Page 69 of Depraved

“Open your eyes, Ghost. Don’t you dare die on me.”

His only response is another weak cough.

“I need you to help me find her.” My heart is in my throat. “You can’t die. Logan!”

I have to save my friend. I can’t lose the only two people in the world I care about.

And I won’t be able to track down Karolina without his expertise.

Every second that passes takes her farther away from me.

They won’t kill her, I reason. They could’ve shot her right here, but they took her with them.

But if my enemies have her, they’ll know how to make her wish for death.

I struggle to rein in my mind-numbing panic.

As long as she’s alive, I can fix her. She’s a survivor. She’ll fight for her life.

Right now, I have to save Logan.

I rush to the empty safe room and grab the emergency supplies I need. I’m no medical expert, but I’ve treated enough of my own wounds in the past to know what to do. I can slow Logan’s blood loss, but it’ll be up to him to pull through.

When he’s bandaged up, I lightly slap his face.

“I need you to wake up. Please…”

I slap him harder.

He groans, and his eyes flutter open.

“I failed you,” he rasps. “I couldn’t stop them. I’m sorry.”

I hold up a hand to cut off his apology. “I need you to help me find her. Can you stand?”

He tries to push up onto his elbows but drops back down almost immediately.

“Bring me a laptop,” he commands, voice too faint. “I’ll find your girl.”

I don’t want to leave him, but I tear myself from his side so I can rush to the study. I grab his laptop and run back to him.

When I return to the bloody corridor, he’s managed to prop himself upright against the wall. His cheeks are chalky with the effort, but he’s still conscious.

I set the laptop on his knees, and his fingers clatter over the keyboard.

“What happened with Costa?” he asks.

“He’s dead. I didn’t make him talk first.” Regret sours my stomach. “I lost control.”

Logan nods, then winces in pain. “I got more intel while you were out,” he says through gritted teeth. “I’ll keep pulling those threads.”

“What did you find?”

“It’s not just Costa and Ivanov. It’s Sokolov. He’s finally going to make you pay for making him look weak when you went freelance. There’s chatter on the dark web. He’s been reaching out to the families of the men you killed. He’s planning something big.”

“What is he planning?” I demand.

Logan’s eyes widen when he finds the information he’s looking for. “An auction.”