Page 138 of Brutal Reign

I nod, knowing that it won’t be enough to hurt anyone inside, just enough to pop the door. “Do it.”

The charge detonates with a muffled thump, snapping the locking mechanism. The pressure seal buckles just enough for the door to jar loose. I haul it open with the rope while Maxim takes position below to guard our exit route.

The interior glows red under emergency lighting, casting ominous shadows across the cabin. I can hear shouting from the front, guards coordinating their response to the chaos outside.

I advance carefully through the narrow aisle. The first guard I encounter is facing away from me, weapon trained toward the cockpit area. I take him down with a knife to the neck before he can make a sound, lowering the body silently to the floor.

There are two more guards in the main cabin. I move quietly, my suppressed weapon cutting them down before they can react. My first target drops with two quick shots to the chest. The second crumples just as quietly.

That’s when I see her.

Hope stands against the far wall of the cabin with Kin clutched protectively in front of her, her hands bound together. The boy looks small and terrified but unharmed, his dark hair mussed, his eyes tired yet alive.

Hope’s face transforms when she sees me, and I have to bite back the urge to call out to her, to tell her that this nightmare is almost over.

Because standing directly behind her, one arm wrapped around her throat while the other remains out of sight, is Simon. I can’t see the gun, but I know it’s there, pressed against her spine. Threatening to destroy my world.

The sight of Kin’s terrified face, of Hope trapped in Simon’s grip, sends something primal and murderous surging through me.

“Hello, Pavel,” Simon says quietly, his voice carrying easily over the distant sound of gunfire. “You really should have stayed out of this.”

CHAPTER

FIFTY

HOPE

Pavel’s gazefinds mine across the cabin, and for a moment, the world narrows to just him.

Relief makes me light-headed. He’s alive. After hearing that brutal gunfight, seeing him whole and breathing feels like a miracle. Tears spring to my eyes as the tight ball of fear in my stomach finally loosens.

His gray eyes lock onto mine, and I give him the smallest nod, communicating that we’re okay, at least for now. When he sees Kin with his head buried against my stomach, Pavel goes still.

Fury radiates from every line of his body at seeing the little boy he’s so protective of, the child he’s grown to love, cowering in fear.

“Hello, Pavel,” Simon snarls, his arm pressing harder against my throat. “You really should have stayed out of this.”

“Too bad. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.” Pavel steps forward slowly, never breaking eye contact with me as he places his gun on the floor. His hands rise in surrender. “Let Hope and Kin go, and you can have me instead.”

“I don’t want you, but since you offered your weapon up so readily…” Simon’s breath burns against my ear. “Kick the gun toward me.”

“Don’t do it,” I blurt, knowing that Simon will never keep his word. He’d rather kill all of us than let me go.

“It’s okay, angel moy,” Pavel says, his voice steady. “I don’t need a weapon to take down this piece of shit.”

Chen emerges from the shadows behind Pavel, and before I can shout a warning, he presses a gun to the back of Pavel’s skull.

“We know you have more weapons.” Without warning, Chen brings the gun down hard against Pavel’s temple. Blood immediately streams down his face, but Pavel barely flinches, his focus never leaving me and Kin. “Drop everything in front of you. Now.”

Pavel’s throat works like he’s swallowing back venom, but he complies, reaching into his jacket and producing another gun. He bends to pull a knife from his boot. The weapons clatter to the floor in front of him.

Chen pats him down thoroughly, then nods to Simon. “He’s clear, son.”

“I see you’ve met my father, Chen Wei,” Simon’s voice carries dark satisfaction.

Realization sparks in Pavel’s expression as he connects the dots. “Interesting. I didn’t realize being a treacherous snake was a family trait.”

“Treachery? I prefer to call it strategic thinking.” Chen’s smile vanishes, replaced by cold menace. “It’s why we have Hope and Kin, and a gun pressed to your head.”