Bang!
A shotgun blast rang out.
The last Enforcer collapsed to the ground.
Finally, the third wave of High Table enforcers had been wiped out.
At this moment, the stairwell fell silent once again.
Just as John Wick, Caine, and the others were preparing to retreat and rest for a moment, faint sounds came from the kitchen on the first floor.
Ares was indeed cautious enough. Unfortunately, the hotel kitchen had already been wrecked during Caine's first battle. Broken dishes and shattered cookware were scattered everywhere. The mere act of pushing the door triggered a chain reaction.
Clang, clang, clatter—
The noise spread from the kitchen all the way into the stairwell.
Anna, Fox, Caine, John Wick, and Duggan instantly realized that a "rat" had slipped inside.
Without hesitation, each tightened their grip on their weapons, exchanged a quick glance, took positions, raised their guns, and aimed at the first-floor stairwell entrance.
One minute later, a shadow appeared. Moving carefully, it stepped over the corpses on the ground and crept toward the door.
Just as the barrel of her gun poked into the stairwell, Fox suddenly seized it.
Anna darted forward from the side, slamming her shoulder into the figure, pinning her against the door. She grabbed the arm, twisted, and executed a flawless over-the-shoulder throw.
The figure crashed heavily onto the ground.
Bang! Bang!
From the stairwell corner, John Wick fired two precise shots.
Caine, calm and composed, came down the stairs with his shotgun.
Boom!
Even Duggan on the fourth floor hadn't needed to fire. The battle was already over.
Click! Click! Click!
The stairwell lights flickered on, one level at a time.
The group looked down—and saw the lifeless eyes of Ares staring back at them.
So abrupt… yet so fitting.
Ares was nothing more than someone who—against John Wick—couldn't last even a single minute.
Ever since she had been chosen as Santino's right hand, she had overestimated her own strength.
As the saying goes: the kind of boss you serve determines the kind of fate you meet.
This brief interlude was quickly dismissed by the group.
The five of them entered the first-floor elevator and ascended to the top floor.
There, Alex Cross had already poured five glasses of whiskey to welcome them back.
"Mr. Cross, do we still need to prepare for another wave of High Table enforcers?"
Caine asked as he accepted his glass.
Beside him, John Wick also raised his gaze toward Alex.
Alex handed a glass to John before slowly replying:
"That depends… on when the next wave of High Table enforcers shows up."
"What do you mean?" John asked, puzzled.
Alex patiently explained:
"It's been twenty minutes now. If the next wave arrives within the next half hour, then you'll need to face at least two or three more waves of High Table killers."
"And if they don't show up?" Caine asked, exhaling deeply after downing his whiskey.
Alex smiled faintly, raised a finger, and said:
"Then that was the last wave… And if that's the case, you won't need to fight again."
Hearing this, John Wick and Caine exchanged a glance of relief.
The two of them were the most exhausted—having fought through wave after wave of bloodshed.
Alex understood this well. He stepped forward, patted Caine on the shoulder, and reassured him:
"It's almost over. Now all that's left… is to wait."
Time ticked away.
On the top floor, the group chatted idly. Anna occasionally asked John about shooting techniques. To her surprise, he didn't brush her off with his usual curt "Yeah," but instead answered patiently.
Finally, half an hour passed.
Outside the hotel, no High Table buses appeared.
Alex glanced at his watch, then looked up at John and Caine.
"It seems the High Table won't be coming for now. You two should go home—spend time with your daughter… and your girlfriend."
At these words, John Wick immediately stood. Caine rose a moment later, turning to Alex with a word of gratitude.
"Thank you."
Just two words—but carrying all the weight of Caine's feelings.
Alex gave a faint smile, clapping his shoulder.
"Go on. Your daughter's still with Helen. And don't get in the way of John reuniting with his girlfriend. Oh… and bring Nikita back for me."
"Haha!"
Caine chuckled knowingly, then left with John Wick.
The hotel entrance soon returned to calm.
Alex ordered the assassins to begin clearing corpses from the underground parking lot and the hotel floors.
As usual, they were collected, incinerated, and bagged.
By the final two hours of the 48-hour window, most of the bodies had been cleared, leaving only the bloody mountain of corpses at the hotel's front entrance.
Of course, Ares' body was carefully preserved. Once this ordeal ended, Alex intended to send it back to the Camorra family—as proof of Santino's folly.
A few minutes later, Ramsay brought word:
The High Table's final wave of enforcers—
their buses had arrived.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
pat reon .com / Samorash