***
I must fall asleep at some point, because I wake to the sound of distant gunfire.
For a moment, I think I'm dreaming. But the sound comes again—muffled pops, barely audible through the concrete walls. Then more, closer. The sharp crack of rifles. Shouts. Screaming.
My heart stops. Then starts again, pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.
Misha.
I scramble to sit up, pressing myself against the wall, straining to hear. The sounds of battle are getting louder. Closer. I can hear running footsteps somewhere above me, more gunfire, the crash of something heavy falling.
He's here. He found me.
The gunfire moves through the building like a wave, getting closer and closer to wherever I am. I hear men shouting in Russian—Sergei's men, I think—and then more shots, more screaming.
An explosion rocks the building, showering dust from the ceiling. I flinch, covering my head with my bound hands, but I don't look away from the door.
The sounds are right outside now. Footsteps. A voice I don't recognize, shouting orders. More gunfire—close, so close.
Then silence.
I hold my breath, staring at the door, my whole body trembling.
Please. Please.
The door handle rattles.
And then nothing.
Silence. Complete and absolute.
I wait, barely breathing, my eyes fixed on that steel door.
Minutes pass. Or maybe hours. I can't tell anymore.
The door doesn't open.
Chapter 24 - Misha
The compound is a fortress.
I study it through binoculars from our position on the ridge, cataloging defenses. High concrete walls topped with razor wire. Guard towers at each corner, manned by men with automatic weapons. Cameras covering every approach, every angle. Floodlights that turn the perimeter into a killing ground.
Sergei has been preparing for this. He knew I would come.
He's right.
"Sixteen guards on the perimeter," Dmitri says beside me. "Another twenty inside, probably more. They've got the main entrance locked down tight."
"The eastern wall?"
"Weaker. There's a gap in the camera coverage where two of them overlap—creates a blind spot for about thirty seconds every rotation. It's not much."
"It's enough."
I lower the binoculars and turn to face the men assembled behind me. Twelve of my best—handpicked for this mission, each one willing to die for what we're about to do. Dmitri's men are positioned on the opposite ridge, ready to provide the distraction we need.
Lenkov gave us the location before he died. Not willingly—I had to carve it out of him piece by piece. But in the end, he told me everything. The compound's layout, the guard rotations, the underground level where Sergei keeps his prisoners.
