I feel a small, sharp vibration in my trouser pocket. One. Two. Three.
Three short buzzes. The signal. Konstantin’s team has neutralized the spotters in Newark. The decoy warehouse is secure.
Boris has no more leverage. He just doesn't know it yet.
"We’re done playing, Boris," I say, my voice dropping into that low, quiet register that makes my own men step back.
Boris looks up from the folder, his eyes narrowing as he senses the shift in the air. "What did you say?"
"I said the game is over," I say, my hand sliding under my jacket, my fingers wrapping around the cold, textured grip of my gun."The Newark warehouse is clear. Your spotters are currently in the back of a van on their way to the river."
Boris’s face goes completely pale, his gaze darting to the folder on the table.
"You bastard," Boris spits, his chair screeching back as he stands up, his hand reaching for his cane. "You think you can outplay me? Sergei, kill the boy!"
Irina lets out a shattered scream, but before Sergei can even move his hand toward his pocket, one of the guards near the rusting loading dock door spots a shadow through the grimy glass.
"Movement!" the guard shouts, his hand flying to his holster.
My instincts take over. I draw.
The weight of the piece is perfect in my hand, the sight lining up with the chest of the guard near the door in a fraction of a second. I pull the trigger.
The roar of the nine-millimeter is deafening in the enclosed brick space, a white-hot flash of fire cutting through the yellow halogen light. The bullet hits the guard directly in the sternum, the force of the impact throwing him backward into the rusted iron pillar. He hits the concrete with a heavy, wet thud, his gun clattering away into the dark.
"Down!" I roar, my left arm grabbing Irina’s shoulder and slamming her onto the concrete behind my legs.
The room explodes into chaos.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
The sound of Mikhail’s gun rings in the enclosed space of the ironworks.
My ears are instantly full of a high, sharp whine, the yellow halogen lamp overhead flickering as concrete dust rains down from the ceiling. I’m on my hands and knees on the cold, gritty floor, the scent of sulfur and old grease burning my throat.
"Stay down!" Mikhail roars. His voice is a rough, violent command as he steps over me, his broad shoulders completely blocking my view of the table.
Before I can answer, the double doors at the far end of the warehouse blast inward with a deafeningboom. The metal hinges tear out of the brickwork, and the air is suddenly full of tactical lights, smoke, and the heavy, rhythmic thrum of automatic gunfire. Konstantin’s men are in, their black gear turning them into shadows moving through the haze.
"Sergei!" Boris screams from somewhere behind the table. "Get the boy out!"
My head snaps toward the rear of the room. Through the smoke, I see Sergei’s hand tightening on Oleg’s hoodie, dragging the boy toward the heavy iron door. Oleg is stumbling, his small sneakers sliding on the wet concrete, his face twisted in a look of pure, unadulterated terror. He’s not crying. He looks too scared to cry.
No. Not again. You are not taking him from me again.
"Irina, no!" Mikhail shouts, reaching for my arm, but I’m already moving.
I push off the concrete, my shoes finding purchase on the slick floor. I sprint toward the rear door, my eyes fixed entirely on my son.
A bullet hits the concrete three feet to my left, spraying sharp stone chips against my cheek. I don't stop. I don't even flinch.
"Sergei!" I scream, my voice a ragged, desperate screech that tears at my throat. "Let go of him!"
Sergei looks up, his eyes wide as he sees me coming. He reaches into his jacket, his hand moving toward his gun, but before he can pull it, the glass window of the office above us shatters in a rain of glittering shards. A burst of gunfire from one ofKonstantin’s men hits the wall behind Sergei, the brick turning to red powder.
Sergei flinches, dropping his grip on Oleg to shield his head from the falling glass.
I don't hesitate. I dive forward, my body leaving the ground, and I tackle Oleg.
