Two long, sleek armored limousines approached. They moved fast, smooth engines humming with expensive restraint.
Roman whistled. “You brought us some pretty toys.”
“I called in a few favors, bribed a few officials, and promised my left kidney,” I said.
The first limo slid to a stop, blocking half the road. The second pulled in behind it, forming a shield.
The drivers didn’t even get out. Smart men.
Gunfire cracked again near the corner of the tower.
Viktor flinched as a bullet whined off the concrete near his ear. “All right,” he said. “Time to go.”
“Not yet,” Katya said.
The commander’s men had regrouped at the top of the loading ramp. A fresh squad was pushing out. There were more than adozen men this time, helmets down, guns up, moving with lethal intent.
I saw the exact moment they spotted us in the wash from the limo headlights.
“Now,” she said.
She drew a breath, adjusted the angle on the tablet, and sent the last drone careening straight toward the ramp.
It dropped low, hugging the ground, almost invisible in the chaos. The guards didn’t see it.
We did.
It slid over the gravel like a shadow, then zipped upward at the shin level of the front line.
The explosion flared brighter than the others, heat rippling over us even from a distance. The front half of the squad vanished in fire. The rest were thrown backward, their bodies slamming into the wall or each other.
Smoke rolled down the ramp.
Viktor whooped. “That’s my girl.”
Katya shot him a glare that didn’t quite hide the satisfaction burning in her eyes.
Lev nodded once. “Effective.”
“We’re done here,” Dmitri said. “Get in.”
Kara opened the door of the first limo and dove inside, sliding across the leather. Lev followed, smooth and economical, checking his gun even as he moved.
Viktor gave me a look. “Which one?”
“You, Katya, and me in the second,” I said. “Kara and the Markovs in the first. Split the risk.”
“And if one gets hit?” he asked.
“Then we improvise.”
He grinned. “Story of our lives.”
Katya paused beside me. “You coming?”
“In a second,” I said. “Go.”
She hesitated for a heartbeat. Then nodded and slid into the second limo. Viktor ducked in behind her.
