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Maksim grunts after reading the message. “Bastard always did like a fallback plan.”
I nod and hand the tablet back to Dmitri before turning toward our vehicles while calculating our tactical options. “How many men do we have operational?”
Maksim spends a moment check in with the team through the headsets before answering. “Twelve.”
“Weapons and equipment status?”
After another minute, he says, “Full tactical load, minus whatever we lost in the explosion.”
It’s not enough because against a prepared position with unknown numbers of defenders, twelve men is barely adequate for reconnaissance, let alone a full assault. The smart play would be to call for backup, wait for additional teams to arrive, and conduct proper surveillance before committing to action, but smart isn’t an option when every minute we spend regrouping is another minute Sabrina remains in Vadim’s hands.
I check my weapon and adjust my tactical vest. “Maksim, load everyone who can still fight into the vehicles. We’re moving now.”
He doesn’t argue, which tells me he understands the calculus as well as I do. “No backup? No additional support?”
“No time. If we wait for reinforcements, she’ll be dead before they arrive. Call for them, but they’ll either be cleaning up behind us…or Vadim.”
He scowls. “What if it’s another trap?”
Part of me thinks it is, but I can’t wait. “We’ll deal with it when we get there.”
I climb into the passenger seat of the lead vehicle while Maksim coordinates the rapid deployment of our remaining personnel, and through the windshield, I see smoke still rising from the destroyed warehouse. I think of Sergei and vow to avenge him.
As we speed away from the storage facility toward the real location where Sabrina is being held moments later, I force myself to think like the predator I was before I started.
Maksim navigates through industrial streets toward our destination. “ETA six minutes.”
Six minutes to cover the distance between where we are and where Sabrina is being held, to plan an assault against unknown defensive positions, and figure out how to extract her safely from whatever death trap Vadim has prepared.
“What do we know about the target building?”
Maksim glances at me while taking a sharp turn. “Warehouse complex, multiple entrances, good sight lines for defensive positions. Three stories, reinforced concrete construction.”
“The same building where?—”
“Yeah. Same building.”
I close my eyes and reconstruct the layout from memory because I’ve been to this warehouse more times than I can count over the past ten years. There’s a loading dock on the east side, office complex on the second floor, warehouse space occupying most of the ground level, and multiple stairwells providing access between floors with plenty of places to establish chokepoints or fallback positions. It’s a defender’s paradise and an attacker’s nightmare.
“Approach vector?”
“Multiple options. We could split the team and hit from different angles or concentrate our force on a single entry point.”
I consider the tactical options. We don’t have time for splitting our forces. “Single entry point. We hit fast and hard through the main loading dock. No subtlety or complex coordination. Just overwhelming violence applied with surgical precision.”
He grimaces. “That’s a hell of a risk.”
I sound calmer than I feel. “Everything about this is a risk. At least this way, we control the variables.”
My phone chimes, indicating an incoming call from an unknown number, and I answer without hesitation because I know exactly who it will be.
Vadim’s voice is smooth and conversational, like we’re old friends catching up after a long absence. “Nikandr, I’m disappointed you escaped the storage facility.”
Rage builds in my chest like pressure in a boiler, but I keep my voice level though I don’t engage in the conversation he seems to want. “Where is she?”
“Safe for now. She’s not quite what I expected. She’s much more spirited than her photographs suggested, though not half as interesting as Irina, who is here with me now.”
I absorb that information but don’t respond. He wants to unsettle me or distract me with the temptation of getting revenge. My focus remains on Sabrina. “If you’ve hurt her?—”