“Did you really think,” Harrison wheezed through my grip, “I'd come here without backup plans? Without contingencies for contingencies?”
More gunfire erupted from the upper levels, my teams suddenly caught in crossfire from positions that should have been secured. The display showed new heat signatures emerging from concealed positions, professionals who had been waiting in the shadows for this exact moment.
“Boss!” Dominic's voice crackled through increasing static, jamming suggesting military-grade electronic warfare. “Multiple breaches from concealed positions. This was a fucking setup!”
I released Harrison's throat, drawing my pistol as the warehouse erupted into proper warfare. Bodies dropping, muzzle flashes painting deadly patterns, and somewhere in that chaos Noah was trapped in an observation post that had suddenly become a target.
“Viktor, report!” I shouted into my comm, getting only static back. Either the equipment was jammed or Viktor was too busy keeping Noah alive to answer.
Harrison's laughter cut through the gunfire, genuine amusement at his trap finally springing. “Twenty years of planning, Adrian. Did you think I'd stake everything on a single meeting?”
“You're still going to die tonight,” I promised, tactical awareness splitting between his confession and the battle raging around us. “But apparently you're taking half of London with you.”
“Evolution requires sacrifice,” Harrison replied with disturbing calm, blood trickling from where my fingers had marked his throat. “Your grandfather understood that. Your father didn't. You are about to learn which philosophy ensured survival.”
The warehouse shook with an explosion from the eastern approach, dust and debris raining as Harrison's backup plan revealed its true scope. This wasn't a simple ambush, it was a full-scale military operation designed to eliminate Calloway leadership permanently.
My earpiece crackled with damage reports from across the district, coordinated assault hitting every Calloway position simultaneously. Professional work requiring intelligence, resources, and preparation far beyond Harrison's apparent capabilities.
“Who was backing you?” I demanded, pressing my pistol against his temple while gunfire intensified. “This level of operation needed government resources. Military support.”
“The same people preparing for your family's obsolescence,” Harrison replied with satisfaction that chilled my blood. “The Calloway empire was useful for establishing criminal infrastructure, but real power required legitimate authority.Your removal created opportunity for more sophisticated management.”
Another explosion rocked the building, this one from Noah's direction. Terror I had never felt before clawed through my chest, fear that went beyond operational concern into something personal and fucking dangerous.
“If Noah dies because of your schemes,” I said quietly, voice carrying despite the chaos, “I am going to make sure your death lasted weeks instead of hours.”
“Young love,” Harrison mused, finding romantic attachment amusing while bullets flew around us. “So touching. So exploitable. So ultimately fatal when it compromised operational judgment.”
The patronising tone made violence sing through my veins, but before I could respond Viktor's voice finally crackled through the static.
“Boss,” he gasped, clearly wounded but functional, “Noah's alive but we're pinned down. Unknown sniper positions covering all exits. This was planned to the last fucking detail.”
Relief and rage warred in my chest as I processed the tactical situation. Harrison had orchestrated something beyond simple betrayal, systematic decapitation of Calloway leadership using resources suggesting government backing.
“Who were you really working for?” I demanded, jamming the pistol harder against his skull. “This went beyond financial crime into state-level conspiracy.”
“Did it matter?” Harrison replied with maddening calm. “Your empire was built on outdated foundations. The only question was whether you'd adapt to more enlightened management or cling to obsolete methods until they destroyed you.”
The offer was clearly final manipulation, preservinghis life by offering me a subordinate position in whatever replaced my family's empire. The audacity was almost impressive.
“Counter-offer,” I said with deadly quiet that cut through gunfire. “You tell me everything about tonight's operation, give me access codes for your teams, and I'll put a bullet in your brain instead of skinning you alive.”
“Or?” Harrison asked, still believing he had negotiating position.
“Or I keep you breathing while I systematically destroy everything you'd built, starting with the government connections you were so proud of,” I replied with a promise that made hardened killers step back.
Harrison's composure finally cracked completely, recognition dawning that his grand strategy had one fatal flaw. He had underestimated exactly how far I would go to protect what was mine.
The warehouse war was far from over, but the real battle had just begun.
22
ALL FALLS DOWN
NOAH
The observation post was turning into a fucking death trap. Another explosion rocked the building, and this time the ceiling didn't hold. Steel beams groaned like dying whales before the whole structure came crashing down around us.
