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Mickey grips his shoulder bracingly. “See? I told you going to the gym would pay off.”

The look Pavel gives him almost rivals Roman’s.

“All Pavel has to do is keep the auction going until we get through the perimeter,” I go on. “Luke, Alexei, and Paddy will run Mak’s crews from the outside. Since the triads have already made Paddy and Luke, they can’t show their faces until it’s already going down. Other than Paddy, Bryce is the best man with explosives, so he’ll go in with the Cardeñas boys. His Spanish is also fluent, which will help.” I glance at Bryce, who nods. “Paddy’s set the explosives on the perimeter already, but you’ll wire the inside to blow. He’s left instructionsas to where the caches are, but it will be up to you to find them and get them into place. The Cardeñas guys are trusted guests who often frequent the compound and roam the grounds, so they’ll give you cover—but you’ll still need to be fucking careful.”

Bryce nods stolidly. “Copy that.”

Alexei looks between Roman and me. “What about you two?”

I take a deep breath. “We’ll land with Mak’s crews, but we’ll go in before it all starts. According to Luke and Paddy, there are over three thousand people being held captive in that compound. Someone is going to need to make sure they get out before it blows.” I nod at Mickey. “We’ve been hacking into their system for days now, spreading the word among the programmers. Hopefully at least some of the captives will be ready to go.”

“Spreading the word?” Roman looks like he’s about to literally explode. “Why not put up a fucking banner sayingincomingwhile you’re at it? What thefuckhappened to operational security? Did you lose your goddamn mind along with your fucking girlfriend, Dimitry?”

A moment later I have him up against the wall of the yacht, hard enough to make a solid thud as his body hits the paneling. I put my face very close to his.

“I’m going to let that go,” I say quietly, “but it’s the last time I will. And only then because you’re my fucking brother.”

I stare at him, letting all the fury and tension of the past months show in my face. I hold him there until I see the fight go out of Roman’s eyes and understanding creep in.

He grips my shoulder, hard enough to hurt. “You better not fucking die on me,” he says roughly.

I give him my madman’s grin. “Why the fuck do you think you’re coming with me?”

He nods slowly, his mouth curling in a reluctant smile. “Go on, then, you crazy fuck.”

I turn back to the rest of the table, who are all staring anywhere but at either of us.

“Listen up,” I say, leaning on the chart table and looking at each of them in turn. “I know this has escalated, fast. But three thousand people behind those fences were stolen from their fucking families. They simply disappeared, never to be heard from again. They were forced into slavery and are tortured so badly many simply give up and run into the guns rather than live another day. Abby was held for several months, and she still can’t sleep a fucking night through without a nightmare.”

My voice shakes slightly.

I don’t give a fuck.

Every word Abby told me about that place, not to mention the many I knew she held back, have been growing inside me like a toxic plant. I can’t erase those words, any more than I can the pictures they painted in my head.

“There are mothers in there,” I say quietly. “Daughters. Refugees who escaped wars, only to find themselves facing an even worse fate. And if we just walk away and leave them there, then we’re no better than the bastards who took them in the first place.

“Yes, it’s a risk. And any one of you can walk away if it’s one you’d rather not take. But if we win this one, we haven’t just cut down a bad guy who wants to kill us all. We’ve pulled a cancer out at the root. If you want my opinion, I think that’s a fucking risk worth taking.”

There’s a long silence.

Then Paddy’s Irish accent crackles through the speaker. “If you lot are finished with the circle jerk,” he says dryly, “my boy Luke here and I would really like to get this shit done. I haven’t had a beer in a fucking week.”

Bryce leans forward as the others laugh. “We’re all in,brother,” he says quietly. “Or we’d never have come in the first place.”

I look around the table as each of them meets my eyes and nods.

“Thank you,” I say quietly. “Then let’s get on with it.”

35

Abby

SK Compound, Myanmar

“You!”

Adrenaline courses through me as the guard prods my shoulder with his rifle. I stand up from my work desk, keeping my eyes lowered.