At twenty-eight, I was just another black-uniformed server at Le Rêve, one of Manhattan’s most exclusive restaurants.

"GET DOWN!" Dominic roared.

He threw his massive body over mine, tackling me off the chair and slamming us onto the floor behind the heavy oak desk just as a barrage of automatic gunfire shredded the room to pieces.

Bookshelves exploded into dust, glass rained down like ice, and the heavy plaster ceiling cracked open.

Natalia drawn her weapon instantly, firing three controlled shots through the shattered window before diving behind a stone pillar. "THERMAL DRAKES ON THE LAWN! IT'S VORONIN'S HEAVY HIT SQUAD!"

Dominic pulled a sleek black Sig Sauer pistol from a hidden holster under his arm, his face turning into pure, lethal rage. He looked down at me, holding my shoulders tightly.

"Are you hit? Elena, look at me! Are you hurt?!"

"I'm fine!" I yelled over the deafening roar of gunfire. "My computer—"

"Forget the computer! The transfer went through!" Dominic barked. He reached into his waistband, pulled out a second, smaller pistol, and slapped it into my hand. "Do you know how to use this?"

I released the safety with a practiced, seamless flick of my thumb, checking the chamber in less than a second. "Former Directorate agent, remember?"

Dominic stared at me for half a second, an expression of pure, unadulterated admiration flashing across his face. "God, I think I'm falling in love with you."

"Focus, Pierce!" I yelled, returning fire through the gap in the desk, taking down an attacker in black tactical gear who was trying to breach the balcony.

Outside, the estate had erupted into a full-scale war. Dominic's security guards were engaging Voronin's mercenaries on the front lawn, explosions rocking the heavy stone foundation of the house.

"We need to get to the reinforced basement!" Natalia shouted, reloading her magazine. "There's an underground tunnel leading to the boat launch on the river!"

"Move!" Dominic commanded, grabbing my hand in an iron grip.

We sprinted through the smoke-filled corridors, dodging stray bullets and falling debris. Dominic moved like a whirlwind of lethal force, putting himself between me and every threat, firing with terrifying precision until we reached the heavy steel blast door at the end of the basement stairs.