Page 63 of The Pakhan

Aleksander had disappeared into the crowd as well, working their egos, which I’d been trying to avoid.

I finished my drink, thankful I’d finally gotten a good glass of whiskey. After placing it on a tray, I searched for Caroline a second time, ready to get her out of here.

“Boss. I think we got an issue,” Sergei said.

I spun around quickly, trying to determine immediately what he meant. There was nothing out of place other than a few drunken guests making fools of themselves.

“Several vehicles pulled up on several corners of the facility. Either it’s a raid or something worse.” He was exasperated.

“I learned a long time ago that the boys in blue protected each other to their deaths. There is no way this is a raid. Get the men and head to the back of the property.”

“Will do.”

The only thing I had time for was to grab Caroline and get the fuck out. Not that I had anyone else I wanted to warn with the exception of Aleksander. With him out of sight, I dialed his phone number. He picked up on the second ring.

“Are you leaving?” he asked.

“So are you. Something is going down.”

I was no idiot to the world of satellites or internet lines. When the phone went dead, my hackles were not only raised, they were also igniting every one of my senses. The people inside this room were about to be attacked.

All I could think about was getting to the woman who drove me absolutely nuts, the one I needed another taste of. I bolted through the crowd where I’d last seen her, my gut screaming she was in danger.

The moment I noticed a strange man approaching from behind, I shove my way through the crowd, pushing and shoving when necessary.

Then the lights went off. The pitch-black moment caused instant silence. And I kept going, able to catch a glimpse of a bag tossed over her head and Caroline being pulled into an access hallway.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I didn’t care who I hurt in the process of getting to her. By the time I’d shoved my way through the crowd, people were already shouting, panic beginning to settle in.

There was a split second of a vacuum occurring before shots rang out. I couldn’t take the time to find out who was doing the shooting or their intended target, bolting through the access door. The corridor was still lit, mostly by the emergency lights pulsing on and off.

I raced down one way then the other, finally hearing a muffled scream.

Taking off running, I rushed down the length of the hallway, just in time to see she’d been taken into a service elevator. That meant whoever had pulled the plug on electricity and communications knew what they were doing. I made it to the elevator a split second after the doors slammed shut. I slapped one hand on the door, the other on the button, praying I wasn’t too late.

I was.

There was only one sure way of getting to her. Going down the back stairs. Fuck. They were the most painful given the injury to my muscles. The strain would be horrific. But fuck it. I did so without hesitation, my weapon firmly placed in my hand. I took them two and three steps at a time, using the metal railing to swing from one floor to another set of stairs. Where were they taking her?

Directly outside would be considered too dangerous.

They had to be heading for the basement parking garage.

Goddamn it. How had I allowed this to happen?

Thankfully, I was in good shape. Yet when I reached the bottom, I was still winded. I smashed my way out the door, straining to listen to any sounds. Other than the screech of tires, I heard nothing.

A clink.

Another scream, only it wasn’t as muffled.

I took off running toward the sound, my weapon now firmly planted in both hands. As I rounded one of the pillars, I noticed a dark commercial van had been pulled into the driver’s lane, the side door opened.

And the fuckers were attempting to toss her into it.

Nothing was going to stop me from getting to her. I didn’t know I had the speed left in me but within seconds, I was on the van, gripping one asshole by the shirt collar and tossing him back, pitching him to the concrete floor. Before anyone had a chance to react, I put a bullet in his brain, turning back and firing another shot at the driver who was prepared to fire.

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