Chapter 12
The firefight was a masterclass in tactical slaughter. Soren's elite operators moved seamlessly, flanking the panicked mercenaries and neutralizing them with brutal efficiency. The air grew thick with the smell of cordite and the metallic tang of blood.
Soren stepped over a fallen hostile, his polished combat boots leaving crimson prints on the concrete floor. He moved deeper into the warehouse, bypassing the main skirmish to locate the central cluster of thermal signatures.
He reached a reinforced interior office, its thick glass windows shattered by stray bullets. Inside, cowering behind an overturned metal desk, was Marcus Thorne. The notorious underworld fixer was bleeding from a graze wound on his shoulder, desperately trying to reload a silver handgun.
Soren didn't fire. He kicked the shattered remnants of the door aside, stepping into the room. The harsh, flickering light of a broken fluorescent bulb illuminated his angular face and the extreme, terrifying calm in his eyes.
"Did you believe... you could profit from my son's disappearance?" Soren asked, his deep, raspy voice echoing in the small office.
Thorne looked up, his fair skin draining of all color. He scrambled backward, dropping the empty gun. "Blackwell! It was a business transaction! Camilla paid me to transport the child to the Canadian border! I wasn't going to hurt him!"
"Is stealing my blood... considered a legitimate business transaction?" Soren inquired smoothly, lowering his rifle.
"He's in the back room!" Thorne shrieked, pointing a shaking finger toward a heavy steel door at the rear of the office. "He's safe! I swear to God, he hasn't been touched! Please, let me go!"
Soren looked at the trembling fixer. He felt absolutely no mercy. The man had willingly participated in the kidnapping of a helpless infant.
"Will God show you mercy for caging an infant?" Soren asked quietly.
May you like
He didn't wait for an answer. Soren drew a sleek, suppressed pistol from his tactical vest and fired a single, flawless shot. The bullet struck Thorne perfectly between the eyes, ending the mercenary's life instantly.
Soren holstered the weapon, his focus instantly shifting to the heavy steel door.
