But he’s right.
And I hate that he’s right.
I force it down. The rage. The impulse. The need to tear the world apart with my bare hands until I get her back. I compress it.
Emotion later.
War now.
I turn my head slightly toward Lukyan. My voice is low. Dangerous in its calm.
“Check that fucking laptop,” I say. “Every channel. Every trace. I want to know where he took her.”
Lukyan nods once, already moving. “I’m on it.”
I look past him to Misha.
“Gather the men,” I order. “We’re going for a raid.”
“Understood.” He disappears immediately. No hesitation. No questions.
Lukyan exhales sharply behind me. “Timofey, we need a plan.”
I turn on him instantly.
“This is my plan,” I growl. “I’m going out there, and I’m finding her.”
The silence that follows is brief—but heavy. Lukyan doesn’t argue again. He knows better than to try to stop what’s already been set in motion.
Within minutes, the entire estate shifts again.
What was defense becomes pursuit. What was containment becomes extraction. Every available man is mobilized, every channel opened, every asset activated.
A city-wide manhunt ignites.
One hour later, I’m already in motion again.
No waiting. No hesitation. No time wasted on theory or planning that doesn’t translate into results fast enough.
The convoy cuts through the city hard and fast, engines low but aggressive, tires biting into wet asphalt as we approach the first confirmed location.
Anton’s warehouse.
Industrial sector. Abandoned on paper. Not abandoned in reality.
I step out before the vehicle even comes to a full stop. Misha and Lukyan fall in beside me immediately. The rest of the team fans out in formation—tight, controlled, ready.
“Breaching,” Misha confirms.
I don’t respond. I’m already moving.
The doors go down in seconds. Metal buckles under the charge. The interior is dark, stale, wrong in that unmistakable way of a place recently emptied too quickly.
We flood inside.
Flashlights cut through the dust-filled air. Weapons raised. Every corner cleared in seconds. Fast, precise, efficient.
But as I move deeper in, I already feel it.
