Christmas Tsar (Blood and Thunder 1)

“All right,” Amber agreed. “But throw those boxes of pizza away. You don’t know how long that food’s been rotting in the bin.”

There was hunger, and then there was this, Amber thought as Celina reluctantly did as she asked.

“Stay back in the shadow of that doorway and wait for me,” she instructed.

Amber paid for as many pizzas as she could afford. She’d sort out her finances later. Balancing the boxes in her arms, she backed her way out the door. She looked around for Celina, but there was no one in the doorway, and the window from which the women had been leaning out was closed—

Amber exclaimed in fright as a big hand slammed across her mouth, then her survival instincts and training kicked in, and she fought with her elbows, her heels, and her teeth, but the man was too strong for her and started dragging her toward the house.

“How thoughtful of you to bring us pizza,” he snarled in an ugly accent.

~o0o~

Alexei and his team spread out silently, taking up position in preparation for the raid. A thirst for danger had always united them, and their goal was simple tonight. There were female captives inside the house, whom they intended to free. And not just free but repatriate, or find them safe havens. Failure wasn’t an option. If they weren’t rescued, the older women would go as domestic slaves, hidden and forgotten in some plutocrat’s mansion, while the younger, prettier women would be washed and groomed and dressed in tiny bikinis before being offered up for auction on the dark web. It was a multimillion-dollar enterprise controlled by a network of men that Alexei and his team had sworn to eliminate. Alexei’s spy at the pizza restaurant had alerted him to this latest cell, which was why Alexei’s yacht was berthed in Monte Ca

rlo at such an unfashionable time of year.

He’d just been told through his earpiece that the women had been moved from the locked attic to the cellar. “Because of some young English girl walking into their trap,” his spy on the ground had told him, ending with a brief description of the girl.

Amber Smith. He swore viciously. He’d had no report of her leaving the ship, but the description fit her perfectly.

“And we didn’t even have to pay for her transport here,” his spy now reported one of the gang members boasting.

Fucking idiot! As if they didn’t have enough on their plates tonight without having to rescue Amber.

“I got a quick look at her before they dragged her away,” his spy told him. “She’s valuable stock—young and fresh. Even her long red hair is an advantage because it’s so unusual. They’ll put a premium on her when they put her up for sale. When they manhandled her into the house, I heard one of them say, ‘Let’s see how you like the rats in the basement when you join the other sluts,’ which is why I think that’s where the other women are being held.”

Alexei’s thirst for justice had just become personal. “Understood,” he murmured.

He glanced at the house. Lights were on in the front rooms. He made a gesture to indicate that his team must watch the front door while he slipped around the side.

The back of the house was in darkness. He wore protective bands around his fists and was carrying a pack containing the tools he’d need. Keeping his gun cocked and ready, he chose a window to crack. Using a glass cutter and glass suckers, he silently removed the pane and climbed inside. The cellar door was right in front of him. Bolted. No problem. The only hitch he anticipated was that the women would start screaming when he burst in wearing night vision goggles and brandishing a Glock.

As always, timing was key. He relied on his team to keep the gang pinned down while he freed the women. He waited for the first round of gunfire, then shot the bolt and plunged into the steaming damp and oppressive darkness.

~o0o~

At the sound of the first shot, the women crowded around Amber started to scream. Shoving them behind her, she told them to crouch low while she stood in front of them, shielding them as best she could.

“We don’t know what’s happening yet, but we need to be ready to move,” she impressed on them. “It’s no use screaming and crying. Do you want to die in here?”

She could only hope her tone got through to them, and Celina helped her to translate.

Amber flinched like the rest when the door burst open and a huge, black-clothed figure burst in. Recovering quickly, she took up position to defend the women.

The man reared over her, intimidatingly close. “Amber?”

“Alexei!”

“Stand down,” he ordered quietly.

She obeyed instantly. This was not the time for rebellion. Alexei stared past her, assessing the number and condition of the women. She assessed the quality and type of body armor he was wearing, together with all his state-of-the-art equipment. Black combat gear with night vision goggles over his balaclava told its own story. Away from the plush surroundings of his superyacht, Alexei Riga was a tough, hard-bitten soldier of a type Amber was accustomed to and felt an immediate affinity with.

“Are you okay?” He glanced at her once through the slit in his mask.

“Yes, sir.”

His stare lingered for a millisecond on her face. “I’ll lead the women upstairs, while you take up the rear. Make sure no one gets left behind. We need out of here fast. Someone from the gang will be down here checking inventory at the first possible opportunity.”