RACE AGAINST TIME

Midnight Leonardo's Estate

Marko crouched in the shadows behind the estate, his pulse steady despite the weight of the risk he was taking. Leonardo's compound was heavily guarded, but Marko had spent years studying places like this knowing where the weak spots were.

He'd bribed a low-level security guard earlier, learning the exact layout of Leonardo's office. The ledger would be inside, locked up. The problem? Leonardo never left it unguarded.

Marko pulled out a small flashlight and pressed forward, slipping past the cameras he knew had blind spots. He moved fast but careful, keeping to the darkness until he reached the side entrance.

A single guard stood near the door, smoking.

Marko didn't hesitate.

He moved in silently, wrapping an arm around the man's throat and dragging him back into the shadows. The guard barely had time to struggle before his body went limp. Marko eased him to the ground, patting him down quickly. No key.

Damn.

Marko withdrew a thin blade and worked the lock. A soft click, and the door creaked open. He slipped inside, his movements quick and calculated.

The hallway was empty, lit only by the dim glow of wall sconces. Marko knew he didn't have much time before someone noticed the missing guard.

He reached the office door and knelt by the lock. This one was trickier Leonardo didn't take chances when it came to his business.

Marko took his time, picking through the mechanism with precision. Seconds ticked by. He exhaled slowly, feeling the last pin give in.

Click.

The door swung open.

Marko stepped inside, shutting it behind him. The office smelled of leather and whiskey, the shelves lined with expensive books. But his eyes were on the desk.

He moved swiftly, checking the drawers. Locked. Of course.

With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out his knife and worked at the lock, breaking it open in seconds.

There it was.

A black ledger, thick and worn, filled with scribbled names and numbers. Marko flipped through it, scanning the pages. Drugs, weapons, names of buyer's everything he needed to take Leonardo down.

Then his eyes landed on something that made his stomach twist.

Maria's name.

Next to it, a date.

Tomorrow.

Marko's blood ran cold.

Leonardo had never planned to let her go.

His pulse thundered as he slammed the ledger shut, tucking it into his jacket. He turned to leave.

The door handle twisted.

Marko barely had time to react before the door swung open, and a guard stepped inside.

Their eyes met.

Marko moved first.

He lunged, driving his fist into the man's gut before grabbing him by the back of the head and slamming him into the desk. The guard crumpled with a groan.

Shit. That wasn't quiet.

Marko bolted from the room, sprinting down the hall. Shouts erupted behind him.

He was out of time.

He tore through the estate, dodging past guards as alarms blared.

He burst through the side exit, vaulting over the railing and landing hard on the ground. Lights flooded the area as more men rushed outside.

Marko sprinted for his car, throwing himself into the driver's seat just as bullets slammed into the pavement behind him.

Tires screeched as he peeled out of the compound, speeding into the night.

His heart pounded, his mind racing.

Maria wasn't leverage anymore.

She was a target.

Marko's phone rang again.

This time, it wasn't Leonardo.

It was Maria.

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Marko....I think someone's in the room"

Marko’s grip on the wheel tightened. “Maria, listen to me. Stay quiet. Don’t move. Do you see who it is?”

The line was silent except for her shallow breathing. Then, barely above a whisper—

“I don’t know. I just—I heard the door open. Someone’s here.”

Marko’s blood ran cold.

He slammed his foot on the gas, the car roaring down the empty highway. He needed to get to her now.

“Where are you?” he asked, his voice steady despite the panic clawing at his throat.

“The same room. The one Leonardo put me in.”

Marko cursed under his breath. Leonardo’s estate was still on high alert after his escape. The guards would be looking for him, which meant sneaking back in wasn’t an option. But Maria was out of time.

A rustling sound came through the phone. A sharp intake of breath. Then—

A man’s voice. Low, threatening. “Who are you talking to?”

The line went dead.

Marko’s heart slammed against his ribs.

No. No, no, no.

He swerved the car onto a side street, grabbing his second phone and dialing Luca.

“Pick up. Pick the hell up,” he muttered.

After three rings, Luca’s voice came through. “What’s wrong?”

“Leonardo’s onto me,” Marko said, his tone clipped. “Maria’s in trouble. I need backup—now.”

A beat of silence. Then, “I’m on my way.”

The call ended.

Marko’s mind raced. He had two options: storm the compound and risk getting himself killed, or find another way in—fast.

He knew Leonardo’s estate like the back of his hand. The main entrance was too heavily guarded, but the old servant’s passage along the east wing? That was his best shot.

He floored the gas, weaving through the dark streets toward the estate.

Maria was running out of time.

"Leonardo’s Estate"

Maria’s hands trembled as she gripped the phone, her heart pounding so loudly she could barely hear.

A man stood in the doorway, watching her.

Not Leonardo. Someone else.

Tall, built like a soldier, with sharp, calculating eyes. She didn’t recognize him, but she knew one thing—he wasn’t here to help.

“Give me the phone,” the man said, stepping closer.

Maria swallowed hard. “I—I wasn’t talking to anyone.”

He tilted his head, unconvinced.

Then, before she could react, he lunged.

She barely had time to let out a scream before he grabbed her wrist, twisting it hard enough to make her drop the phone. It clattered to the floor, the screen shattering.