Page 134 of Brutal Reign

Maxim lowers his phone and announces, “Everyone else is safe and accounted for.”

Relief fills me. The only thing that could make tonight worse is if something happened to the others.

“The breach was just your house, Pavel. A single operative came through Kin’s bedroom window, using climbing gear. Knocked him out with some kind of gas. Security cameras show a two-minute loop in the feed. This was a professional ghost extraction, no alarms triggered.”

My jaw clenches. “How the fuck did they get past our perimeter?”

“Could be a thermal camouflage suit,” Maxim continues, his face hard. “Whoever planned this knew our patrol schedule and exploited the guard rotation during shift change.”

“We’ll need to overhaul security,” Roman says darkly.

“I’ve got eyes on the airstrip through Eva’s drone,” Dinara reports. “I count twelve hostiles positioned around the aircraft, plus crew. They’re definitely preparing for departure.”

My hands clench into fists. “Any way to delay them?”

“I can hack into the regional power grid and cut electricity to the airstrip. That’ll shut down runway lights and ground control systems. Most pilots won’t take off without proper lighting.”

“Do it.”

“Give me a few minutes.”

Roman checks his pistol, sliding a fresh magazine into place. “How do you want to do this?”

“Carefully,” I reply, watching Maxim strap on a Kevlar vest. “Hope and Kin cannot get hurt; no matter what, we don’t takeany chances. We take Simon and Chen alive unless there’s no other way.”

I want their blood coating my hands, want to feel their lives drain away beneath my fingers.

The world outside becomes a streak of muted colors. We’re racing against time, against the brutal mathematics of pursuit and escape.

I lean back in my seat, closing my eyes, trying to block out the fears and doubts crowding my mind. If that plane disappears with my entire world on board, I don’t know how I’ll survive it. Hope and Kin aren’t just my heart; they’re my reason for existing. Without them, nothing matters.

I’m coming, angel moy. Both of you. Hold on just a little longer.

CHAPTER

FORTY-EIGHT

HOPE

The helicopter settlesonto the tarmac with a final shudder. The silence that follows is more deafening than the noise of our flight.

I’ve been fighting dread the entire ride. Dread that Pavel or the others might have been killed in that gunfight. That Kin is trapped on that jet across the tarmac. That with every mile from Element, the chance of rescue slips further away.

Chen’s fingers dig into my arm as he drags me from the aircraft, the zip tie around my wrists cutting deeper into already raw skin. My wrists ache from being bound in front of me, but I lock the pain away. I won’t give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry out.

“When did you betray my father?” I ask as he drags me across the asphalt, my heels scraping against the rough surface. “Have you always been a snake, or did Simon make you an offer you couldn’t refuse?”

I need to understand why he threw away decades of loyalty to my family.

Chen’s mouth twists into something ugly. “Loyalty? Maybe your father should have learned the meaning of that word. He locked me out of triad business. I had no real power, no real money, while he thrived and grew his empire. You think I cared about drafting wills or taking care of his above-board business? I didn’t.”

“He did that to keep you safe,” I blurt, but from the look on Chen’s face, he doesn’t see it that way. “Simon will betray you the moment it serves his purposes,” I continue, stumbling along. “You have no idea what kind of monster he really is. I know things?—”

“Trust me, little bird,” Chen interrupts, his voice thick with satisfaction. “I know exactly who Simon is. I’ve known him far longer than you.”

Something in his tone makes my stomach drop. “What do you mean?”

Chen’s fingers tighten until I can feel my pulse throbbing beneath his grip. “You’ll find out soon enough.”