Page 92 of The Pakhan

Sighing, I wiped it off with my other hand, hearing more soldiers advancing into the room. Yeah, I’d driven like a bat out of hell to get here, going in excess of one hundred miles per hour.

I issued another hard punch to his face. Whatever bones I’d just crushed were the least of his worries.

He didn’t have long to live. He didn’t deserve a reprieve.

“You have ten seconds, Francois.”

“Let me kill him,” Nikolay said from behind me. “I enlisted and trained the motherfucker.”

Nikolay was one of those men who rarely got emotional. But hearing the anger in his voice right now gave me pause.

“Eight seconds,” I barked, yet to decide.

“Do you want to know why?” Francois managed, although he had to fight to enunciate the words.

“Six seconds.” I rubbed my forehead, Caroline’s moan completely capturing my attention. This asshole was the past. She was the future and I would take care of her. “Do you want to know the truth, buddy?” I said just because I’d called him that for years. “I really don’t give a shit. Have at him, Nikolay.”

As I handed him off to my brigadier, I noticed a flash as a jagged hunting knife was pulled from his pocket.

The guy was damn good with his knife skills. That much had added to his dangerous reputation.

I didn’t wince as he set to work. I had a feeling Nikolay would be very thorough. I knelt, pulling her warm body into my arms. As I cradled her against my chest, she moaned softly into my ear.

From what I could tell, the woman had managed to hold her own. But I was still pissed she’d gone against my rules, angry that she was so damn good at hacking and observing.

But a tiny part of me was proud of her.

Not enough to warrant forgiveness, at least at this point.

“It’s going to be alright,” I said, continuing to wonder how she’d gotten here in the first place. She’d lied to me on some level. That much I knew.

“They killed him. Joshua.”

“Yeah, I know. He knew what he was messing with.”

“The… drive,” she whispered.

I pulled her away, keeping her head aloft. “What drive?”

“A jump drive. A baggie. Maybe you can save it.”

I scanned the room, almost excited by what she was saying.

“Sergei. There’s a baggie with a jump drive in it. Find it.”

“Yes, sir.”

When I glanced at Nikolay, his face and arms were covered in Francois’ blood, but he was a happy camper. Sick, talented fuck.

“Let’s get you home where you belong.” As I gathered her into my arms, her eyes remained open, one hand lightly placed against my chest.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I had to help.”

“Rest, my cherished one. Just rest.” As I stepped over the two dead bodies, I glanced into the hacker’s office. My traitor had done well with destroying the man’s computers. I doubted there was any chance of recovery. The drive needed to be found. That’s exactly what Francois had been looking for.

“Found it, boss,” Sergei said. “Unfortunately, it’s in pretty rough condition.” He held up a baggie and I sighed.

“Get it to our computer experts. Have Joe do whatever it takes. Any info will be helpful. Nikolay. I’m taking her home. See that her car gets back to the estate and that the cleanup crew arrives. I also need to know how long Joshua has been dead. Check for anything else that might be useful.”

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