Page 66 of Anton

DAY 5 – MORNING – THE RECKONING

The sun was barely rising when the team gathered around the table, a sense of urgency hanging in the air, even over the steam of fresh coffee. Marcie sat beside me as we reviewed the plan we’d finalised yesterday. We weren’t wasting any time—Elizabeth Traynor and her associates would face the consequences of their actions today.

The mood was grim. The Bratva in the UK, led by the Rominov family, had always held a policy of never harming a woman. When an enemy was female, alternative methods had always been used—coercion, bribery, or relying on the local authorities. But this time, those tactics wouldn’t work. Traynor had some of the local police in her pocket, and even if we tried to go to Interpol, like we had with the MP, exposing her would also reveal our involvement in his downfall. That would lead to one question: why? And ultimately expose the Rominov family as Bratva—a secret we’d gone to great lengths to protect.

So, with heavy hearts, we’d agreed on the bitter truth: Elizabeth Traynor would go down with her men today, and these hunts would be ended for good.

Vlad and Trigger were already preparing to go after one of Traynor’s men. They’d turn the hunter into the hunted, captureone and bring him here where we planned on extracting as much information from him as possible, before using him to lure Traynor and the remaining hunters into a trap.

I turned to Marko, who was quietly reviewing a map of the area on his tablet. “Once we have the information, we’ll need to move quickly. We can’t afford to waste time.”

He looked up at me with a sharp, calculating gaze. “You’ll have what you need. Once we finalise the details, it won’t take long to get everything set up.”

I glanced at Marcie, who was quiet, her eyes focused. She was ready for what was coming, despite the fear still lingering beneath her calm exterior. I reached for her hand, offering a reassuring squeeze. “We end this today,” I murmured.

By the time Vlad and Trigger returned, dragging the hunter between them, we had already finalised the rest of our plan. The interrogation went as expected—the man being cowardly and compliant with no weapons or backup to provide false bravado. It didn’t take long for him to spill the information we needed. Remaining hunters, numbers, the layout of the hacienda—everything.

As I stared at the map, my finger traced the route to the old stables. “This is where we set the trap,” I said, my voice low, decisive. “The terrain is familiar to us. There’s no use looking for anywhere else when we know the area around there works well enough for what we need to do. We’ll use it to our advantage. As discussed, Trigger, you’re coming with me, Miki, Ash, and Marcie. The rest of you—Vlad, Romi, Marko—head to the hacienda. We deal with it in a two-pronged attack.”

Glancing at Marko, I spoke directly to him, knowing he’d want to gather any remaining evidence before we burned the place to the ground. As the IT expert and the one who’d been responsible for collecting intel on previous hunters, this was his chance to get what we needed. “Marko, get in, clean house, grab anything useful, then burn it all. Make the hacienda look like an accident,” I instructed, taking command of the mission with the same ease I had back in the SAS.

He nodded affirmative. I could feel Marcie’s gaze on me, but I didn’t break my focus. There was no room to allow my worry for her in. She needed to do this as much as the rest of us. I would just have to ensure that she survived. No matter what it took. Nothing mattered except that.

I ached to pull her close, to remind her of how much she meant to me before we faced danger once again. But with the clock ticking, there was no time to linger. We had to finish what we’d started.

Ash, Miki, you’ll be positioned outside the stables. Marcie will come inside with me. We’ll act as bait. When the hunters close in, you two stay hidden, let them think we’re cornered. Then we spring our trap and finish them.”

“Trigger, you’ll be the sniper, picking off anyone who tries to run. We can’t afford any escape.”

He nodded sharply, his lips pressed into a thin line. Trigger was a man of few words at a time like this, but he understood the gravity of the situation. We all did.

We finished ironing out the rest of the finer details throughout the morning and then grabbed some lunch before setting off to our respective locations.

Once we reached the stables, I called Marko and we set our plan in motion.

The hunter was forced to radio in, telling his boss, Traynor, that he knew where we were hiding: the stables.

“She’s coming,” Marko said over the phone from his post near to the hacienda, his voice low as he listened in on their radio frequency. “And she’s bringing her men.”

I turned to the others. “Get into position. We’ll take them out one by one as they approach, just like we said. It while take a will for them to get here from the hacienda, but if there are any nearby, they’ll be here sooner. Stay sharp.”

The hours dragged as I sat with my arm around Marcie in the hayloft, the air thick with the scent of hay and anticipation. Traps were set inside and out, every piece in place, ready to catch the hunters. Now we just had to lure them in.

My phone buzzed, the vibration sharp against the quiet.

“There are a couple of hunters, amateurs by the looks of things, headed your way. We’ll take them out before they get to you, but be ready just in case. Who knows how soon the rest will get here,” Miki said.

“Roger that,” I replied before hanging up.

I turned to Marcie, taking her face between my hands. “Okay, honey, it’s time. Remember the plan?”

She nodded, her breath hitching slightly as she gulped.

“Good. Stick to what we rehearsed, and it’ll be fine.” I kissed her gently—first on the forehead, then on her lips. My voice dropped to a whisper, firm but tender. “Whatever happens, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Releasing her, I climbed down the ladder, my boots landing softly on the hay-strewn floor. Marcie leaned over the edge of the loft, her wide eyes locking on mine. Blowing me a kiss, she forced a smile. I winked and returned the gesture before slipping into position behind the door, my knife in hand. The memory of yesterday’s ambush on Ash made me smirk.

Outside, muffled sounds broke the stillness—footsteps, low voices. Then silence. My phone buzzed again. It was a text from Miki:Two down. Another coming in from the left.

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