“You sure that’s a good idea?”
I didn’t respond. I just glared at him, letting him know that it wasn’t up for discussion. But that didn’t stop him from saying, “Preacher’s gonna be pissed.”
Damn. I hadn’t even thought about Preacher. I hadn’t thought about anything except getting to the man who’d given the order to take Lina. Getting to him and ending him was the only thing on my mind. But there was more to it than taking out Korolenko. I had to find out where they’d taken her, and in order to do that, I was going to need him and the boys.
I paused in the doorway just long enough to say, “Call him. Fill him in and tell him I’ll be back as soon as I’ve dealt with Korolenko and Zadora.”
“You got it.”
“I’ll text you when I’m ready for you to kill the cameras.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Without saying anything more, I walked out of the office and down the back hall. As usual, the casino was packed. I didn’t want to take the chance on anyone seeing me, so I took the back exit. Calm moved through me as I made my way out to my car. I didn’t think. I just let my instincts take over. It was the only way I was going to get through this alive.
I drove over to Korolenko’s place first. I parked across the street and pulled my gun from its holster. I slipped on the silencer and took a moment to take in my surroundings. Korolenko lived in a middle-class neighborhood where some of the houses were well-kept while others were rundown and completely trashed out. The yards were overgrown, and various cars filled the driveways and more spilled out onto road.
His wasn’t all that bad. It was tidy in a sad, meager way. It was in decent shape, but it needed to be painted. There were hedges and trees, but they needed to be trimmed, and the yard was full of leaves. There was a car in the drive, and while I couldn’t see the man sitting inside, I could see his cigarette smoke as it billowed out the window.
There would be another guard inside. Maybe more.
I didn’t care. I was ready for whatever laid ahead.
I took one last look, making note of the security camera on both corners of the house, and the motion light above the garage. Everything looked so ordinary. Parked cars. A trash can tipped over against the curb. A cat sitting on the stoop. Ordinary could hide not-so ordinary people, just like it had with Korolenko.
I took out my phone and sent Jenson a text, letting him know it was time. I got out of my car, and by the time I made it across the street, the blinking light on the camera had gone dark. I stepped up to the driver’s side of the car, and the guard never saw me coming when I placed the barrel of my silencer against his temple.
I pulled the trigger, and his body immediately slumped behind the wheel. I didn’t slow down. I just kept moving toward the house. I didn’t bother going around back. It would take time I didn’t have, so I walked straight up to the door, jimmied it, and stepped inside. I didn’t think. I just let my instincts take over and put one foot in front of the other.
There were two guards sitting at the dining room table, shooting the shit about God knows what, and neither of them even noticed me until I stepped into the light. By then, it was too late. I already had my gun trained straight ahead. They reached for their weapons, but I shot them both before their hands ever reached metal.
I quickly scanned the room, checking for anyone else that might be coming at me, and when there wasn’t, I kept moving forward. The place looked like any other house. There was basic furniture throughout, and family pictures on the wall. There were even a couple of pairs of shoes in the corner. Some were smaller, like kids’ shoes, and it gave me pause.
I didn’t like the idea of putting a kid in harm’s way.
Then, I remembered the look on Lina’s face when she stepped out of my apartment with those two assholes. Even through the grainy camera feed, I could see that the warmth in her eyes was gone. They were cold and distant, and her shoulders hung low. She wasn’t crying or resisting. There was no fight in her at all. That’s when I realized she’d given up. But I hadn’t. I would find her, and I would bring her home.
The floorboards moaned under my steps, but I didn’t stop. I kept moving forward, slow and deliberate. I could hear movement above me, his kids, and possibly the wife. They were completely unaware of my presence, and I intended to keep it that way—for now.
Another step forward, and I spotted him. He was sitting in a recliner, facing the television, and the blue glare of the news flickered in his glasses. He had no idea I was there until I stepped up behind him and placed the edge of my blade against his jugular.
I could feel his pulse quicken when I leaned in and hissed, “Where is she?”
“He told me you would come for me, but I gotta say, I didn’t think you’d have the nerve.”
“Where is she?”
“Thought you were smarter than this,” he responds with a thick Russian accent. “I would’ve thought a man like your father would’ve taught what it means to cross a man like me.”
“I won’t ask again.”
“You know where she is. She’s with the others, getting primed for sale.” He sounded unfazed as he said, “She’s safe… for now.”
“I’m not playing games with you, Korolenko.” I pressed the blade firmly against his carotid. “If one hand is laid on her, I’ll come for your wife and your kids. I’ll make them suffer in ways you can’t imagine.”
I gave him a moment to finally confess Lina’s location, but he never did. Instead, he spat, “She’s as good as dead.”
Rage washed over me, and without thinking, I dragged the blade across his throat. The blood was immediate, followed by gasping and clawing for mercy. But there would be no mercy for him. The blade was still warm when I stepped back, leaving him to bleed out in his chair.
