A pulse throbs in my temple.
Bastard.I’ll kill Gio with my bare hands.
But not yet. First, I need to hold her in my arms.
Gio Falcone towers over her, dressed in his perfectly tailored suit and aiming a gun at the side of Chloe’s head.
“Nikolai Ilyin.” He presses the barrel against Chloe’s skull. “Roman Kozlov’s attack dog. I was wondering when you’d show up.”
I enter the room slowly, the MP5 hanging empty at my side. I let the gun drop to the floor.
The clatter echoes in the concrete space.
Blood runs down my left arm, dripping from my fingertips in a steady rhythm.
“This isn’t about her.”
Gio laughs. Sharp and brittle. Like the teeth I’m about to knock down his throat.
Chloe’s eyes lock on mine from across the room.
There’s no plea within them, no desperate call for rescue. Just that steely strength, shining brighter than ever.
She gives me the smallest nod, and my heart stumbles.
Chloe trusts me. She believes in me to get her out of this.
I won’t waste the gift of her faith.
“Everything is about her now. The diamonds. The island. Roman’s wife and daughter.” Gio’s smile is all teeth. “Did she tell you where they are?”
“I’m not here about the diamonds. We never found them.” I edge forward. “I’m here for her.”
“How sweet.” Gio circles Chloe. “The monster found a heart. Too bad you’ll both be dead before you can enjoy your newfound love.”
A distant explosion rocks the building and quakes the floor beneath our feet.
Not enough to knock me off balance, but enough to elicit a flinch from Gio.
Alexei and the others are still drawing attention and resources away from this room, but their diversion won’t last forever.
“One last chance.” I shake out my hands, prepared for anything. “If you let her go, you might walk out of here alive.”
Gio’s smile widens. “Or I just put a bullet in her head and find the diamonds myself.”
A high, urgent alarm starts wailing. Through the door behind me, I catch the acrid scent of burning chemicals.
Fire.
The popping sounds indicate the blaze is already spreading.
With all the bombs going off, it’s no surprise. According to Kirill’s analysis, this warehouse is full of old industrial chemicals.
Gio’s eyes flick toward the door. A split-second of distraction.
I lunge, covering the distance between us in three strides.
Gio whirls and fires. I twist sideways, and the bullet whizzes past my ear. In the next heartbeat, I slam into him, shoving him away from Chloe and into the concrete wall.
