Bay of Nice, 3 March 2023, 10.00 p.m.
Vlad tightened his grip on the rifle pressed against his chest and looked up at the night sky. The moon was full, the stars glittered overhead. Below him, the lights of the city seemed to merge with the heavens, while powerful searchlights, sweeping the sky as part of a municipal celebration, completed the spectacle.
The view was magnificent, and the former Spetsnaz operative never tired of it. He relished the mild nights of southern France; here, winter barely seemed to exist. His thoughts drifted to his wife and two sons, whom he had left behind in Belarus. He had no idea when he would see them again. The missions assigned to him by the Bratva, the Russian mafia, were becoming ever more unpredictable—and increasingly dangerous. He allowed himself only a fleeting moment of homesickness. In his line of work, sentimentality was a luxury that could get you killed. For now, he collected his pay and held on to the hope that one day he would return home to begin a new life.
Art theft, terrorist attacks and arms trafficking. What do these three crimes have in common?
In the opening instalment of this dystopian thriller, set between Brussels and Nice, Téo Démos lays the foundations for a breathless chase that will keep readers on edge.
