"You're… the Baba Yaga!"
A startled cry escaped Eve's lips.
Her wide-eyed reaction was anything but assassin-like — far too jumpy for someone in her line of work.
But considering she still had five years of training left ahead of her, Alex Cross didn't hold it against her.
John Wick, on the other hand, after linking up with Alex, calmly holstered his weapon and gave Eve a polite nod.
"Yeah," he said simply.
Taking that chance, Alex introduced her.
"She's Eve Macarro — a rookie from the Roma Syndicate, never graduated assassin training."
That caught Wick's attention for a moment. He studied Eve for a few seconds — not with suspicion, but quiet curiosity.
Even so, it was just a brief glance.
To Eve, though, it meant everything.
She'd grown up hearing stories about John Wick — the living legend of her syndicate.
And now he was standing right before her.
Unfortunately for her, neither Alex nor John had time for sentimentality.
After the brief introduction, they both turned their focus back to the ongoing situation.
"Mr. Cross," Wick asked, "are we holding position here?"
"Yes," Alex nodded, stretching his arm slightly.
"A few more hours, and we can finally head back to the Continental for a real rest."
He wasn't tired, not physically at least. But the constant, endless cycle of killing and pursuit was draining even for him.
The job was done. The objectives completed.
Now, only rest remained.
But even as he spoke, Alex's gaze drifted toward Eve more than once.
Clearly, there was something else on his mind — something he wasn't saying aloud.
At that same moment, Lena was driving a convoy of thirty tribal assassins down the Prague expressway.
The cars sped toward the city, engines roaring through the night.
Inside the lead vehicle, tension filled the air.
No one knew how many teams had already gone out before them.
But everyone knew one thing — none of them came back.
Each previous group had been wiped out by that traitorous assassin , Daniel Paine.
Of course, none of them knew that Lena herself had her own secret agenda.
According to her earlier deal with Alex Cross, tonight she would finally see her long-lost sister , right here in Prague.
And if Alex was telling the truth…
Then once she did see her, she'd have to decide how to honor their "cooperation agreement."
As she drifted into thought, a fellow assassin beside her spoke quietly.
"Lena… my son's eight now. According to our tribe's laws, he'll start assassin training at the end of the year. Honestly, I don't want that for him… but I can't stop it."
Lena turned her head.
The man's face was filled with pain and worry.
And in that moment, something in her heart clicked.
If the Town Chief remained in power — then every child born into the tribe would be forced down the same bloody path.
Just like she had been.
That realization struck deep.
The thought grew stronger and stronger, and so did the resolve in her eyes as the convoy approached their destination.
Not long after, the convoy stopped outside an abandoned high-rise near the old distillery.
Lena snapped back to reality.
She quickly ordered twenty-seven assassins to stay on the ground floor, while taking three trusted ones with her to a higher vantage point for observation.
9:00 PM.
Only fifteen minutes remained before the Continental's deadline — the moment when Alex Cross would be officially cut off from all its services.
Inside the abandoned building, chaos reigned.
Gunfire erupted everywhere.
Ratatatat!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The echo of automatic rifles and pistols merged into one violent symphony across the fourth floor.
Bang!
A single shot dropped a bounty hunter who tried to rush up the stairs.
Alex kicked the dying man square in the chest — ribs cracking — sending him tumbling down four stories.
He hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Turning back, Alex raised his pistol — Bang!
Another clean headshot, taking out a would-be ambusher behind Eve.
Then he turned and moved toward the Sisterhood Kill Team.
Meanwhile, in the nearby high-rise, Lena watched through her scope.
The moment Alex's bullet hit its mark, she saw everything clearly.
Her three men beside her gasped.
"Is this guy even human?!"
"He's been fighting for hours — his crew's exhausted, and he's not even slowing down!"
"Lena, look! He just took down two more!"
"Yeah…" she muttered absently.
Because at that moment, her eyes weren't on Alex.
They were locked on the teenage girl beside him — Eve.
That face…
So familiar.
So painfully familiar.
Memories long buried surged up in Lena's mind, overlapping perfectly with the girl's young, determined features.
Her heart pounded.
She could barely keep the binoculars steady.
Across the battlefield, perhaps sensing something — Eve suddenly looked up.
For a brief moment, their eyes met across the distance.
Neither spoke.
But something unspoken passed between them — something old, something buried.
Then Eve turned away, back to the fight.
Bang! Bang!
Two more bounty hunters dropped.
Alex glanced at Anna and the eight Sisterhood assassins — their exhaustion plain as day.
Dodging a bullet, he checked his watch.
One more shot — Bang! — and the shooter went down.
Then he called out:
"Time to move! We're heading to the Continental!"
That single command reignited the fire in their weary bodies.
The eight assassins snapped back into motion, cutting down three more enemies before beginning their retreat down the stairwell — orderly, efficient, precise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
pat reon .com / Samorash