“How long do we have?”
“Ten minutes. Maybe less.”
I key the radio. “All teams, we’re going in hot. No time for stealth. They’re moving her and we intercept now.”
The vehicles accelerate.
The warehouse appears ahead. Dark industrial building. Chain link fence. Minimal lighting. Perfect place to disappear someone.
We’re getting her back.
The SUVs pull up two blocks away. Everyone exits fast, moving into assault formation. Julian’s team breaks left toward the front entrance. Mine goes right toward the side.
I check my weapon one more time. Declan does the same beside me.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Let’s go get her.”
We move on the warehouse.
38
AURELIA
The pipe hitsmy ribs and I hear them crack.
The sound comes before the pain. A wet snap like breaking kindling. Then agony floods through my chest, stealing my breath, making black spots dance across my vision.
I don’t scream. I refuse to give them that.
The man with the pipe steps back. Waits. Watches to see if this is the hit that breaks me.
It’s not.
“Who killed Dmitri Petrov?”
I keep my mouth shut and focus on breathing through the pain. Shallow breaths because anything deeper makes the broken ribs grind together.
He nods to his partner. The other man brings water. Pours it over my head again. The cold is almost worse than the pipe. It soaks through my clothes, makes me shiver despite the pain burning through my body.
“We can do this all day,” the first man says. “Or you can tell us what we want to know and we’ll stop.”
I don’t answer.
The pipe comes down on my shoulder this time. Different pain. Sharp and immediate. My arm goes numb from elbow to fingertips.
They’re methodical about it. One hit, then wait. Let the pain settle. Let me think about whether I want more. Then they ask the question again.
Who killed Dmitri Petrov?
I never answer.
The door opens and Viktor walks in. He’s been gone for maybe an hour. I can’t track time down here with no windows, no way to know if it’s day or night outside.
“Any progress?” he asks in Russian.
The man with the pipe shakes his head. “She won’t break.”
