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A trio of guards comes running down the stairs at me. I dodge one, sending him flying down the stairs. Another comes at me with a hunting knife, but I grab his wrist, twisting it out of his hand then use it to stab him in the throat. The third guard hesitates, which was his biggest mistake. I grab him by his vest with one hand and launch him over the banister to crash on the stone floors below.
I continue my ascent. On the main level, I come face to face with two skilled guards trained in martial arts.
When will they learn they’re no match for me?
I kick out the first one’s knee, watching it twist in an unnatural direction. He screams in pain. The second one comes running at me. I round kick his ass into the stone wall, knocking him unconscious.
Pathetic.
Shots ring out. My men have breached the walls of the villa.
“ATLAS?” I hear Gauge holler.
“HERE!” I shout back.
My best friend comes running around a corner and raises his gun, firing off two rounds. Two men who were charging up the hall toward me drop dead.
I turn back toward my brother, my smile taking over my face. “About fucking time.”
Gauge throws me my rifle. “Damn, it’s good to see your ugly mug.”
Chase charges out of one room, sinking his knife belly deep in one guard as Punk comes plowing through another doorway, emptying his pistol into the guard who stood in his way. They smirk once they spot me.
“Fuck yeah! We got the gang back together,” Punk crows.
My nostrils flare. “Why aren’t you with my wife?”
He rolls his eyes. “And miss all the fun pulling your sorry ass out of here, saying, ‘I told you so’? Fat fucking chance. Tank is with her. She’s in good hands.”
Josephine is with one of our brothers. Safe and sound.
Triple and Stage come running down the hall toward us. “We cut off his escape to the skies. Eagle sabotaged the plane,” Stage says.
Gauge puts his fingers to his ear, listening to the message coming through the earpiece. “Piero’s men cut off the roads. He’s landlocked.”
“Where’s Butch and Ziggy?” I ask.
“Disabling the control center,” Chase explains. “All access to outside help has been removed.”
“Where to, Prez? Reaper calls from the other end of the hall with Brass as his side.
“He’s still here. We spread out and find him. Only kill the guards or those who attack. There are others here who are innocent,” I order, thinking of the good doctor.
As a team, we comb through the villa, picking off soldiers as we go. Esteban’s numbers have plummeted. There’s hardly anyone left.
On a hunch, I move out toward the terrace overlooking the fields below. I find him standing there, observing his crumbling empire—a king’s last stand. I’ve already taken my queen back. Now, I’ll be the knight and take back the power.
It’s time to behead this motherfucker.
Esteban turns slowly toward me, his face brooding. “I could have given you the world.”
I shake my head. “I already have the world. I have Josephine.”
Esteban shows me the pistol in his hand. “Don’t make me hurt you, Maceo.”
I take a calculated step to the side, followed by another. “You already did when you took those I love away from me.”
“We could have had everything together,” he says heatedly. “You were meant to stand by my side. You. My son.”
