Hallstatt Town.
The town chief lifted a glass of vodka and downed it in one gulp, warming his stomach. Then, taking Lena with him, he stepped out of his house.
"That White Widow lured Katia to Prague. Looks like Alex intends to ally with the Russians and use their strength against us…"
Lena followed at his side, keeping him company as the old man inspected the town's facilities. Meanwhile, she continued to analyze the information the assassins had just relayed.
The town chief said nothing at first, crunching over the snow until he reached the town hall entrance. He picked up a fallen wooden sign, stuck it back into the snow, and only then spoke slowly:
"As long as we capture Alex, everything else he does will be meaningless. The most important thing now… is to force him out of the hotel. Call them—raise his bounty to 100 million! I refuse to believe Prague's bounty hunters will ignore that kind of money!"
"Yes, Chief!" Lena nodded in agreement. Then she added, "Daniel just witnessed something rather interesting at the hotel…"
"Speak."
"Santino Antonio provoked Alex… and ended up getting slapped hard in front of everyone."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, the chief halted his steps and turned toward Lena, confirming:
"You mean the eldest son of the Roman Camorra family?"
"That's right."
After receiving Lena's confirmation, the town chief pondered briefly, then immediately gave orders:
"The enemy of our enemy is naturally our friend. Send thirty assassins to assist Daniel. Have him invite Mr. Antonio to join tonight's gathering."
"Yes, sir."
Lena answered quickly, then pulled out her phone to make the necessary calls.
Continental Hotel, Prague.
Top floor, Room 1002.
Alex and Katia sat facing each other.
The moment Alex saw her, he recognized this woman—five years from now she would inherit control of the Russian syndicate and eventually help John Wick challenge the Marquis in a duel!
As for Katia, she too was studying him. Young. Handsome. Beyond his outstanding looks, his calm, commanding presence was difficult to overlook.
Her first impression of him was… surprisingly favorable.
"Mr. Cross," Katia began, "the White Widow and I hit it off quite well. Back in Berlin, I already signed a trial contract worth ten million. This time, I came on behalf of my father, hoping to make friends with you."
Alex, ever courteous, smiled.
"Of course. I'd be very happy to be friends with your father."
"As the White Widow said, you're not nearly as dangerous as the rumors make you out to be. At least to me, you've been nothing but kind."
"Ms. Katia, I only bare my fangs to my enemies," Alex replied with a harmless smile.
After a bit of light chatter, he steered the conversation toward the real purpose.
"Actually, the White Widow invited you here not only to build an alliance between us… I also have a small request. I hope Ms. Katia can help me."
Raising an eyebrow, Katia sipped her wine and said calmly:
"Mr. Cross, there's no need to stand on ceremony. If our two sides are truly seeking long-term cooperation, a small favor is hardly a problem. Speak freely."
"Well…" Alex put on a troubled expression, sighing as if hesitant. Finally, he began slowly:
"Recently, Mr. Wick came to me. He hopes to retire… to live a normal life. At the time, I didn't expect I'd get along with you so well, Ms. Katia, so I agreed to his request. Therefore…"
Before he even finished, Katia's face darkened.
"Baba Yaga is our family's sharpest blade. Retirement would be nothing short of betrayal!"
"You can't put it like that," Alex said, smiling faintly. He rose, easing the tension.
"Think about it—exchanging Baba Yaga for a loyal, reliable, and powerful ally. Isn't that worth considering? Besides, if I step in to handle certain… troublesome matters, it won't bring the Russian family any trouble. Letting him go doesn't mean losing strength."
Oddly enough, Alex's twisted reasoning left Katia momentarily speechless.
At last, she replied:
"That argument is flawed. After all, you're only a partner, while Baba Yaga belongs to my family."
"Ms. Katia, don't be so rigid," Alex interrupted swiftly, not giving her a chance to think.
"I promise you this: if there are ever matters where you'd normally need Baba Yaga, the Lighthouse will take care of them for you instead."
That one line was enough to douse her anger.
The atmosphere warmed again.
Katia studied him a moment longer before finally saying:
"Since you're willing to go that far, Mr. Cross, I have nothing else to say."
Seeing her compromise, Alex wasted no time voicing another request.
"Ms. Katia, there's also one more small matter. I may need you to reach out to the New York Roma family…"
"Hm?"
Katia's smile stiffened. For the first time, she felt uneasy—cooperating with Alex might not be as wise a decision as she thought.
But Alex pressed on without pause, clearing his throat before continuing:
"There's someone I'd like to ask from the Roma family. At the moment, she should still be a trainee in their assassin training camp… Her name is Eve Macarro."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my new work
>> Blue Lock: I alone am the Generation of Miracles
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
pat reon .com / Samorash