Page 76 of Sin Wager
"Where's Sonya?" Misha keeps his gun trained on the surviving man.
"Upstairs. Premium level."
Pasha's eyes dart toward me, and I see calculation behind his fear. He's weighing his options, trying to determine what information might buy him mercy or at least a quick death. "She wants the woman. Says she has questions about the money transfers."
"What kind of questions?"
"I don't know. She doesn't tell me everything." Sweat beads on Pasha's forehead despite the cool air in the tunnel. "Please. I'm just following orders."
Misha moves closer, his gun never wavering. "How many men does she have left?"
"Maybe six, maybe eight. Some were up in the boxes, but I heard shooting…"
"The boxes are cleared." Misha's tone suggests this is old news. "Where are the rest?"
"Scattered. Some in the parking structure, some watching the exits. She's trying to get everyone back together."
The radio in Pasha's hand crackles with static and voices speaking rapid Russian. I catch fragments of conversation,reports about police presence and instructions to avoid certain areas of the facility. Sonya's crew is falling apart. Their coordination has been broken by the unexpected resistance they've encountered.
Misha reaches for the radio, keeping his gun pointed at Pasha's chest. "Tell her you found the woman. Tell her you're bringing her to the premium level."
"She'll know I'm lying."
"Then make it convincing." The gun moves closer to Pasha's face. "Because if you don't, you'll never have to worry about lying again."
Pasha takes the radio with shaking hands and keys the transmit button. His voice wavers slightly as he speaks, but he manages to sound reasonably calm. "Sonya, this is Pasha. I found her. The woman. She was hiding in the maintenance area."
The response comes immediately, Sonya's voice sharp with interest. "Where are you now?"
"I'm in the service tunnel near the main electrical. I'm bringing her up through the freight elevator."
"Good. Bring her to box twelve. And Pasha? If she tries to run, shoot her in the legs. I need her alive, but she doesn't need to be comfortable."
The radio goes silent, and Pasha looks at Misha with desperate eyes, clearly hoping his cooperation will earn some consideration.
Instead, Misha's gun swings toward him and I see the violence in his eyes. "Thank you for your help."
The shot blasts through the tunnel, and Pasha crumples to the concrete floor next to his companion. Blood pools around both bodies, mixing with the industrial fluids that are smeared on the ground.
I stare at the dead men, my stomach clenching at the brutality of their execution. These weren't soldiers or hardened criminals. They were functionaries, middle management in a criminal organization that used them as expendable resources. Their deaths serve a tactical purpose, but the coldness behind Misha's actions reminds me of the world I've entered by loving him.
"You didn't have to kill him," I say quietly.
"Yes, I did." Misha holsters his weapon and takes my hand again. "He would have warned them the moment we let him go. Now Sonya thinks she's getting what she wants, which gives us the advantage."
We leave the bodies behind and continue through the tunnel system toward the freight elevator that will carry us back to the main level. The grinding noise of the chains and belts whirring grows louder as we approach the elevator shaft. The elevator doors wait at the end of the corridor, metal doors scarred by years of heavy use.
Misha presses the call button, and the machinery groans to life with the protest of overworked motors and cables. The car descends toward us with loud clunking noises and I cling to his arm, slightly frightened by the volume of it.
"When we get up there," Misha says as we wait, "I want you to stay behind me until we have Sonya secured. She's desperate now, which makes her dangerous."
"What if she tries to run?"
"She won't get the chance." His blue eyes meet mine, and I see the predator that lives beneath his civilized exterior. "This ends today."
The elevator arrives with a metallic clang, and the doors slide open to reveal an interior lined with protective padding and marked with warnings about weight limits and emergencyprocedures. We step inside, and Misha presses the button for the main level as the doors close behind us.
The ascent feels eternal, each floor marked by a gentle vibration as we pass through the building's structure. My ears pop as we rise, and I swallow to clear the pressure that builds in my sinuses.
