Page 126 of Hunt Me

“Erik’s mobilizing.” Alexi checks his weapon, movements efficient and practiced. “Dmitri’s covering the east approach. Nikolai wants you in the command center.”

“Already going.” I pocket my phone and head for the door.

The compound transforms around us. Guards materialize from shadows, moving silently into defensive positions. Erik’s voice crackles through communications, directing his team with surgical precision.

No shots fired.

I reach the command center as the first SUV comes to a stop two hundred yards from the fence line. The vehicle idles there, engine running, headlights dark.

“They’re testing us.” Erik’s voice cuts through the radio static. “Mapping our response time, counting personnel, identifying weak points.”

Nikolai stands at the tactical display, watching the feeds with calculating eyes. “Let them.”

“What?” I pull up my laptop, fingers already dancing across the keyboard to reinforce our digital perimeter.

“They want intelligence.” Nikolai’s smile holds nothing warm. “We give them exactly what we want them to see.”

Erik’s responding chuckle surprises me. “Already on it. Moving Yuri and Pavel to positions three and seven. Making it look like we’re leaving the southwest corner light.”

I watch the security feeds as Erik’s men shift positions. To an outside observer, it looks sloppy—gaps in coverage, guards appearing half-asleep at their posts.

But I can see the truth. Every “weak point” is a kill zone. Every apparent gap covers overlapping fields of fire.

“Perfect.” Alexi appears beside me, his presence solid and reassuring. “They’ll think we’re vulnerable there.”

“When really?—”

“When really, anyone trying to breach that sector walks into a crossfire.” Erik’s voice holds satisfaction. “Let them scout. Let them plan.”

The SUVs idle for another ten minutes. Long enough to capture detailed thermal imaging and count personnel. However, when they start to move, they form a circle, closing in on the compound.

“They’re pushing closer,” Erik announces on the radio. “What do we do?”

I clear my throat. “Let me try and break them before they even make it to the inner perimeter.”

Nikolai considers for three seconds. “Fine. Go to the secondary command center; it’s more sophisticated. Alexi, you escort her down.”

Alexi’s mouth tightens, but he nods once.

The secondary center sits two floors underground, reinforced concrete walls lined with server racks and communications equipment. Dmitri positions himself at the entrance, weapon ready, while I claim the primary terminal.

I slice through Sentinel’s encrypted channels like they’re wet paper. Amateur hour compared to what I’ve breached before.

“Three teams.” I pull up their tactical communications. “Alpha approaching from northwest, Bravo circling east, Charlie holding position two klicks south.”

Erik’s voice crackles through the radio. “Confirmed. Visual on Alpha team.”

I dive deeper, parsing their command structure. A team leader named Reynolds coordinates from the southern position, his voice clipped and professional as he directs his operatives.

“Bravo team moving to flank.” I track their GPS signatures. “Heading toward your southwest corridor.”

“The kill zone.” Erik sounds pleased. “Let them come.”

Alexi appears beside me, one hand settling on my shoulder. His touch grounds me, centers the controlled chaos of information streaming across my screens.

I parse Reynolds’s next transmission three seconds before he finishes speaking. “Alpha team advancing. Two hundred meters. They’re probing your northern perimeter.”

“How did you—” Erik starts.