The front door was unlocked, and I paused on the threshold, letting the faint evening light filter into the shadowy space, illuminating the first few feet of the hallway. I didn’t hear any movement inside, no rustling of footsteps or low voices. I didn’t know if that was because the building was empty or because I’d made my arrival obvious and everyone was hiding, waiting to attack. No matter what, I had to assume it was the second option.
There was a brick on the ground, so I toed it in front of the door to hold it open, and then moved inside. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out the shape of boxes and shelving along the back wall and hanging boxing bags in the middle of the room, but still no other movement. I side-stepped to the right, following the wall towards what I knew would be Fyodor’s office, but keeping my eye on the rest of the room in case anyone tried to ambush me.
I reached the office door and noticed there was no light coming out from underneath it. That didn’t mean she wasn’t in there, of course, but my hope of finding her still faltered slightly. It had been three hours since she’d been taken. There was no telling how far away Devin had taken her by that point. This building may very well have been there first stop, but they could have moved on by now. In fact, they probably had.
I knew Devin was an idiot, but even he would be smart enough to get the hell out of Dodge as soon as possible, especially with me on their tail. Feeling more and more certain no one would be behind the door, I turned the handle and pushed the door open, stepping back to hide behind the wall in case anyone was inside waiting to attack. The door bounced off the wall, but otherwise, all was quiet. I sighed and stepped into the door frame.
Just then, an ear-splitting bang rang out, and I dove to the right just as something whizzed past my ear. I heard laughter coming from inside the room.
“I knew you’d find me.”
The last time I’d spoken to Devin, there had been begging and a little bit of crying involved. Now, his voice was all bravado. Still, I recognized it.
“Where the fuck is she?” I asked, standing up and crouching behind the wall for cover.
“Come in here, and I’ll tell you,” he said, laughing.
I knew I was a better shot than Devin, but right now he had the advantage. The office was dark, and without knowing where he was in the room, I had no hope of hitting him before he could hit me. Plus, even if I did manage to shoot him, I needed him to tell me where he’d taken Samantha. As annoying as it was to admit, Devin had all of the advantages.
“I know you have a pilot,” I said. “Your getaway driver was all too eager to give up your plans. It seems you don’t inspire much loyalty in your henchmen.”
“Matthew Willard is an idiot, and certainly no henchman of mine.” Devin scoffed. “I didn’t tell him where I was taking Sam for a reason.”
I ran my hand along the wall, hoping for a set of light switches. If I could turn the lights on, then I’d be able to level the playing field. It would allow me to attack Devin, wrestle the gun away from him, and beat the necessary information out of him. If my estimation was right, Yuri, Ivan, and the boys would be at the warehouse within the next five or six minutes, but I didn’t want to wait that long. I didn’t know if I could. Devin was prone to acting recklessly, and I half-expected him to jump through the doorway and begin discharging his weapon at random.
“What do you plan to do with her? Keep her locked up forever?” I asked. “She doesn’t want to go with you. Sam wants to be with me.”
“Did she tell you that?” Devin asked.
No, she hadn’t. But I knew. I’d been working to make her more comfortable in my house, to earn her trust. And it was working. Wasn’t it?
“It didn’t take much convincing for her to get on the plane,” Devin said.
No, he was lying. If Sam were on a plane, Devin would be with her to make sure she didn’t escape. He wouldn’t want to let her out of his sight for long. Unless, of course, he was telling the truth and she’d gone willingly. In which case, she wouldn’t try to escape.
I shook my head. I couldn’t let him mess with my mind. Samantha wanted to be saved. I reached the corner of the wall and finally felt a panel of switches. I had no idea what each of them did but flipping them all seemed like a good bet.