Page 29 of Rafi

“Gatti, move!” Kanyan barks, his voice cutting through the chaos.

I don’t hesitate, signaling Jayson to follow as we make a break for the SUV. Mason covers us, his shots unerring, whileKanyan holds the line, his sheer presence enough to stall the Russians’ advance.

We reach the vehicle, and Mason shoves me inside, his expression grim. “You really know how to pick your battles,” he mutters, before getting into the driver’s seat.

Kanyan climbs in last, slamming the door behind him. “Drive,” he orders, and the SUV peels away, leaving the docks behind.

My chest heaves as I catch my breath, the weight of the encounter settling over me. Jayson leans back, his face pale but resolute.

“That was too close,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nod, my gaze fixed on the receding docks. Tayana’s name lingers on my tongue, bitter and unresolved. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.

“Kid, what were youthinking!” Mason screeches, as he slams his hand against the steering wheel and we peel away from the docks.

“I don’t think he was thinking,” Kanyan mutters, shooting me a quick sidelong glance.

“Who is this girl again?”Mason asks, squinting at me as we roar through the streets on our way to Tayana. I’ve already called her and told her to get out of the shelter, even as Tayana’s breath hitched and she whispered into the phone“someone’s here.”

The fear of something happening to her coiled in my stomach like acid as the line went dead and I urged Mason to step on the gas.

“I’ll tell you everything as soon as we get to her. Just hurry it up, will you!”

If anyone can handle a car in an emergency, it’s Mason Ironside, I’ll give him that. The SUV flies – literally flies through the air as he hits the gas and speeds to our destination, which thankfully isn’t too far away from the docks.

“Is she pretty?” Mason asks, looking at me in the rear view mirror, when all I want him to do is concentrate on the road so we get to her in one piece. The good thing is, I know he can drive the car blind, that’s how good he is. But right now, his cocky attitude is doing nothing but pissing me off.

“Would you shut the fuck up already?” I hiss.

“You okay, kid?” Kanyan asks, without turning around to look at me. His calm self-assuredness grounds me, telling me getting angry is not going to get us closer to Tayana sooner. I take a deep breath and lean into my seat, throwing my head back in resignation against the leather head rest. I need to be level headed for what’s to come. I need to be calm, and I need to be focussed.

“I will be,” I tell him. “Once I get to her, I will be.”

18

TAYANA

The silence feels like a noose tightening around my neck. It’s too quiet. Too still. My instincts are screaming at me to move, to run, to get out now. But my heart—the stubborn, foolish part of me—keeps me rooted in place.Not yet, it whispers.You’re just imagining things.

The faint buzz of my phone on the desk jolts me, the sound sharp in the oppressive silence. My breath catches as I grab it.

“Rafi,” I whisper, clutching the phone like a lifeline. His voice breathes down the line, offering me solace, but it’s only temporary.

“Tayana, get out of the shelter!Now!” His voice slices through the quiet, raw and panicked.

My chest tightens at Rafi’s panic. Coupled with my gut instinct and the fear coiling in my stomach, I have a sudden overwhelming need to run.

Glass shatters somewhere down the hall. The sound makes my stomach drop, and my grip on the phone falters.

“Someone’s here,” I breathe into the line.

I shove the phone into my pocket and yank open the desk drawer, my fingers trembling as they close around the cold, solid weight of my gun. It feels heavier tonight. Deliberate.

My heart thunders in my chest as I stare at the door, every second stretching into eternity. The shelter—the one place that’s always been my sanctuary—has become a nightmare.

The sound of boots stomping through the hallway echoes like a death knell. Voices bark orders in Russian, sharp and commanding. My mind races.

I can’t hesitate. I move toward the back room where the network equipment is hidden, where everything I’ve built is stored. My work, my plans, my connections—it’s all here. And if they take it, they’ll have everything. But that’s not what I’m concerned about right now. My main concern is getting out of here.

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