Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
I check my watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. Ten hours. Ten fucking hours since Matteo told me she escaped. Ten hours of planning, preparing, making calls, and barely keeping my shit together.
The SUV cuts through the night, headlights off as we approach Ivan's neighborhood. My knuckles are white on the handle of my gun. I haven't spoken more than was essential since we left. What is there to say? She walked right into his hands.
"We're three minutes out," Alessio says from the driver's seat, his voice low and steady. Nothing rattles him—not even this suicide mission.
Matteo shifts beside me. "You still think she's alive?"
I turn to him, my jaw clenched so tight it hurts. "Don't."
"Just asking what we're walking into."
"We stick to the plan," I say, checking my weapon again. "Nothing changes."
The weight of my tactical vest feels like nothing compared to the weight inside my chest.
"Damiano's team is in position," Alessio reports, touching his earpiece. "Enzo's ready on the east side."
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. The image of Evelyn playing her violin keeps flashing through my mind—the way her body swayed, how her eyes closed when she hit those notes that seemed to cut right through me. Then I see her face when she learned about Jessica. The hatred in her eyes when she looked at me.
"She didn't understand what she was walking into," I say, more to myself than to them.
Matteo gives me a sideways glance. "You really think she believed Ivan would just trade?"
"She was desperate." I run my hand over my face. "And I fucking let it happen."
Alessio makes a final turn, killing the engine as we approach Ivan's townhouse. The street is quiet—too quiet. No pedestrians, no cars moving. Ivan's men have cleared the area.
"You know," Matteo says as we prepare to exit, "I've never seen you like this over anyone."
I ignore him, checking my earpiece and the extra magazines in my pockets.
"If we get her out—" Alessio starts.
"When," I correct him, my voice leaving no room for doubt. " When we get her out."
The three of us share a look in the darkness of the SUV. These men have been with me through countless operations, through blood and bullets and close calls. But this is different. This isn't business.
I signal to Matteo and Alessio, and we slip out of the SUV like shadows. The night air is cold against my face, the only part of me not covered by tactical gear.
"Remember the layout," I whisper, tapping my temple. "Three minutes to get in position. No earlier, no later."
Ten fucking hours we waited for this moment. Ten hours since I called in that favor from Senator Williams—the man whose wife I pulled from a burning car last year when his enemies wanted to send a message. His connections got us the complete architectural plans for Ivan's townhouse. Every entrance, every wall thickness, every goddamn air duct.
"I still think this is suicide," Matteo mutters, checking his weapon one last time. "Ivan's expecting you."
"That's the point," I say, my voice low and hard. "He wants me to come through the front door. That's why I'm going in alone first."
"Like hell you are," Alessio cuts in. "Damiano would skin us alive."
"I didn't ask for your fucking permission." I check my watch. "Two minutes."
Matteo grabs my arm. "We argued this already. You go in alone, you die. Evelyn dies. Everyone dies. Stick to the plan."
I clench my jaw, wanting to argue but knowing he's right. The plan is solid—I just want Ivan's blood more than I want to admit.
"Fine. We move together but when we find Ivan?—"
"He's yours," Alessio finishes my diktat. "We know."
I direct one last glance toward the second SUV parked half a block behind us. The silhouettes of Damiano and Enzo are barely visible in the darkness. I insisted they stay back—this is my mess to clean up not theirs.
"They won't stay put if shit hits the fan," Matteo mutters, following my gaze.
"I know." I check my watch again. "But I owe them everything. I can't drag them into my personal vendetta."
The Ferettis gave me a life when I had nothing. A purpose when I was just a kid with blood on his hands. I won't repay that by getting them killed over a woman I took without permission.
"Damiano's not stupid," Alessio says, adjusting his earpiece. "He knows what Ivan could do to his business if this goes wrong."
"That's why they're backup only." I pull the mask down over my face. "One minute."
The truth is I know they'll come in if they hear gunfire. Damiano Feretti protects his own and for better or worse, I'm family. They've given me everything for this operation—men, weapons, intelligence. All I asked was for them to stay back unless absolutely necessary.
"You ready?" I ask, checking my watch one last time.
Matteo nods. "Let's get your girl."
"Move," I say and we slip into the shadows, leaving behind the safety of distance and the knowledge that two of the most dangerous men in New York are watching our backs.
I lead the way through the darkness, every step precise as we move toward the service entrance. My night vision goggles reveal the landscape in eerie green clarity. According to the blueprints Ivan's townhouse isn't just a residence—it's a fortress with two underground levels.
"There," I say, pointing to what appears to be a normal section of brick wall near the service entrance.
Matteo moves beside me. "You sure?"
"Senator Williams' intel is solid. The Russians built this place during the Cold War—the paranoid bastards installed escape routes everywhere."
We approach the wall cautiously. What looks like ordinary brick to the naked eye has subtle differences only visible under close inspection. I run my fingers along the seam where the hidden door should be.
"Ivan might be expecting me through the front but he doesn't know about this," I mutter, feeling for the mechanism. "The plans were classified until Williams pulled strings."
Alessio keeps watch while I work. "How do we know Ivan doesn't have the same connections?"
"We don't," I admit. "But it's our best shot."
My fingers find what I'm looking for—a small depression that shouldn't exist in normal brickwork. I press firmly, feeling something give way with a soft click. The section of wall shifts slightly.
"Got it," I whisper, pushing the hidden door inward. It moves silently on slick hinges.
A narrow passage appears, leading down. The air smells stale and metallic. I signal for Matteo and Alessio to follow as I step inside, gun raised.
"Straight to the lower level," I murmur into my comm. "That's where they'll keep prisoners."
The passage slopes downward, taking us beneath the main foundation. If Ivan has Evelyn and the others locked up they'll be in the second basement—the most secure area.
"Damiano, we're in," I report quietly. "Proceeding to target."
His voice comes through my earpiece. "Copy. Front diversion in two minutes."
I feel a surge of adrenaline as we descend deeper. Somewhere in this concrete maze Evelyn is waiting. I just hope to God we're not too late.