Page 101 of Mountain Daddy

My knife finds the base of his skull. Severs his spine. He drops without a sound.

Four down.

Back to the main floor. Two men left with Lilly.

The leader paces, nervous. “Something's wrong. They should have reported back.”

The other one—squat, bald—shrugs. “Probably smoking.”

“Check outside. Now.”

Baldy sighs. Heads toward the front entrance.

I let him pass. Let him get halfway across the floor.

Then I step out of the shadows directly in front of him.

His eyes widen. “You?—”

My gun comes up. One shot. Center mass.

The sound echoes through the warehouse. No more stealth.

The leader spins. Sees me. Sees his man falling.

He grabs Lilly by the hair. Puts his gun to her temple.

“Stop right there, Vetrov!”

I stop. Lower my gun slightly. Not dropping it.

“Let her go,” I say. Voice calm. Cold. “You might walk out of here.”

He laughs. It sounds desperate. “You killed Viktor. You really think I'm walking away?”

“Your choice.”

His hand trembles. The gun barrel presses harder against Lilly's skin.

She's waking up. Eyelids fluttering. Murmuring something.

“Drop the gun,” he demands. “Kick it away.”

I do. Slowly. It skitters across the concrete.

The leader relaxes slightly. Mistake.

“The boss is going to enjoy this,” he says. “Breaking you piece by piece.”

“Where is he?”

“On his way. Should be here any minute.”

Good to know.

“You can still walk away,” I tell him. “Take your chances with the cops.”

“Fuck you.”

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