The bunker plunged into darkness.

  Shouts erupted, boots scuffed against the concrete floor, and in the sudden blackout, Ethan moved. He threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding a blind swipe from one of Dorian’s men. The dim emergency lights flickered on, casting the room in a red glow.

  Gunfire erupted. Felix and Jax took cover behind the overturned table, returning fire in short, controlled bursts. The confined space amplified every gunshot, the sound bouncing off the walls like a death knell.

  Dorian’s men scattered, caught off guard by the sudden attack. Ethan dove toward Rhea, slamming his shoulder into the guard holding her. They crashed to the ground, and she wasted no time—grabbing the man’s own knife and driving it into his throat. He gurgled, then went still.

  Vance twisted against his bindings, managing to kick over the man guarding him. Lila and Maya struggled against the ropes cutting into their wrists, eyes darting toward Ethan. He needed to get to them—fast.

  Jax took down another of Dorian’s men with a clean shot to the head. Blood splattered against the cold concrete walls. Felix had already moved, reaching Vance and cutting him free. With a grunt, Vance snatched up a discarded pistol and fired at another mercenary, taking him down.

  Dorian, still standing amidst the chaos, smirked. He wasn’t running. No, he was enjoying this.

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  “You think this changes anything?” Dorian called out, his voice smooth even in the mayhem. He pulled a pistol from his coat and fired. Ethan barely managed to duck behind a crate as the bullet whizzed past his ear.

  Felix tossed a knife toward Ethan, who caught it mid-air and turned just as one of Kane’s men lunged at him. He ducked under the wild swing and drove the blade into the attacker’s gut, twisting hard. The man crumpled with a wet gasp.

  Lila had managed to loosen the knots enough to yank free one of her hands. Without hesitation, she grabbed a broken pipe from the ground and swung it at the nearest guard, catching him across the jaw. He went down hard.

  Maya, still partially bound, used her moment of freedom to trip another attacker, sending him crashing into Jax’s waiting fist. He hit the floor with a sickening crack.

  Ethan saw Dorian moving toward the exit, knowing his advantage was slipping away. He locked eyes with Ethan, that infuriating smirk still in place. “This isn’t over,” he said, backing toward the bunker’s hallway.

  Ethan started after him, but gunfire from the remaining mercenaries forced him to take cover. By the time the last of them fell, Dorian was gone.

  Breathing hard, Ethan turned to the others. Rhea wiped blood from her face, her hands still trembling. Vance was nursing a wound on his arm but grinned despite it. Felix reloaded his pistol, jaw tight with frustration.

  “We need to go after him,” Jax said, eyes burning with fury.

  Lila exhaled, shaking out her hands. “Not yet. We need to regroup. We almost got killed in here.”

  Maya nodded, her voice steadier than expected. “We won this round, but Dorian’s not the type to let this slide. We need a real plan.”

  Ethan clenched his fists. She was right. They had survived, but Dorian Kane wasn’t finished with them.

  Not yet.