Page 164 of Morally Corrupt

I head over to Marcel and lower the volume of my voice. "I can't just sit around. What if something happens to Bianca?"

"We'll get her. Don't worry," Marcel says.

"I wouldn't underestimate your wife, Hastings." Vlad's eyes are still on the screen when he calls out.

"Yeah, but evensheisn't invincible."

Vlad looks up ever so slightly, and for the first time, I detect something more than apathy.

"Shewillbe fine." I give him a small nod, the only concession I'm willing to make when it comes to him.

Vlad manages to eventually find the building's plans, and we pore over them, making notes on all the entrances, exits, and how the rooms are connected.

"If Jimenez's already finished with the preparation, then we should expect to meet guards here, here…" Vlad shows us the most strategic placement of people given the open spaces in the building.

"I'll have my people ready. Hastings, how are you with a gun?"

"Decent," I answer. I haven't had much practice since my active-duty days, but those are long past. I can probably hit a target, but I'm nowhere near as proficient as Bianca.

"Hope so. If you've noticed, trucks carrying craters come in every two hours." Vlad shifts back to the screen. "The most straightforward way to access the compound is to hijack one of the trucks and take out the men inside. We'll then replace them and deliver whatever it is they're delivering. "

"Sounds good to me. When can we go?" I say, almost too impatiently. I know I should pay more attention to the planning part, but I can't stop thinking about Bianca and what might be happening to her right now.

Vlad proceeds to follow CCTV footage along the truck's route and finds the best spot for the takeover. After we hash over all the details, Vlad phones Maxim and asks him to assemble some people.

A little while later, Maxim comes in with a huge box-like case and opens it for us. Inside are bulletproof vests, guns, and other weapons.

Vlad takes a pair of long, curved blades and sheaths them to his back, in the bulletproof vest pockets that seem to be custom made to hold the swords.

Both Marcel and I don the vests, and we each take two pistols.

"How areyouwith a pistol?" I ask Marcel, amused. I don't recall him ever touching a gun.

"He's good. Aren't you,Marcel?"Vlad answers for him, putting a weird emphasis on his name. Marcel seems to be put out by the reply but doesn't comment further.

With everything now in place, we leave towards the convened spot.

50

BIANCA

I struggle to open my eyes. Stifling a groan as a full-on headache hits me, I try to bring my hand up to massage my temple, but I realize I can't.

My hands are restrained behind my back. I blink twice and try to focus on my surroundings. Everything is still foggy. My mouth is dry, a cloth wrapped across it. And as I slowly come to, I remember confronting the car following me for a few days now.

And that man… Jimenez's son.

My eyes finally get used to the room's lighting, and I see that I'm inside what looks to be a cellar.

I turn my head around as much as possible, but there isn't much to see. The room is entirely bare but for the chair I'm sitting on. There are no windows and only one door, right in front of me. There is, however, one camera directly above the door.

I shake my head ever so slightly, seeking to alleviate the discomfort I feel.

They must have drugged me. Fuckers… taking me by surprise. My muscles tense with the animosity I feel towards them. Just wait until I'm free. I'm almost tempted to break my non-messy rule and make them pay for daring to do this to me.

I wriggle in the chair, but my hands and feet are tightly secured. I simply can't do anything right now. I must bide my time and take advantage whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I look straight to the camera, and with a jerk of my head, I push my feet into the floor with all my strength and propel myself backward. It works, and I fall flat on my back. I truly hope someone is watching that feed and that seeing proof I'm awake, they come in.

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