At the same time.
Continental Hotel.
The simultaneous arrival of the High Table's Adjudicator and Nikita made Winston the new center of gravity.
If the airport was about raw power,
then here—this was a contest of authority.
The Adjudicator hadn't come with anything truly urgent—
his presence was more about nudging Winston into providing indirect support for the High Table's next moves.
But the moment he displayed that black coin, the symbol of his station,
it carried one undeniable truth:
Winston was expected to obey.
And yet—
the golden Jack of Hearts card that Nikita revealed
was no less weighty within the Lighthouse Organization.
The Lighthouse might still be far weaker than any of the twelve High Table families.
But within their rules,
a Blood Oath outweighed nearly everything.
To turn their own rules against them—
that was power.
"Gentlemen, please wait a moment…"
Charon did not pick up the phone.
Instead, he left those words behind,
and ascended quickly to the second floor.
Knock, knock, knock.
His knuckles rapped on the manager's office door.
Inside, Winston's voice floated out:
"Come in."
Pushing open the door,
Charon entered and immediately saw Winston, standing before a mirror, adjusting his tie.
Clearly, he already knew what was unfolding in the lobby below.
And more than that—
he had already made his choice.
Charon hesitated for a moment before blurting out:
"Mr. Winston, the man downstairs represents the High Table… You can't seriously intend to keep him waiting?"
"Charon."
Winston finished his tie knot,
turned,
and fixed his concierge with a steady gaze.
"In New York, whenever anyone seeks to seal a Blood Oath—
I am the one who bears witness.
You know this.
It is my duty."
He paused,
then retrieved a key from his pocket.
Crossing to the study's safe,
he withdrew a thick, dust-covered ledger.
Brushing it clean, he held it to his chest,
then looked back at Charon.
"I respect my duty.
And I will never betray those who sign a Blood Oath under my witness.
As for the High Table—
I do not consider their demands greater than my responsibility."
Hearing this,
a smile returned to Charon's face.
He gave a slight bow,
a mark of respect.
"Understood, Manager.
Your concierge will see to it the High Table man is… properly handled."
Airport.
At the exit, Duggan stood quietly at a distance,
watching John Wick and Helen follow Alex's escort toward the SUVs.
Without fuss, he eliminated a trailing High Table killer,
then casually checked his watch.
The moment John and Helen entered their SUV and the doors closed—
screams erupted inside the terminal.
Panic-stricken crowds surged out in waves,
as though something monstrous had burst loose within.
Duggan did not rush in.
He stood calmly to the side,
watching the convoy disappear into traffic.
Only once the fleeing civilians began to thin out
did he finally turn and stride into the hall.
At the center of the concourse lay a High Table killer's corpse,
blood splattered in a wide radius across the floor.
Near the pillars, more bodies leaned in silence—
most were High Table men,
but two of them wore the mark of Alex's own.
Behind separate columns,
Anna and the Night Demon crouched in cover.
Around them, sporadic gunfire cracked:
behind trash bins,
luggage carts,
vending machines—
the survivors of both sides were still locked in a deadly dance.
But between Anna and the Night Demon—
neither dared expose themselves carelessly.
Four seconds.
Five.
Pfft—pfft!
Twin silenced shots broke the lull.
Both moved at once,
emerging from cover,
trading fire.
Pfft—pfft!
Each fired again,
then slipped behind fresh columns.
Anna's sharp eyes caught a detail—
a High Table gunman crouched near a vending machine,
one foot jutting carelessly into view.
Pfft!
Her round punched through his shoe.
"Argh!"
The man's scream gave him away—
his head snapped into the open.
Bang!
Another shot—
but this one came from a Lighthouse killer on the opposite flank,
dropping the man instantly.
Yet almost at the same instant,
the Night Demon caught that killer's brief exposure.
Pfft!
A bullet ripped through his skull.
Another of Alex's men fell.
And just like that—
the score reset.
Anna and the Night Demon back to stalemate.
The deadly dance went on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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