stopped.
Waiting.
Listening.
Following.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because whoever this man was...
The others trusted him completely.
The same way Vitale soldiers trusted Lorenzo.
The realization unsettled everyone.
Especially Lorenzo.
"Who are they?"
Victoria remained silent.
Long enough to become terrifying.
Then:
"People I used to work with."
Absolute silence.
The security room stopped functioning.
Immediately.
The betrayal.
The former-colleague betrayal.
Undefeated.
Amara stared.
Then stared harder.
Because somehow...
That answer raised approximately a thousand new questions.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Outside, the lead man finally spoke.
Victoria couldn't hear the words.
Didn't need to.
She recognized him immediately.
The scar near his jaw.
The way he stood.
The way he watched everything.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Some ghosts never stayed buried.
Unfortunately.
The man looked directly toward her.
Then smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
Like he'd finally found something he'd been searching for.
The realization horrified her.
A little.
Maybe more than a little.
Back in the security room, Lorenzo made a decision.
Immediately.
Naturally.
Because that's what kings did.
"Bring her inside."
Silence.
Amara looked at him.
Then at the screen.
Then back at him.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The king's expression never changed.
Not even slightly.
"Now."
Phones appeared.
Orders flew.
Vehicles moved.
The Vitale machine came alive.
Again.
A recurring problem.
A very recurring problem.
Meanwhile, Victoria stared at the approaching man.
The rain continued falling.
The city continued moving.
The world continued spinning.
Yet somehow...
Everything felt different.
Because for the first time in years...
Victoria Moreau wasn't the hunter.
She was the target.
And judging by the smile on the man's face...
The hunt had only just begun.
End Chapter 45