Bang!
Bang!
Gunfire echoed outside the clinic.
Each shot struck like a hammer against Santino D'Antonio's chest, his pulse pounding with terror.
Finally, as the doctor completed the last stitch and clipped the surgical thread—
Thud!
A violent crash shook the door. The clinic's entrance smashed hard against the wall.
Inside, everyone froze.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The four guards instantly raised their guns and fired at the door without hesitation.
One second. Two. Ten seconds passed.
The entrance remained empty.
As they slowly stopped shooting and glanced toward the shattered door—
Bang! Bang!
Two crisp gunshots shattered the window glass.
Inside, two of the killers collapsed.
Everyone else spun their guns toward the window—
But just then, the blinding glare of high beams from an SUV's headlights pierced through, forcing them to shield their eyes.
Vroom—Vroom!
The engine roared outside.
Crash!
The SUV plowed straight through the clinic's stone wall, smashing it to rubble.
The front end of the vehicle crushed the operating table—pinning Santino and the doctor beneath it.
"AHHHH!"
A gut-wrenching scream burst from under the hood.
On both sides, the stunned gunmen staggered, trying to regain focus.
Then the SUV door swung open.
Alex Cross stepped out, gun in hand, his expression calm and merciless.
He leveled the barrel at the nearest man's forehead.
Bang.
Silence. Darkness.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more shots—three more bodies dropped.
Alex walked to the front of the vehicle, looking down at Santino, whose body was half-pinned under the SUV, half-trapped against the engine block.
Alex raised his pistol.
"Don't kill me… please—"
Bang.
Santino's tear-streaked face went still forever.
Alex turned toward the door, took two steps—then stopped.
Without looking back, he raised his pistol.
Bang! Bang!
The doctor, who had quietly picked up a gun, fell lifeless beside Santino's body.
Without another glance, Alex Cross walked calmly out of the clinic.
---
Far off, from a rooftop vantage point, Daniel watched through his binoculars as Alex exited the building unharmed.
Relief washed over him. He had chosen correctly back in New York when he joined the Lighthouse.
The alley was silent now. The fight was over.
More than thirty Hallstatt operatives and thirty Camorra family assassins—all dead.
Not a single order from the town mayor had been followed.
Daniel's true mission was clear: pave the way for Alex Cross's assault on Hallstatt Town—remove every obstacle in advance.
He pulled out his phone and called the mayor.
"Daniel, have you caught him yet?" came the eager voice of the old man.
Reality, however, hit like a sledgehammer.
Daniel slipped easily into the role of actor, his voice trembling with fear.
"Mayor… Alex Cross is too strong. Over sixty men are dead. We have only a handful left—and they won't last much longer…"
To make it convincing, Daniel fired a few rounds into the air.
Sure enough, the mayor's voice immediately rose in panic.
"Daniel! Don't engage him further! Fall back! Even if you have to sacrifice the others—save yourself!"
Daniel didn't respond.
He fired two more shots, then hung up.
A moment later, he lifted his pistol and shot himself cleanly through the arm.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, he fled the scene, pulling out a second phone as he ran and dialing Alex's number.
---
In the alley, Alex glanced at the dying flames of the two motorcycles.
He nodded to Anna, just as his phone rang.
Pulling it out, he saw the number and answered.
"Mr. Cross," Daniel said, breathing heavily, "I'm heading back to Hallstatt Town. Before you arrive, I'll find a way to get my daughter out. The job to hunt you… will be passed to someone new."
Despite the pain, Daniel spoke quickly—this was the plan they had agreed upon in advance.
With Alex's arrival in Prague, the Hallstatt Syndicate had recalled all European operatives. The town was under lockdown.
No one could leave without the mayor's orders.
When Alex stormed the town, bullets would fill the air, and Daniel knew he wouldn't be able to protect his daughter amidst the chaos.
There was only one way—to flee with her before the storm broke.
Alex understood completely and didn't try to stop him.
He simply gave quiet advice.
"Daniel, if you get out, take your daughter straight to the Continental."
"I understand," Daniel said. "But you—"
"Don't worry," Alex cut in. "The rest will be handled. Focus on getting her out."
"…Yes, Mr. Cross. Stay safe."
Daniel hung up, climbed into his car, and sped toward Hallstatt Town.
Alex slipped his phone away and checked his watch.
Only one hour had passed.
He turned, gesturing for Anna and the Sisterhood to follow him out of the alley.
Twenty-three hours remained.
The hunt in Prague had only just begun—
And soon, news of Santino D'Antonio's death would reach the Camorra Family.
A storm was coming.
A storm that would engulf all of Prague.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
pat reon .com / Samorash