Page 83 of The Specialist

Julian and Matteo stood as well. “We’ll guard her with our lives.”

“Remember your promise. Look after her if I don’t come back.”

Julian nodded. “We won’t forget.”

* * *

We approached the house with caution. Two stories, set back from the road and private, it was newer and obviously well-appointed. It was only about twenty minutes from the old warehouse, but the difference in the two buildings was night and day. Typical narcissistic, overindulgent behavior of a criminal. They always loved comfort and cared nothing for those around them—either their victims or their underlings. I could guarantee his men were sleeping on floors or sofas, while he commandeered the best room with every luxury he could ask. We used heat sourcing and found five bodies inside. Three on the main floor and two upstairs.

“Ivan and his sidekick, I’m sure,” I muttered.

Marcus flew his high-powered drone around the house, careful not to get too close. It was stealthy and silent and gave us the information we needed. There were no cameras or security around the building, which surprised me, except Ivan thought he was invisible. His ego had overridden his intelligence, which often happened with criminals. They got sloppy.

Three men, including Alex, were in the living room, watching TV. Upstairs, the blinds were drawn in one room where we assumed Ivan was, and the scanner told us his sidekick was down the hall. I was certain none of them was remotely concerned that the building where Sofia had been held was gone, or the fact that she was supposedly dead.

“Did he think he would be able to fool me forever?” I muttered, my anger endless and burning.

“When you asked for proof, tomorrow he would show you another image they had captured. He would assume you were focused on the bombs and getting her back. Once you did your job, he’d kill you. He knew if Sofia was dead, he’d have no leverage over you.”

“As if I would ever work for someone like him. Fear and intimidation. That is his mantra.” I squeezed Marcus’s shoulder. “I had the best. Real leadership. Friendship.”

“Then let’s end this. How do you want to play it?” Marcus asked after acknowledging my words with a wink.

My plans for a long, slow death for Ivan had changed. I wanted it over so I could get back to Sofia.

“We go in the back. I get Alex. You kill the others. Upstairs, Ivan is mine. I’m just going to walk in. Make sure he knows he lost and end him. I am not wasting time.”

“Good. The house?”

“I have enough with me to blow it. I will attach it to the gas line. Eliminate every trace of them. Plus, I have a little extra something just for Ivan.”

“Then let’s go. Being this close to so much evil is making me nauseous,” Damien muttered.

We skirted the house, and I shook my head. No lights on. No motion sensors. Ivan thought he was undetectable.

Big mistake.

The back door opened without so much as a squeak, the lock easily picked. The kitchen was a disaster, food, empty liquor bottles, and dirty dishes everywhere. Marcus shuddered beside me. “Pigs,” he muttered.

The TV was blaring, and they all held glasses, their focus on the flickering screen, not their surroundings. They were drunk enough that they barely reacted to our presence, only glaring blearily at the guns in our hands. The silencers made the job easy, and two of them were dead before anyone could speak. Alex stood slowly, meeting my eyes, his baleful and belligerent. Rage, red and hot filled my body.

“Sit down.”

“Fuck you.”

I shot him in the knee, the excruciating pain evident on his face. He fell into the chair, shocked and in agony. “I said sit.”

Gripping at his knee, he glared at me. “Your girlfriend is dead,” he taunted. “My bomb killed her.”

“I told you not to touch her.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” he hissed, trying to be stealthy as he slid his hand down the side of the chair.

His entire body arched as my bullet found its mark in his shoulder. Marcus leaned over, pulling the gun Alex had been going for from the chair, tossing it away. Alex bared his teeth, refusing to make a sound of pain. If it were anyone else, I would have respected that.

But I had no respect for him.

I shook my head. “You failed, you little piece of shit. I got her first.”