Page 54 of Mission Shift

Fedorov clapped his hands, apparently delighted by my silence. “I gotta say, little whore, you fucked up big time.”

I sucked in a slow breath. My mind seemed detached from my body; I was still trying to grasp the significance of what I’d just learned.

Braxton had lied to me.

From thebeginning.

I barked out a laugh, sharp and bitter.

Fedorov’s smile dropped. “What’s so funny?”

I shook my head, unable to stop myself. “You,” I breathed. “Thinking I’d fall for your pathetic attempts atmindfuckingme.”

His nostrils flared.

“I know the tricks,” I sneered. “The manipulation. The tactics. You’re not half as good as you think you are.”

Fedorov’s eyes darkened, a dangerous flicker sparking behind them. He stared at me for a long moment, then let out a low, humorless chuckle.

“You’re gonna regret that.”

He turned to the control panel, twisted the knob, and flipped the switch.

Oh, fuck—

The pain was instant.

My entire body arched, my muscles seizing so violently I thought my spine would snap.

The electricity owned me. It burned through every nerve, crawling into my bones, setting my veins on fire. My body convulsed, locked in agony, my teeth clamping together so hard that I expected them to crack any moment.

A scream ripped from my throat, but it barely sounded human. I couldn’t breathe. Every muscle contracted, coiling tighter, tighter—

My heart.

It skipped.

Then slammed back to life with an explosive force.

The pain was everything.

And then, just as the darkness began to creep in—

It stopped.

I collapsed, sucking in air, my body trembling, my heartbeat a wild, erratic stutter beneath my skin.

Before I could gather a single thought—

Water.

Ice-cold.

I barely had time to gasp before I was dragged under.

I gasped violently as I was yanked from the water, my teeth clattering loudly inside my skull. I coughed and choked, drawing in deep, ragged breaths between violent shivers.

Fedorov’s voice sliced through the haze.

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