Chapter 2: Blood on the Concrete

The stranger didn’t hold a weapon, but the violence radiating from him was as palpable as the damp chill in the underground air.

Adrien smoothly pushed Elena behind him, his broad shoulders completely shielding her from the man's line of sight. It was an instinctive, protective gesture that entirely contradicted the ruthless persona he projected upstairs. Before Elena could even process the movement, Adrien’s right hand slipped beneath his suit jacket, drawing a suppressed Heckler & Koch USP with a fluidity that proved he had used it many times before.

"Where is Daniel?" Adrien’s voice echoed against the concrete pillars, dangerously calm.

The man in the crimson suit caught the keys, slipping them into his pocket. He spread his empty hands in a gesture of mock surrender. "Sleeping. A mild sedative. We have no quarrel with your staff, Moretti. Our business tonight is strictly... executive."