shot one of them. If he’s still alive, he’ll be bleeding out somewhere.”
It wasn’t too many. And although the men were worried I’d be shot as soon as I walked through the door, I had a sneaking suspicion Moritze wouldn’t let my death be as simple as a bullet to the brain or heart. Not by one of his men, at least.
This trap had been set for me. And rather than avoiding the inevitable, I planned to walk straight into it.
“It’s fine.”
One of the men shoved a gun into my hand. The weapon felt odd against my palm, the cold metal in stark contrast to the heat of my skin. I eyed the guy who handed it to me, and he stared at me like I was asking for a quick death.
“Just in case,” he bit out, releasing the gun as my fingers wrapped around it.
For as many men as I’d killed in my life, I’d never done so with a weapon other than my hands. Not that I didn’t know how to fire the weapon. I just never had a reason to use one.
Nodding a silent thanks, I slipped through the door and walked down the center of the hallway, doing nothing to disguise my presence, my booted steps a rhythmic drumbeat against the ground.
The sound echoed in my path, my eyes scanning up one direction and down another each time I came to a separate hall that spread out like a web of different channels through the large building.
Every door I passed was locked as I tested the handle, and I knew I was being led to a specific spot, down a specific direction, Moritze most likely sitting back like the coward he was, thinking I was too stupid to realize exactly what I was walking into.
Losing patience with his game, I decided to make some noise, my fist slamming against each door as I passed it, the loud crunch of wood echoing out in every direction.
Either the assholes waiting for me had all been shot and were scattered out in the halls in lifeless heaps bleeding out, or they were fucking deaf. I was all but announcing my exact position with every door I passed.
But while I was making as much noise as possible, I was also listening for any small sound that would draw my notice, any indication that Lisbeth was in the building.
Knowing Moritze wouldn’t let her wander too far away from him, I hoped she would call out, whether to warn me, or to tell the asshole to get away from her, it didn’t matter.
But the halls were silent except for me, the intense quiet setting every nerve inside me on edge.
After five minutes of wandering the halls, I knew I was approaching the other end of the compound.
And at the click of a gun, my steps stopped in place, the corner of my lip curling to know that I’d finally hunted down my prey.
“One fucking step and you’re a dead man.”
I didn’t recognize the voice as footsteps moved my direction, which meant this was one of Mortize’s men and not the asshole himself.
“Drop the gun.”
A second voice coming from the opposite direction.
Doing as they instructed, I let the gun fall from my hand, the clatter of metal against cement a loud noise in the enclosed space.
Movement in the shadows caught my peripheral vision, a man creeping forward slowly as I lifted my hands to place on the top of my head.
He pressed the gun to my temple, holding me in place while the second man came up on the opposite side.
“Thought there were three of you,” I said conversationally.
“It won’t take three to kill you. Just one.”
“That’s too bad. Sorry to hear that your buddy died. I’m sure he was a great guy.”
He shoved the gun tighter, his hand shaking just enough to let me know he was nervous.
“Fuck off, asshole. I’d drop you right here if Moritze didn’t want to kill you himself.”
Seriously, it was like these idiots were reading from a bad movie script. I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn Moritze watched every mafia movie out there to learn how to be a badass.
I decided to go with sci-fi. “Take me to your leader.”
They both paused at the odd request. I fought not to laugh.
“Very funny. It must be hard to make jokes when you’re already dead.”
I grinned. “It’s a coping mechanism.”
“Walk straight ahead.”
Shoving me forward, both men stayed close to my back, my lonely footsteps now a trio. Eventually