đź§ľ RECAP:
Neil Angelo, the heir to a mafia empire, is on a mission to track down Viktor Ivanov—the man who betrayed and murdered his father. This leads him to a warehouse in Kazan, Russia. With the help of Tatiana, a Bratva insider, Neil prepares for a brutal confrontation to finally avenge his family.
đź“– CHAPTER 4: The Man with the Wolf Eyes
Kazan – Midnight
The air was thick with the scent of rust and frozen oil. Snowflakes drifted down onto the warehouse roof, only to melt away upon touching the warm steel beneath. Neil crouched next to a weathered container, his eyes fixed on the shadows flitting through the glassless windows above.
Inside this eerie Russian factory lurked the man who had taken his father's life: Viktor Ivanov. A name that had once been meaningless to Neil—until both Phoenix and Tatiana confirmed its weight.
Now, it was everything.
Neil loaded his pistol, quietly checking the magazine and suppressor. Beside him, Tatiana crouched with her sniper rifle, her gaze locked onto the second-floor catwalk.
"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" she whispered.
"I have to," Neil replied. "He dies by my hand."
Tatiana didn't push back.
A guard lit a cigarette near the back door. Neil moved like a shadow—one arm snaked around the man's neck while the other stifled his gasp. A quick twist. The body dropped.
Neil slipped into the warehouse.
---
Inside the Lair
The warehouse thrummed with tension. Crates filled with illegal weapons lined the walls, and red digital clocks ticked down on smuggling containers. Armed men patrolled in pairs, their eyes scanning for threats.
Then Neil spotted him—Viktor Ivanov.
Older now. Taller than he had imagined. A scar under his right eye, hair turning silver, but those eyes—sharp and wolf-like.
Viktor stood by a steel desk, sipping tea as if he had nothing to answer for.
"I've been expecting you," Viktor said, not bothering to turn around. His Russian accent was soft, almost inviting.
Neil stepped forward, gun raised.
"You killed my father."
"I killed many men's fathers. Be specific."
"Angelo. Mumbai. Seven years ago."
Viktor turned to face him, his expression revealing no remorse—just a hint of recognition.
"Ah," he murmured. "The boy who vanished."
Neil clenched his jaw. "You were his friend."
"And he was a fool," Viktor replied. "He trusted too many people. Loved too deeply. That's a death sentence in our world."
"You were like a brother to him."
Viktor let out a heavy sigh. "I was his equal. Until he tried to create Horizon without us."
Neil's eyes widened in disbelief. "You killed him… all for control?"
"I killed him because he forgot one crucial rule." Viktor took a slow step toward him. "Power isn't shared. It's seized."
---
Gunfight in the Steel Jungle
Neil squeezed the trigger.
Click. Nothing.
Viktor smirked. "Always check your ammo."
Neil tossed aside the empty magazine, rolled to the left as Viktor fired twice. The bullets whizzed past his ear. Grabbing a pipe, Neil swung it at Viktor, who blocked the hit, countered, and landed a punch to Neil's ribs.
They fought like wild animals—ferocious, silent, and precise. Neil managed to flip Viktor onto a crate, snatched a fallen pistol, and fired.
This time, he hit his mark.
Viktor staggered back, clutching his side.
But he chuckled.
"Your father said the same thing right before I shot him," Viktor coughed. "'You'll never win.'"
Neil stepped closer, the gun pressed against Viktor's head.
"I'm not my father."
One shot. Point blank.
---
Aftermath
Tatiana walked in moments later, lowering her rifle.
"It's done?"
Neil nodded.
Blood steamed in the frigid air.
He knelt beside Viktor's lifeless body and pulled a key from around the man's neck.
Tatiana inquired, "What is it?"
Neil opened his hand. "The final piece of Horizon."
---
🔫 *To Be Continued in Chapter 5: "The Key to the Storm"*