Midnight Lies (Tasarov Bratva 2)

My wife.

Our daughter.

And I know that there isn’t a force on this earth—not fire or wind or police or Volandris—that can keep me from getting to my family.

I throw all my weight behind my next shove. The door groans in protest, but it creaks open. Blessed fresh air fills the stairwell. Only one thing left to do.

I turn to the panel set into the wall and punch in the six-digit code.

ARMEDflashes across the display screen in ominous red text. PRESS BUTTON TO DETONATE.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

Then I smash the key.

I feel the ground shaking before I hear anything. The stairs begin to sway under my feet. I lunge through the door and roll onto the grass as the first of the explosions begin to sound. Massive, ear-splitting bangs crack through the air as the stairwell in front of me.

Then my home collapses in on itself like a dying star.