COLD RECKONING

The Reckoning

The snow continued to fall through the night.

Rice stood at the bedroom window, watching the flakes drift past the glass. Sophie was asleep in the bed behind him, her small body curled beneath the blankets. Eliana had taken the couch in the living room, insisting that Rice stay close to his daughter. He'd argued, but only briefly. The truth was, he didn't want to let Sophie out of his sight.

Three days had passed since Vienna. Three days of rest, recovery, and the slow process of remembering what normal felt like. Charlotte had come and gone, bringing supplies and news from the outside world. Danny called twice a day with updates on the investigation. The world was waking up to the truth about Meridian, and the fallout was spreading.

But Rice couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. The silence felt temporary, like the pause between gunshots.

He checked the Glock on the nightstand—a habit he couldn't break. The magazine was full, the suppressor attached. He'd cleaned it twice since Vienna, but the ritual brought him comfort. A tool maintained was a tool ready.

Sophie stirred in her sleep, mumbling something unintelligible. Rice watched her for a moment, his heart aching with a love so fierce it frightened him. She'd been through so much—captivity, fear, the loss of her mother—yet she still smiled. She still laughed. She still believed that her father was a hero.

He would spend the rest of his life trying to deserve that belief.

The bedroom door opened softly. Eliana stood in the doorway, her silhouette framed by the dim light from the living room.

"You should sleep," she whispered.

"I can't."

She moved into the room, closing the door behind her. "The news is still running the story. Sterling's death is being called an assassination by a rival criminal organization. The financial records have been released to the press. Three more executives arrested this morning."

"That's good," Rice said. "That's progress."

"But it's not enough." Eliana sat on the edge of the bed, her face serious. "Amelia Stone—Katherine Voss—is still out there. And she's not the only one. There are others, operatives who went underground the moment Sterling died. They'll regroup. They'll plan."

Rice turned from the window. "You think they'll come after us?"

"I think they'll come after Sophie." Eliana's voice was quiet but certain. "She's the leverage. The one thing that could make you surrender. Voss knows that. She'll use it."

Rice's jaw tightened. He'd thought the same thing, but hearing it spoken aloud made it real. The war wasn't over. It had simply entered a new phase.

"Then we need to move," he said. "Find a new location. Disappear completely."

"That's one option." Eliana paused. "There's another."

Rice waited.

"I still have contacts inside Meridian. People who were loyal to me, not to Sterling. They've been feeding me information since Vienna." Eliana's gray eyes met his. "Voss is in Prague. She's gathering the remaining leadership for a meeting. If we can hit them there, before they reorganize—"

"We could end this for good."

Eliana nodded. "But it would mean going back into the fight. Leaving Sophie with Charlotte again. And there's no guarantee we'd survive."

Rice looked at his daughter, sleeping peacefully. The choice should have been simple—protect her, stay hidden, let the authorities handle the rest. But he knew the truth. The authorities couldn't stop Meridian. They'd been compromised, infiltrated, corrupted. The only way to keep Sophie safe was to eliminate the threat at its source.

"When?" he asked.

"The meeting is in three days. A private residence in the Old Town. Security will be tight, but I know the layout. I've been there before." Eliana stood, moving to his side. "We'd need to leave tomorrow. Give ourselves time to plan."

Rice nodded slowly. "And Sophie?"

"Charlotte will take her to a safe location. Somewhere remote. Somewhere Meridian doesn't know about."

"You trust Charlotte?"

"With my life." Eliana's voice was firm. "She's been fighting this war longer than either of us. She won't let anything happen to Sophie."

Rice stared out the window at the falling snow. The city was quiet, peaceful, untouched by the violence that had shaped his life. Somewhere out there, Katherine Voss was planning her next move. Somewhere out there, the last remnants of Meridian were gathering to rebuild.

He made his decision.

"Tomorrow," he said. "We leave at dawn."

---

The morning came too quickly.

Rice packed a small bag—clothes, ammunition, the burner phone, a few thousand euros in cash. Sophie watched him from the bed, her eyes serious.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To finish something," Rice said. "I'll be back soon."

"You said that before. When you went to Vienna."

Rice's heart clenched. He sat on the edge of the bed, taking her small hands in his. "I know. And I came back, didn't I?"

Sophie nodded slowly.

"I'll come back this time too. I promise." He pulled her into a hug, holding her tight. "Charlotte will take you somewhere safe. You'll be with her for a few days. Can you be brave for me?"

Sophie's voice was muffled against his chest. "I'm always brave."

Rice smiled, despite everything. "I know you are. You're the bravest person I know."

He pulled back, looking into her eyes. "I love you, Sophie. More than anything in this world. Whatever happens, remember that."

"I love you too, Daddy."

The words broke something in him. Rice blinked back tears and stood, turning toward the door before his resolve crumbled.

Charlotte was waiting in the living room, her expression grim. "The car's ready. I'll take Sophie to a safehouse in the mountains. No one knows about it except me."

Rice nodded. "Thank you."

"Just come back." Charlotte's voice was hard. "She needs you. We all do."

Eliana emerged from the kitchen, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She'd changed into dark tactical clothing, her hair pulled back. The bruises on her face were barely visible now, but the steel in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Ready?" she asked.

Rice took one last look at Sophie, who was watching him from the bedroom doorway. She raised her hand in a small wave.

He raised his hand in return.

Then he walked out the door and into the cold morning.

The car was a black Audi, identical to the one he'd driven from Berlin. Eliana took the wheel, and Rice settled into the passenger seat. The GPS showed the route to Prague—seven hours, give or take.

They drove in silence, the city fading behind them. The snow had stopped, but the roads were slick with ice. Eliana drove carefully, her hands steady on the wheel.

"What's the plan?" Rice asked finally.

"Voss is holed up in a townhouse in the Old Town. She's been there since Vienna, gathering the remaining operatives. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night."

"How many people?"

"At least a dozen. Maybe more. They're coming from all over Europe."

Rice absorbed this. "And we're going to hit them alone?"

"We're going to hit them smart." Eliana glanced at him. "I have a contact in Prague. Former Czech intelligence. He's been watching the townhouse for days. He knows the security patterns, the weak points."

"Can we trust him?"

"I trust him." Eliana's voice was certain. "He's the one who helped me get inside the chalet. Without him, Sophie would still be in Meridian's hands."

Rice nodded, accepting this. "Then we meet him. We plan. And tomorrow night, we end this."

Eliana pressed the accelerator, and the car surged forward. The highway stretched ahead, gray and endless. The snow began to fall again, soft and silent.

Rice stared out the window, thinking about Sophie. Her face, her voice, the weight of her in his arms. He'd promised to come back. He intended to keep that promise.

But first, there was work to be done.

The hunt was entering its final phase.

---

The last of Meridian's leadership was gathering in Prague, and Katherine Voss was at the center of it all. With no backup and a city full of enemies, could Rice and Eliana finish what they'd started—or would this be their final mission?