Chapter 16 The Chase
The streets of Rome were alive with chaos and noise. Cars honked, people shouted, and the rain started to fall. Elena’s heart pounded as Anna sped through narrow lanes, trying to keep up with Luca. The headlights cut through the darkness, bouncing off wet stone walls.
“Where is he?” Elena shouted over the rain.
Luca’s voice came through the earpiece, heavy with breath. “He’s heading toward the bridge! I see him—he’s got the ledger!”
“Don’t lose him!” Elena yelled.
Anna pressed harder on the pedal, the tires skidding on the wet road. The old car groaned, shaking from the speed. Elena clung to the door handle, her eyes scanning every shadow outside.
Then she saw a figure dart across the street ahead—Viktor. He jumped over a low wall and disappeared into an alley. Luca followed right behind him.
“Stop here!” Elena shouted.
Anna hit the brakes. The car slid slightly before stopping. Elena jumped out, rain soaking her hair and clothes instantly. She ran down the alley, her boots splashing through puddles.
Gunshots echoed.
Elena froze behind a dumpster as bullets hit the bricks near her. She peeked out—Luca was pinned down behind a car, firing back. Viktor crouched behind a trash bin on the other side, the ledger tucked under his coat.
Elena’s eyes burned with anger. That book was everything—proof of her family’s crimes and the key to stopping them.
She spotted a side door half-open near Viktor. Quietly, she slipped inside the building. It was an old warehouse filled with crates and dust. She moved carefully, listening for his steps.
The door creaked open again. Viktor came in, breathing hard. His gun was raised, his eyes scanning the dark.
Elena crouched behind a stack of boxes, holding her breath.
“You’re predictable, Elena,” Viktor called out. “Always running toward danger, not away from it. Just like your mother.”
Her blood ran cold. “You don’t get to say her name,” she said, stepping out slowly.
He turned toward her, a cruel smile on his face. “Why not? She was brave, I’ll give her that. But bravery doesn’t save anyone in this world. Power does.”
“You wouldn’t know power if it burned you,” she said, trying to keep him talking.
“Oh, but I do,” Viktor said. “Your uncle taught me that. Rafael Cruz—ring a bell?”
Elena’s eyes widened. “So it’s true. You work for him.”
“I don’t work for him,” Viktor said proudly. “I am him. His hands, his eyes, his weapon. He built the Cruz empire, and your father stole it. Now I’m here to take it back for him.”
He raised his gun. “And you, Elena, are the final piece of the puzzle.”
Before he could shoot, Luca burst through the door, firing. The bullet hit a metal pipe beside Viktor, making him stumble. Elena grabbed a wooden rod and swung it, hitting Viktor’s arm. The gun flew out of his hand.
He growled, tackling her to the ground. The two struggled, rolling across the dusty floor. The ledger fell from his coat and slid across the room.
“Elena!” Luca shouted, running toward them.
Viktor kicked Luca’s leg, making him fall, then lunged for the ledger. Elena crawled after him, pain burning through her ribs. She grabbed his ankle, pulling him down.
They both reached for the ledger at the same time. Viktor punched her, hard. Blood filled her mouth, but she didn’t stop. She slammed her elbow into his jaw and snatched the ledger.
Viktor roared and charged again.
But before he could reach her, a gunshot echoed.
He froze.
Luca stood, holding his gun steady. Smoke rose from the barrel. Viktor looked down at his chest—blood spreading across his shirt. He stumbled back, then fell hard onto the floor.
For a moment, there was only the sound of rain and their heavy breathing.
Elena stared at Viktor, her chest rising and falling fast. “Is he…?”
Luca nodded. “He’s gone.”
Elena looked down at the ledger in her hands. Her fingers trembled. It was soaked, the pages wet with both rain and blood.
Anna ran in, breathless. “Are you both okay?”
“We’re fine,” Elena said softly, though she didn’t feel fine at all. “Let’s get out of here before the police arrive.”
They left the warehouse through a back door, blending into the night.
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Hours later, they sat inside a small hotel room near the Tiber River. The rain still poured outside. Elena sat at the table, drying the ledger’s pages carefully with a towel.
Luca leaned against the wall, watching her. “That thing has caused more death than gold ever could.”
Elena looked up. “It’s not just a book. It’s a map—to everything they’ve done. Names, dates, deals, killings.”
Anna frowned. “Then what do we do with it?”
Elena sighed. “I’ll find the people who can destroy this whole operation for good.”
“Who?”
“Interpol,” she said. “There’s an officer I can trust—Agent Cruzado. He’s been after the cartel for years. If I give this to him, maybe it finally ends.”
Luca shook his head. “You’re trusting too easily. The cartel has people everywhere—even in Interpol.”
“I know,” Elena said. “That’s why I’ll meet him myself. Face to face.”
Anna crossed her arms. “And what about Rafael Cruz? He won’t stop coming.”
Elena’s eyes hardened. “Then we go to him first.”
The room went quiet.
Luca stepped closer. “You’re talking about walking straight into the fire.”
“I’m done hiding,” Elena said. “If I don’t end this, it never ends.”
She stood, holding the ledger close to her chest. The rainlight from the window painted her face silver. She looked tired but fierce.
“For my mother,” she whispered. “For everyone they killed.”
Luca nodded slowly. “Then we plan carefully. No mistakes this time.”
Anna exhaled. “You’re both insane.”
“Maybe,” Elena said with a faint smile. “But insanity is the only thing that keeps us alive now.”
She turned toward the window, watching the storm fade into the early dawn. Somewhere in the city, men loyal to her uncle were already hunting for her.
But Elena Cruz was no longer the hunted.
She was becoming the hunter.