Page 106 of Bride of Vengeance

Footsteps in the hallway. Multiple sets, getting closer.

"They're sweeping room by room," I observe.

"Let them. We're not going room by room."

He points up. Ceiling tiles. Removable.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Can you climb?"

My shoulder screams as I pull myself up into the ceiling space, but adrenaline is beautiful chemistry. We crawl through the dark space between floors, past electrical conduits and HVAC equipment.

"Harrison has forty-three women," I whisper as we move. "Leverage. If he doesn't check in—"

"Mila handled it. She hacked his dead man's switch two hours ago."

"How do you know?"

"Faith in my niece." He pauses at a junction. "Also, she put a tracking chip in me apparently."

"She what?"

"Family conversation for later. Down here."

We drop into what looks like a loading dock. For a moment, hope flares—we can see outside, see freedom.

Then lights flood the space.

"Predictable," Harrison says. He's standing with Pavel and at least fifteen men, blocking every exit."

"I designed these modifications myself," Pavel says, his scarred face twisted in satisfaction. "Every hidden path, every escape route. All leading here."

We're trapped. Truly trapped this time.

"Surrender," Harrison offers. "Both of you. End this clean."

"Clean?" I step forward, rage overriding caution. "Do you think we'll take your word for it when that means nothing to you?"

But something's different about Harrison. He keeps checking his phone, glancing at the exit. He's nervous.

"Expecting someone?" I ask.

"Backup should have been here by now." He murmurs to Pavel as he checks his phone again. "Where the hell—"

"Having communication problems?" Mikhail asks slowly.Harrison freezes.

"Did you really think we came here without backup?"

"You're bluffing."

"Check your phone again. Check if any of your messages actually went through."

Harrison pulls out his phone, his face going white. No signal. None of his backup requests sent.

"While you were watching us crawl through vents, our people were surrounding the building."

"You brought us exactly where we wanted," a new voice finishes.