Page 64 of Beautiful Agony

My heart skips as I realize we're on borrowed time.

"Dr. Chen," he says, kneeling beside Dr. Chen. "If we're going to save Bianca, you need to trust us completely. Can you do that?"

Dr. Chen nods frantically, her fingers twisting in her lap. "Anything. I'll do anything."

"Good." Vadim's voice is solemn. "You'll go to the docks at the appointed time, but you need to be mentally prepared for the fact that Olga may have already gone back on her word."

"No." A thought strikes me as my bandaged hands throb. "Olga isn't working alone anymore, remember? She's with Kirsan andSayanaa." My stomach churns. "And Sayanaa likes to play with her food."

Vadim nods. "Which means Bianca might actually be there, but only so they can force Dr. Chen to watch while they?—"

"No!" Dr. Chen's scream cuts through the air. She scrambles backward until she hits the wall, shaking her head violently. "No, no, no! You can't let them hurt my baby. You promised! Please!"

Her hysteria reminds me of how I felt watching Irina die in Paris. That same helpless horror of knowing someone you care about is in danger and being powerless to stop it.

"They won't," I say firmly, though my voice shakes. "We won't let them hurt Bianca."

"I can have sharpshooters in place by nightfall," Vadim says. "Demyon will stay here with enough men to ensure Pankration remains secure in case this is Sayanaa's attempt to draw us out."

My fingers brush against the bandages on my palm. "We need to make this look convincing. Dr. Chen needs to appear like someone who just fought their way out of Pankration after..." I swallow hard. "After completing her task."

"Yes." Vadim nods. "That's something I didn't consider."

"I can help with that," I offer, looking at Dr. Chen's tear-stained face. "Make-up, torn clothes, the works. If Olga's watching, she needs to believe you barely escaped with your life."

Dr. Chen nods, then hesitates. "One more thing." Her voice trembles but carries a mother's fierce determination. "You need to call her. This Olga woman. You need to threaten to kill her."

Vadim's eyebrow raises slightly. "Why?"

"She sent me here to kill your unborn child. You need to show her the rage of a parent who just lost the most important thing in the world."

Dr. Chen's hands clench into fists.

"Because that's exactly what I would do to her if I find out that she hurt my Bianca."

21

VADIM

NIGHT

Dr. Chen'ssilver Lexus approaches through the grainy drone feed on my tablet. The rain patters against the warehouse roof where I've positioned my best marksmen. Three to my left, four to my right, all with clear sightlines to the meeting point.

"Vadim Petrovich, in position," Yegor's voice crackles through my earpiece.

"Acknowledged," I zoom out from the camera views as Dr. Chen's car rolls to a stop and she steps out.

Lacey did a flawless job on the makeup. The painted bruises and cuts really do make it look like Dr. Chen fought her way out after completing her grim task.

The car stops exactly where instructed. Through the drone feed, I watch Dr. Chen step out, her movements appropriately shaky and terrified.

That part's not fakable.

The drone operator adjusts the angle, giving me a wider view of the docks. Empty shipping containers create a maze of steel corridors, perfect for an ambush.

My jaw clenches as I remember calling Olga, and the way shelaughedwhen she heard me.

"Now you understand, bastard,"she had said."Now you know how it feels to have something precious taken from you."

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