Chapter 199: The War Begins

The night was thick with tension, the air charged with the weight of everything about to unfold. The safe house had been abandoned, their gear packed, weapons checked and rechecked. There was no turning back now.

Roman stood at the front of the SUV, the dim glow of a cigarette ember flickering between his fingers. It was rare to see him smoke, but tonight, he allowed himself the vice. It wasn’t fear that made him light it, nor nerves—it was the understanding that after tonight, everything would be different.

Ginger was on the phone with their inside contact, his expression unreadable as he listened to the final briefing. Nat adjusted the holster on her thigh, checking her clips, forcing her hands to remain steady.

Carter’s compound was a fortress, built like a kingdom of concrete and steel. Hidden bunkers, underground tunnels, a security detail so airtight that even the FBI had never been able to make a dent. But Roman had spent years preparing for this moment. He knew its weaknesses, its vulnerabilities.

And tonight, they were bringing it down.

"We move in three groups," Roman said, tossing the cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with his boot. "Martinez and his unit take the west entrance, cutting the power and blocking any potential escape routes. Our team breaches through the main gate. The third unit waits at the rear for any rats trying to run."

Ginger clicked off his phone and exhaled. "Carter’s got more men inside than we initially thought. He’s expecting something, but he doesn’t know it’s us. Not yet."

Nat smirked, sliding her gun into place. "Then let’s give him a proper welcome."

Roman’s gaze flickered over her before he nodded. "No hesitation. No second chances. Carter doesn’t leave that compound alive."

They piled into the SUVs, headlights off as they sped toward the compound. The drive was silent, the kind of silence before a storm—calm, eerie, electric.

As they reached the outskirts, Martinez’s voice crackled through the earpiece. "West team in position. Cutting power now."

A moment later, the entire compound went dark.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Gunfire erupted, bullets slicing through the night. Shouts echoed across the compound as Carter’s men scrambled in the confusion. Nat ducked behind the armored vehicle as a burst of rounds slammed into the door beside her. The acrid scent of gunpowder thickened in the air, mixing with the distant sound of men shouting orders.

"Move!" Roman barked, leading the charge forward. His voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos as he fired off precise rounds, each bullet landing with deadly efficiency.

Nat sprinted behind him, her heart hammering in her chest as she raised her gun and took down an approaching guard. She barely registered the way his body collapsed, adrenaline keeping her focused on the next target. Ginger was a few steps ahead, moving like a force of nature—quick, methodical, unrelenting.

Explosions rocked the ground as Martinez’s team blew the main security outpost, cutting off Carter’s men from backup. The entire compound was a battlefield, the enemy scrambling to regain control, but Roman had planned this too well.

A burst of movement caught Nat’s attention, and she spun just in time to see a guard lunging at her. She sidestepped, slamming the butt of her gun into his face before firing a shot into his chest. The moment his body hit the ground, she was already moving forward, clearing a path toward the main building.

Ginger took cover beside her behind a fallen column, breathing hard. "We need to push inside before they lock us out!"

Roman was already ahead of them, his tactical mind seeing every angle. "Nat, you and Fitzpatrick take the side entrance! I’ll draw their fire from the front. We split them up, make them think we’re coming from all sides."

Nat clenched her jaw. "You better not get yourself killed, Wolfe."

Roman smirked, eyes glinting even in the dim chaos. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

And then he was gone, vanishing into the fight as bullets rained down.

Nat turned to Ginger, their eyes meeting in silent understanding. They didn’t have time to hesitate. "Let’s end this."

Together, they sprinted toward the side entrance, slipping into the shadows. Just as they rounded the corner, a gunshot rang out, whizzing past Nat’s ear. Her instincts screamed as she turned—her stomach dropping when she saw a gunman emerging from the darkness behind Ginger, his rifle aimed directly at the back of his head.

Everything slowed.

"Ginger!" Nat shouted, her gun already raising.

The assailant’s finger tightened on the trigger—but Nat was faster. She fired once, the bullet tearing through his throat before he could make the kill shot. The man staggered, choking on his own blood before collapsing to the dirt.

Ginger spun, wide-eyed, realizing how close he had come to dying. He stared at Nat, breathless, before letting out a shaky laugh. "Remind me to never doubt your aim."

Nat’s hands trembled slightly as she exhaled, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Yeah, well, I wasn’t about to let you go out that easy."

Ginger nodded, gripping her arm for a fleeting second before refocusing. "Let’s go finish this."

With that, they pushed forward, ready to bring Carter’s empire crashing down.