Chapter 8 - Kidnapped from the Safehouse: "You Bleed If She Cries"
The explosion at the marina had been a diversion.
While Enzo's tactical team rushed to contain the harbor fire, a heavily armed strike team from the Volkov syndicate struck the mountain safehouse in Eze where Sterling was being held.
Elena was resting in the secondary estate's study while Enzo coordinated with local authorities, when the power cut out completely. Red emergency lights bathed the corridors in a bloody glow.
Before Elena could reach for the emergency sidearm Enzo had given her, the reinforced glass of the study was breached. Stun grenades detonated with a blinding flash and a deafening crack.
Elena was disoriented, choking on the smoke, when gloved hands seized her roughly, binding her wrists with zip-ties and shoving a black hood over her head.
Two hours later, Elena was thrown onto a cold concrete floor. The hood was ripped away.
She was inside a rusted industrial warehouse smelling of salt, diesel, and dried fish—likely an abandoned cannery near the port of Nice.
Standing in front of her was Victor Volkov himself—a scarred, silver-haired Russian giant in a heavy wool coat, flanked by half a dozen armed mercenaries.
"So," Volkov sneered in a thick accent, looking down at her. "This is the little bookkeeper who made Moretti lose his mind. He burned three of my supply ships in Rotterdam this afternoon searching for you."
Elena lifted her chin, refusing to let him see the terror clawing at her throat. "If you know what he's capable of, you should start praying. Because when Enzo finds this room, you won't leave it alive."
Volkov laughed, a cruel, harsh sound. He pulled out a satellite phone, dialing a number and switching it to speaker.
"Moretti," Volkov spoke into the phone. "I have your little fiancée. If you want her returned in one piece, you will sign over the entire Mediterranean shipping corridor by midnight."
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Over the speaker, Enzo’s voice came through. It was not panicked. It was a sound of absolute, terrifying stillness.
"Listen to me very carefully, Volkov," Enzo said, his tone chillingly level. "If you lay one finger on her, if you make her shed a single tear, I will not just kill you. I will wipe your name, your family, and your bloodline from every record in Europe. I am coming for her now."
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