25

IVAN

Istep forward slowly, my boots echoing against the concrete. The wind whips through the abandoned shipping containers, rattling loose metal in the distance. But there’s no sign of anything.

A sick feeling twists in my gut.

He should be here.

I turn in a slow circle, scanning the shadows. My hand twitches toward my gun, the weight of it familiar and steady at my side. But there’s nothing to shoot. No one waiting.

And that’s what puts me on edge the most.

Darren’s men should be everywhere. Even if he didn’t plan on showing his face, he would’ve left guards. A trap. Something.

The fact that the place is completely empty?

It’s worse. Was Cora right? Did he sense something because she’s not here?

My phone buzzes in my pocket.

I freeze.

A slow, steady breath in. Out.

Then I pull it free, flipping it over.

Unknown number.

A single message.

Attached video file.

My stomach turns to ice.

I tap the screen. The video flickers to life, grainy and dimly lit, like it was filmed on an old security camera.

A warehouse.

A metal chair bolted to the floor.

And in that chair?—

Cora.

Bound.

Terrified.

She’s struggling, her wrists tied behind her back, her ankles secured to the chair legs. Her face is turned away from the camera, but I can see the tightness in her posture, the way she shifts, testing her restraints.

I can see her fear.

Rage coils up my spine, cold and violent.

Then messages flash across the screen.

Darren.