Nathan stood outside the warehouse, staring at the lights inside.The building was on the west side. Silas's territory. Silas's home. Silas's kingdom. The man had been with Nathan from the beginning. He had been one of the first to join when Nathan took control. He had been loyal. Trusted. Family.But now Nathan didn't know what to believe.He had spent the last three days gathering information. Watching Silas. Following his movements. Tracking his meetings. And what he found made his blood run cold.Silas had met with Alexei's men. Twice. Maybe more. He had been seen at a restaurant on the north side. A place that Alexei controlled. He had been seen talking to Kane. The man who had helped Alexei plan everything.Nathan didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to think that Silas had betrayed him. But the evidence was there. The proof was there. And Nathan couldn't ignore it.He walked to the warehouse. Pushed open the door. Stepped inside.Silas was sitting at a table in the center

Nathan stood in the darkness of the abandoned apartment, staring at the wall.The place was empty. Silent. Cold. The windows were boarded up. The doors were locked. The lights were off. It was one of the many safe houses he had scattered across the city. One of the many places he hid when he needed to think. When he needed to plan. When he needed to be alone.His phone was in his hand. The message from Alexei was still on the screen. Still burning. Still cutting."You think you've won? You think you've destroyed me? You're wrong."Nathan had read it a hundred times. Each time, his blood boiled. Each time, his rage grew. Each time, his desperation deepened.Alexei was still out there. Still hunting. Still killing. Three more men had died since he destroyed Alexei's empire. Three more bodies. Three more messages. A.V. carved into their chests. A.V. written in their blood.Nathan had increased security. He had moved his people. He had changed his routines. But it didn't matter. Alexei al

Nathan hadn't slept in four days.He sat in the corner of a safe house on the east side, staring at the wall. His eyes were red. His hands were shaking. His body was running on nothing but rage and caffeine and the desperate need to find Alexei before anyone else died.Frank had begged him to rest. Silas had told him he was pushing himself too hard. Even Damon had called, from wherever he was, telling him to slow down.Nathan ignored them all.He couldn't rest. Couldn't slow down. Couldn't stop. Because every time he closed his eyes, he saw their faces. Sarah. Ryan. The men he had lost. The men he was losing. The men he would lose if he didn't find Alexei.His phone buzzed. A text from Silas."I found something. One of Alexei's men. He's willing to talk. Meet me at the old textile factory. Midnight."Nathan stood up. Grabbed his jacket. Walked to the door.The textile factory was abandoned. Broken windows. Ruste