Page 101 of Doomed
“You were clever,” Vane adds. “You knew exactly where she’d go, what she’d do. You read her. You can read Orlov the same way.”
“Channel that same focus,” Xavier says. “You’re not just some impulsive fuck-up, Knox. You’re a hunter. A predator. Act like one.”
They’re right. Fuck, I hate when they’re right.
I inhale deeply, focusing my energy on the analytical. Every detail counts. I can’t let my fear of losing her cause me to fail in finding her before it’s too late. Blind fury won’t get Bianca back—it’ll just get her hurt. Or worse.
“Fine.” I spit the word out, finally dropping into a chair. “We need surveillance, floor plans, guard rotations.”
“That’s more like it,” Xavier says, his voice cool and approving.
I glance down at the blue ribbon clutched in my fist. The silk is crushed, wrinkled from my grip, just like my control. I carefully smooth it out across my thigh, the motion helping me think.
“Orlov’s not an idiot,” Vane says, leaning against the table. “He’d expect us to hit his main compound.”
“Which means he’d take her somewhere unexpected,” I finish the thought, my mind finally clearing. “A secondary location, somewhere off our radar.”
The warehouse door swings open, and Landon strides in. His face is hard, eyes sharp with focus. He takes in the scene—me with the ribbon, my brothers in battle mode—and understands immediately.
“Orlov has Bianca,” I tell him before he can ask.
Landon doesn’t waste time with bullshit sympathy. Instead, he drops a phone on the table in front of me.
“If you want to find her, it won’t be hard,” he says. “I know exactly where Ilya would be keeping her.”
My head snaps up. “Where?”
“The old Ivanov estate on the east side. It’s technically owned by one of his shell companies, but it’s off the books enough that he thinks we don’t know about it.” Landon’s eyes meet mine. “It’s where he keeps things he doesn’t want found until he’s ready to reveal them.”
“Things,” I repeat, the word bitter on my tongue. Bianca isn’t a fucking thing.
“How certain are you?” Xavier asks.
“One hundred percent,” Landon replies. “I’ve had eyes on him since he first contacted us. It’s his favorite spot for hostages he plans to use as leverage.”
“How hard is it to infiltrate?” I ask, smoothing the blue ribbon between my fingers. The image of Bianca wrapped inthese ribbons, waiting for me while those fuckers broke in—I push it down. Focus. Plan.
Landon crosses his arms. “Not easy. The estate has cameras, guards, the works. But Ilya’s a bit cocky. He doesn’t think anyone knows about it, which means he won’t have as much security there. Easier to penetrate its walls.”
“Penetrate how?” I lean forward.
“There’s a service entrance on the south side. Minimal coverage. And he rotates his guard shifts at predictable intervals,” Landon explains. “We can get in, but we need a good, effective plan. No room for improvisation or fuck-ups. I know that she is your woman, but you are going to have to keep your shit in check. It won’t do her any good if you go in kicking down doors and busting heads. Not a single one of us blames you for needing that, but we have to plan smarter, not just punch harder.”
Xavier’s eyes narrow. “Before we storm the castle, what do you think Orlov is going to demand in exchange for Bianca if we don’t go get her?”
“He’ll want the carnival cut out and an exclusive deal to supply,” Landon answers without hesitation. “That’s what this is about. He thought he could intimidate us and the carnival crew into it, but we wouldn’t back down. So, he’s taken Bianca as leverage.”
“That’s not happening,” Xavier says flatly.
“Agreed,” Vane nods. “We don’t negotiate with these fuckers.”
“Never,” I say, tucking the ribbon into my pocket. The carnival crew provides quality product at fair prices. Orlov’s shit is stepped on, and he’s a fucking asshole.
“Even if we wanted to make that deal,” Landon adds, “Orlov would just see it as weakness. He’d keep pushing for more.”
“Then we go in,” I say. “Tonight.”
Landon clears his throat, cutting through the tension. “Didn’t you hear? We need a solid plan. We can’t just storm in there guns blazing.”
