Not kicked open or shot through, but blown completely off their hinges by shaped charges.
The blast wave rolls through the space, and I duck my head, protecting my face from flying debris.
When I look up, Mikhail stands silhouetted in the smoking entrance, backlit by the headlights of three SUVs.
He’s not alone.
Tony is on his right, Ricardo Castellano on his left, and behind them, at least thirty armed men fan out with military precision.
But it’s Mikhail I can’t look away from.
His green eyes find mine across the warehouse, and even from this distance, I see the relief that flashes across his face.
Then it’s gone, replaced by cold fury as his gaze shifts to Lorenzo.
“Let her go,” Mikhail’s voice echoes through the space, deadly calm. “And I’ll make your death quick.”
Lorenzo laughs, but it sounds forced. He grabs me by the hair, yanking my head back and pressing the knife against my throat again. “You’re outnumbered, Nephew. Surrender, or I open her throat right now.”
I feel the blade bite into my skin, warm blood trickling down my neck. But I don’t scream. Don’t beg. Instead, I catch Mikhail’s eye and mouth two words.“Trust me.”
His jaw clenches, but he gives the smallest nod.
That’s when I move.
I slam my head backward into Lorenzo’s face with every ounce of strength I have.
I feel his nose crunch, feel his grip on my hair loosen.
The knife slices across my throat, but it’s shallow, glancing off at an angle instead of cutting deep.
I drop to the ground, making myself as small a target as possible, and reach for the second device I have hidden.
Not taped to my thigh this time but tucked into my bra.
A small remote with a single red button.
Lorenzo staggers back, blood pouring from his broken nose, raising his knife to finish what he started.
I press the button.
The charges I placed around the warehouse’s support columns before meeting with Lorenzo detonate simultaneously.
Not enough to bring the whole building down.
Just enough to create chaos, to fill the air with smoke and debris, to give Mikhail and his men the cover they need.
And as the warehouse erupts into controlled chaos, as Lorenzo’s men scramble and Mikhail’s team advances, I smile through the blood on my lips.
Everything is going according to plan.
30
MIKHAIL
The smoke clears enough for me to see Lorenzo’s face, and satisfaction floods through me at the shock written across his features.
He stares at Sophia like she’s grown a second head, his blue eyes wide with disbelief.
