Page 46 of Lethal Alliance

“Nikolai.” He nods slowly, wry-mouthed at my expression. “He wouldn’t pass on a message, said he wants to talk to you.”

My fists clench involuntarily. “And did he say where this conversation might take place? Because as far as I’m aware, the littlemudakhasn’t been seen since the night of the explosion. Which I assume means he’s still carrying Inger’s fucking handbag. Which in turn means that he’s working with the goddamn Orlovs.”

My hands are shaking by the time I’ve finished speaking. Nikolai is the one part of this I haven’t given a second’s thought to. Family or not, Nikolai is already a dead man.

The only question is when and how he dies.

Dimitry shakes his head. “Apparently he’s at Pillars. Abby found him, bound and gagged and dumped in the alleyway outside. She said he’s pretty banged up.”

I snort. “Doesn’t mean he didn’t help them.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Dimitry looks as pissed off as I feel.

“Take two cars and some good men to Pillars and pick the bastard up. He can recover from his injuries in that warehouse we used to get shipments in. Unless he’s got something useful to say, I’ll get to him when I’m good and fucking ready.”

“Copy that.” He turns away then halts, turning slowly back. “Um. Abby,” he says, color stealing up his neck. “She wants to know—”

“Darya’s fine. She’s at home, resting. She doesn’t have a phone yet.”

And I’m not sure I want her having visitors yet, at least not ones who actively helped her escape.

“Sure.” Reading the warning in my eyes, Dimitry beats a hasty retreat. I get the feeling he’s having a less than peaceful time of it on the domestic front, not that I give a fuck.

Abby’s fortunate she has Dimitry protecting her. I might not have been quite so forgiving otherwise, no matter how many times he assures me that she was “only trying to help.” Abby, in my opinion, is altogether too smart for her own good. She also seems to be strangely unconcerned about criminals, be they Russian or Colombian. Most civilians, in my experience, either run at the first sight of our business or have an unhealthy fascination with it that is equally dangerous. Abby doesn’t appear to fall into either category, which is unusual at best and suspicious at worst. But she’s also Dimitry’s woman—and therefore his problem.

“Pavel.” I come back into the main operations room, and the tech kids cast me nervous glances, all except Pavel, who is white-faced and hunched over his screen. “Where are we with the camera feed in the compound?”

“Mickey.” Pavel keeps scrolling as he points three seats down, to where an equally intent Mickey is staring at another screen.

“Okay, then. Mickey.” I keep a lid on my frustration with no small effort. “You want to tell me where you’re at?” I know Pavel is going as hard as he can, and I know he cares about finding the girls as much as I do. Unfortunately, I also know this entire mess is my fault. Pavel and the entire team have been pulled off Mercura right when the project needs them most. To their credit, not one of them has complained. Or at least not to me.

Then again, complaining would not be a safe decision right now, something they all undoubtedly know well enough.

“See for yourself.” Mickey moves slightly aside so I can look over his shoulder.

“Holy shit!” I stare at the crystal clear color feed, my spirits lifting marginally. “You’re in?”

“It looks like it, doesn’t it.” He doesn’t sound remotely triumphant. “It’s a proper live feed, according to all the data. There’s only one problem: there’s no sign at all of the girls.” He flicks through the feeds, all of which show various angles throughout the compound. The rooms are vast and opulent enough to host the haughtiest of Europe’s royal families.

Christ, no wonder Darya knew how to handle the matrons at the ball.Despite my loathing of Sergei Petrovsky, it’s hard not to be impressed. The compound is as lavish as any imperial Russian palace and decorated with superb taste.

But no matter how many bedroom suites Mickey zooms in on, there isn’t a single trace of the girls. And while there is a clear and present security detail, it’s only about half of what I’d have in Orlov’s place if I were expecting an attack.

I can’t help but think of Darya’s warning:“He will already have removed the girls from the compound, or he’ll have hidden them someplace you don’t know about.”

“What about the basement?” I lean in, scrutinizing the screens. “There’s an entire underground chamber, where the vault is. Is there a feed showing that part of the compound?”

Mickey glances sideways at me, then hits another key. My gut lurches as the ornate wall of my father’s vault comes into view. He zooms in, showing the intricate iron entwined over the door.

I notice a cleverly designed hatch that I immediately recognize as the hiding place for the bio sensor pad, amid a deceptive tangle of design that makes my fingers itch to explore. As devastating as our current predicament is, I can’t help but admire the genius structural plan and artistry on the vast door. There’s no way the Orlovs could blow that vault open, not without collapsing the entire underground structure. And not even the most sophisticated safe cracker would be able to untangle the mass of false leads my father has built into the door. The vault might contain a fortune, but the door itself is a work of art to rival anything behind it.

I clear my throat, uncomfortably aware that I’ve been silent for long enough to be remarkable. “Show me the rest of the feed.”

Mickey tilts his head. “Not a lot to see.” He flicks through the cameras, showing one bare room after another. The doors hang open. The basement rooms appear to have been unused for years. “This feed was bloody tough to get into,” he adds. “They’ve wired it outside the main system, and it took ages to hack. They’re clearly not keen on anyone seeing what’s down there.”

I frown, staring at the screen. “But no sign of the girls?”

Mickey shakes his head in frustration. “No,” he says shortly. “Unless there are rooms hidden from view.” He glances at me. “Is this all there is of the underground bunker?”

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