Caged (Beneath The Secrets #2)

Chapter 1

MILA

Sliding through the snow-covered garden, I’m careful to step only on the exposed stones. It’s the same path I took to work my way into the unguarded back entrance of this decrepit mansion nearly lost in the Siberian forest.

But, looks can be deceiving.

My information was right, there was a hidden vault deep underground.

They should have expected me, or someone like me. The sentries were shit, the surveillance mediocre, but the payoff?

Exceptional.

The tiny sim card I took is so small I can’t even feel it pressed against my skin beneath my tight sports bra. Yet, it carries the weight of an empire.

Hers.

At least, that’s the importance she conveyed when she hired me. The data, or my life.

Not the first time it’s been threatened over some vague retrieval. And, I give them what they want, every damn time.

The heavy trees are a welcome cover as I sneak further from the target. I don’t know who owns that place, it seems like more than one person is keeping their sensitive items there.

I guess they didn’t expect a woman with a low cut shirt and tight spandex pants to appear from nowhere.

Gets them all flustered.

They always think they can get one over on me and get a piece before they take care of me. When in reality, all I need is just one tiny opening.

My cell vibrates in my pocket on silent. I think I’m far enough away.

“Ty? What’s up?” I don’t know who might be listening to the woods, but I keep my volume down.

“Mila!” His voice is raised in panic. “They took him!” He never gets flustered.

Pausing next to a rotting stump, I squat to block the icy wind. “Who?” My mind starts going down the list of people Tyler could possibly be talking about.

Is it one of the people from his past? Even though he’s my cousin, I’ve only known him for the last few years. But, I don’t think he’d be telling me about them. We all have our secrets in this line of work.

Unless it’s?—

“Daniil.”

My entire body goes cold.

No.

Please, not my baby brother.

“How?” I stammer.

“I’m running through street cams to capture a license. It was a snatch while he was talking to that butcher who is friends with our next mark.” Ty groans.

I can almost picture him running his hand up and down his face when he’s stressed.

“It was coordinated?” The heavy truth starts to weigh on me.

My own family was taken.

“I think so. Hold on.” There’s a garbled sound like he set his cell down. “Can you hear me?” The tinny reverberation of being on speaker makes him a little harder to understand.

“Yes. What can you find?” Blood rushing through my ears doesn’t help.

Whoever put together an attack on Daniil is aiming it at us. Of that, I have zero doubt.

I feel sick, and for the first time, the frigid Russian air seeps into a deep chill in my bones.

Fuck. I’m torn between running for my car, and hanging on Tyler’s every word.

“They threw him into an old van. The plates are hard to read, but I’ve found them on three different intersections so far…” He trails off to click more on his keyboard.

My legs twitch and my heart races like I should be doing something. Well, the least I can do is make it back to my car.

With the sound of him tapping in my earbud, I work my way quickly back to where I parked my white Lada near a snowbank to blend in.

Climbing into the frosty interior, Tyler still hasn’t updated me by the time the defrost begins to thaw the windshield.

I know better than to hound him. He’s in his own world when he works.

It doesn’t help get rid of this feeling like ants are crawling over my body. There’s something else I could be doing, I don’t know what, though.

Whoever those assholes are that took him, I’ll make them beg for death before I’m through with them.

If someone took him, there may be eyes on me. It’s too dangerous to try and make contact with my contractor.

But, I know the perfect place to hide this sim card until it’s safe enough to deliver it. There’s a loose brick on the back of my parent’s gravestone.

No one will look there.

With the heat now blasting in my car, I pull out into the road before I hear his voice again.

“Okay, I think I have him,” Ty sighs. “But, I don’t think you’re going to like this.”

“Just tell me.” I have no patience for games, not when my brother is on the line.

“I traced back to?—”

I’m propelled forward by a violent slam from behind, bouncing my forehead off of the steering wheel and rocketing the earbud off onto the floor panel.

Stars burst behind my eyes. What the fuck was that?

Just as explosively, the driver’s side door caves in, pinching me against the console in a wave of grinding pain before it’s ripped open.

Heavy hands grab me, jerking me free of the twisted frame.

I try to fight back, but my limbs are sluggish as my ears ring loud enough to dull any sound.

A dark hood gets draped over my head.

Shit, I know that smell.

Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe.

I can’t hold out any longer and take a ragged inhale.

The world goes fuzzy, sounds get muffled and harder to understand.

Fuck.

I can’t.

When my legs buckle beneath me, and I’m held up by my unseen assailants, I know I’m truly screwed.

Dragging my toes against the rough asphalt, it only takes one more breath before the world goes black.