I shook my head.
If Julian had gone after Harper and the kid, barging in would just tip him off. Might even push him to do something worse.
But if I did nothing...
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Harper's face in that café yesterday flashed through my mind—thatlook mixing hatred, wariness, and a flicker of doubt. She didn't trust me. She had ten thousand reasons not to. But she'd still agreed to test Julian.
She'd agreed.
And now she was off the grid.
What did that mean?
It meant Julian knew. It meant his cover was blown. It meant Harper and Aiden were in serious danger right now.
"Round everyone up." I opened my eyes, my voice cold as ice. "We move tonight."
Eleven PM. We gathered in an alley across from the apartment building.
Boris had brought twelve men from New York. With a few local contacts I'd scrambled together in San Francisco, we had twenty total. Everyone wore body armor and carried automatic rifles, ready for war.
"Julian's got guys spread around the building. About forty." Boris pointed at the floor plan in his hand. "Two at the entrance, four in the lobby, two each at the stairwells and elevator. The rest scattered on different floors and the back exit."
I nodded. "Firepower?"
"Mostly handguns, some submachine guns. No heavy weapons."
"Good." I checked my gun and chambered a round. "I'll take five through the front. You take the rest and lock down the back and fire exits. Remember—no matter what happens, don't let Julian get away."
"Got it."
The first shot came from the entrance.
We hadn't even reached the front door when guards hidden in the shadows spotted us. A bullet whizzed past my ear and hit the wall behind me, spraying concrete chips.
"Cover!" I shouted, returning fire.
One bullet caught the guard square between the eyes. His body fell back, gun sliding from his hand. But more men poured out of the building, muzzle flashes lighting up the darkness like bloodthirsty fireflies.
"Fuck, there's more than intel said!" The man beside me cursed, ducking behind a column and spraying bullets.
I didn't answer. Just kept shooting and pushing forward.
An enemy lunged from the side. I dodged his attack, spun, and blew his head off. Warm blood splattered across my face, the sweet-metallic smell filling my nose, but I had no time to wipe it away.
Foreword
Had to keep moving forward.
Harper and Aiden were still inside.
I kicked through the glass door and charged into the lobby. Four guards raised their weapons at me. I rolled sideways, dodging the spray of bullets, then came up shooting.
Four bodies dropped.
But a stray round grazed my arm, sharp pain shooting through me instantly. Blood dripped down my sleeve onto the floor.
