Except it’s not a train.
It’s Liev.
42
LIEV
The deserted warehouse—a Taggert property—sits at the end of a service road, half-choked by weeds and broken pavement. Finn kills the lights and the engines as we roll to a stop with the building in sight.
Vincent’s voice crackles in my earpiece. “Ten minutes out. Bringing twelve men.”
I check my watch. “Mine will be here any minute. I’m not waiting.”
Alex doesn’t argue. He just reaches into the duffel and starts handing out hardware.
I strap on the vest and chamber a round in the suppressed Glock, pocketing a few extra magazines.
My hands are steady which is ironic because everything inside me is screaming.
I meet Finn’s eyes. “No mercy.”
Finn nods.
Alex raises an eyebrow. “You’ve done this before?”
“More than you, I bet,” Finn answers without looking up. He chambers his own pistol, expression flat.
The property is too quiet, and as we make our way carefully around the perimeter we don’t spot any guards.
“Idiots,” Alex mutters.
Finn touches his comm listening. “Medics will be on standby.”
I recoil. Alex’s hand lands on my shoulder.
“We don’t know what shape she’s in,” he says quietly.
I can’t answer him. Can’t think about her in pain.
We advance down the central corridor, our footsteps almost silent on the concrete. We reach an open area and see an office space built into the back wall. The door is shut, but light is visible through the windows high in the wall. Raised angry voices reach us. A man’s. A woman’s. Not Sera. Then the unmistakable crack of a gunshot.
I’m about to breach the door when Finn holds up a fist. I make myself stop. He pulls a palm-sized drone from his vest, and thumbs it on. The tiny quadcopter lifts silently and hovers outside the windows.
He taps on his tablet. My stomach drops through the floor.
The private investigator lies on the concrete. Dead.
Behind her Sera hangs from a rope fastened to a hook in the ceiling. Her arms are wrenched high and blood streaks the front of her workout top. I can’t tell where it’s coming from.
Aaron stands in front of her. Even with his half-ruined face, I recognize him from the picture.
He holds a knife to Sera’s cheek.
Rage detonates behind my eyes. White-hot and blinding.
We can hear him through the door.
“You think I fucked your face up before? What do you say, Sera? Should we make both sides match? Even if they find your carcass, I promise they won’t recognize it.”
