Page 31

Trevor hesitated for only a moment before nodding. I knew what he was thinking. He’d seen me angry before. He’d seen me kill men without hesitation. He’d watched me walk into situations where most people would have turned around.

This was different. He could see that I wasn’t thinking about the consequences anymore. Sokolov had made a mistake. He’d taken the one person whose safety had become more important to me than my own. And if Sofia was hurt because of that decision, there would be nothing left between Viktor Sokolov and the consequences he’d earned.

As we approached the warehouses, I saw the first building rising ahead of us through the darkness. I slowed only enough to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Then I saw movement near one of the entrances. My pulse accelerated. I reached for the gun beneath my seat and looked at Trevor.

“She’s here.” I didn’t know whether I was right, but I was going to find out.

As soon as we pulled up to the warehouse, the first shot rang out from the vicinity of the loading bay. It hit the door of the vehicle to my left, and Trevor and the others sprang into action. I was out of my vehicle before they could tell me to wait.

The warehouse was dark except for a single lamp above the entrance. Two men popped up on either side of the loading bay, weapons in hand, and one fired another shot.

I ducked behind a concrete barrier and returned fire. The men went down. Trevor yelled something behind me, but I didn’t stop to listen. All I cared about was one thing: Sofia was in this warehouse.

I pushed through the entrance to the building with Trevor and two of our men behind me. The smell of oil, dust, and damp concrete hung in the air. Crates were stacked along the walls of the cavernous room, forming narrow alleyways of darkness.

There was movement on the left, and I fired at it. Another man came rushing at me from behind a stack of crates; I drove him up against the concrete wall and punched him so hard he went down and didn’t rise again. Another attacker came from behind me, but Trevor disposed of him before he could reach me.

We moved deeper into the building. I could hear yelling somewhere ahead. A door slammed, and I sprinted for it. Two men burst out at once. The first charged me. I caught his arm and drove him backward through the doorway and up against the concrete wall, and finished the fight with another blow.

The second raised his weapon, and Trevor fired. I paid no attention to the bodies that lay at my feet. Normally I’d be carefully calculating every step, taking stock of all threats, saving every ounce of my strength.

Not tonight. Tonight, every second Sofia was in this warehouse with these men was a second I was letting her down.

We found one of the kidnappers fleeing down a side hallway, and Trevor apprehended him, dragging him back in our direction. I grabbed him by the jacket and shoved him into the wall.

“Where is she?” I growled, slamming his head against the wall.

He wouldn’t answer. The fucking nerve of him. I was going to shoot his brains out, but I needed him to speak first. I struck him right against the nose, a sickening crack echoing as he yelled in pain. Then I sent a knee into his chest. He caved over, wheezing badly.

“Sofia,” I said, ramming him against the wall again. “Where the fuck is she?”

He met my gaze and smiled despite the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth and nose. The smile alone almost made me lose what was left of my control. I gripped him by the throat with both hands and lifted him until his feet dangled off the ground.

“This is your last opportunity to answer me.”

He sputtered, then finally answered me. “She’s alive. For now.”

My grip tightened around his throat. “Where is she? Who ordered this?” I shot his knee before he could answer. He screamed like a child, writhing in pain in my hands.

“Sokolov,” he finally said. “Viktor Sokolov ordered this.”

I stared at him. I’d already suspected it, but to hear the words spoken out loud enraged me even more.

“Why?”

The man laughed, a rasping sound. “You truly don’t understand? The suka was never meant to be a hostage. She was a pawn; Sokolov wanted to show the O’Connors that they’d exposed their weakness.”

My hands tightened around his neck. “You’re calling Sofia a bitch? Suka, really?” I shot his other leg, and he screamed again.

“What else? Speak!” I put the gun on his forehead.

The man’s eyes watered from pain. “He wanted to know how much you valued her.”

A chill settled in my stomach. The man continued, obviously pleased that his words were hitting home.

“You’ve been fucking her recently! You thought no one noticed? Sokolov wanted to see what you’d do when she was taken away from you.”

I released his throat just long enough for him to take abreath. “Thank you.” I said. Four shots rang out through the warehouse. He fell face down, fresh blood gushing over the cold floor.