Chapter 3 - Ambush in the Storm Drain
Before Viktor could lift Leo entirely into his arms, the shadows at the end of the western tunnel erupted into blinding muzzle flashes.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Bullets ricocheted violently off the ancient Victorian brickwork, sending a deadly shower of stone splinters and sparks flying into the damp air. One of Viktor's guards grunted, stumbling back into the water with a shoulder wound, before returning fire with suppressed, disciplined bursts from his submachine gun.
—Take Leo! Get him up the extraction shaft!— Viktor roared over the deafening roar of gunfire echoing in the enclosed brick vault. He snatched his Sig Sauer from the concrete, rolled behind the thick brick pillar, and fired three rapid shots down the corridor, dropping an advancing gunman in his tracks.
—Boss, we're pinned!— Marcus shouted, firing a suppressing volley down the intersecting pipe. —They brought a heavy squad! At least eight men, armed with automatic rifles! They knew we were coming!—
Viktor’s dark eyes narrowed with lethal fury. This wasn't a random kidnapping for ransom. This was an orchestrated hit by the Petrovitch syndicate—their bitter rivals from across the city—trying to eliminate both him and his son in a watery grave where no one would ever find the bodies.
—Marcus, get my son to the surface! Put him in the armored car with Mia!— Viktor ordered, his voice cutting through the gunfire like a razor.
—I'm not leaving you here, Boss!—
—That wasn't a request, Marcus! Get Leo out of here or we all die in this drain!— Viktor vaulted out from behind the pillar, expending a full magazine down the corridor, forcing the remaining attackers to dive behind a concrete bulkhead.
Seizing the momentary window, Marcus scooped the semi-conscious Leo over his shoulder and sprinted back toward the vertical maintenance ladder they had descended ten minutes earlier, two guards covering his flanks.
Left with only one guard and the scruffy war dog, Viktor crouched low in the rushing water. Shadow didn't retreat; instead, the dog planted its paws firmly on the ledge beside Viktor, growling deep in its throat, baring sharp, yellowed teeth at the darkness ahead.
May you like
—You've got guts, dog,— Viktor muttered grimly, reloading his weapon with a sharp clack. —Let's see if we can live long enough to buy your little human a steak.—
Footsteps splashed heavily through the water as the Petrovitch enforcers regrouped for a final, coordinated push to overrun their position.
