Page 89 of Lord of Justice

In which Andrey is ready to set the world on fire.

Andrey…

There’s no time for subtlety. My Iris could be anywhere.

Kolya accesses the plans for the strip mall from the construction proposal, pulling them up on his laptop.

We’re going to land right on top.

"There's three ways in. Two doors, south and north sides, and a hatch in the middle that leads to the HVAC system."

I scan the surrounding area as the helicopter swoops toward the building. Its parking lot and those for the few nearby buildings are empty. The streets are free of cars.

"Weapons up," I speak into my headset. "Smoke bombs. Flashbangs, if necessary. Donotshoot unless you have a clear target of the hostiles. Irisand Rose might still be here. Wewill notrisk their safety."

Karolina, my pilot, lands the craft gently. The skids hit the roof with more of a thud than a shudder. Bits of the gravel surface spray up, pelting us as we all jump out. I race for the door on the south side. Nikandr’s crew head to the north exit. Trofim's right behind me.

"Please, boss. Let me be in front," he pants. "This isn't safe. Please."

"Shut the fuck up, or I'm taking your other kidney."

The lock on the door is good, reinforced. Two shots blast it loose. I kick it open and race down the stairs.

The upper level of the mall is dark, cluttered with boxes, abandoned office supplies, and broken chairs from tenants long gone. There’s a sound of movement from the first floor as we find the next set of stairs leading down.

Gunshots ricochet off the stairwell, forcing us back. They’re from a handgun, not a semi-automatic. I count down the shots and at zero leap over the railing to land in front of a stunned security guard. I slam my gunstock into his face and he crumbles like wet tissue paper, dropping to his knees.

Weak.

Kicking him out of the way, I see two figures dressed like orderlies racing down the hall. They pull their guns with a precision that tells me they are the professionals.

Koyla talks in my headset. "I opened the main hatch and ran my camera wire down. There's no one behind those two in the scrubs. I see five people hiding in the next office."

He rattles off something to Nikandr but my focus is on the men. One catches a glimpse of me and lifts his arm to fire. He's quick but his center mass is open, giving me an easy shot through his heart.

Two bullets streak past me as I pull back. The other orderly is firing, his bullets burrowing into the concrete next to my head. Trofim takes the opening to get in a precisely placed head shot.

The orderly crumples like a sack of meat.

"We should probably not kill any more people until we talk to them," he says.

"Agreed."

Kolya is talking again. He reminds me of the five hiding in the office, that we don’t know if they are armed.

There's commotion down the hall. Shouting.Gunfire. A muffled thud that tells me Nikandr's team has set off a flashbang grenade. The ceiling shakes, dust drifts down, and screams come from within the office. The door's cheap wood splinters as we kick it open.

These people had their hands on my Iris. A man in a stained doctor's coat, who looks like he's pissing himself, an extremely muscular looking nurse, and three other women in scrubs cowering behind her.

"Put your fucking hands up!" I roar.

The nurse looks at me. Eyes cold, glittering black, like a bull's. She's slow to raise her hands. Trofim makes a quick weapons check. They're all unarmed, but almost hidden behind the nurse is a medical chest with a row of gleaming scalpels.

Clever.

I press my gun to the forehead of the terrified-looking man first. "Where is Iris Morozova and her sister Rose? Do not fucking lie to me. I know they've been here."

"I... They're just…" he's starting to babble, and I backhand him, knocking him against the wall.