"How many men do we have?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.
"Twenty." Valentino's voice is flat. Controlled. "Five per entrance. We hit all four points simultaneously. The building comes down in three minutes."
Three minutes.
That's how long Antonella has to survive before I reach her.
The SUV slows as we approach the south side of the meatpacking plant. The building looms ahead, a hulking mass of rusted metal and broken windows. It looks abandoned. Dead.
But I know better.
I know my wife is inside. I know she's scared. I know she's hurt. And I know that the man who took her plans to kill her regardless of whether I deliver the ledgers.
Scar.
Liam told me his name. Told me his reputation. Told me he kills for pleasure, not profit. That he made a promise to someone that Antonella wouldn't survive this.
I'm going to tear him apart.
"Bruno." Nico's hand lands on my shoulder. "Can you do this?"
I turn to look at him.
"I walked across Pietro's office," I say. "I'll walk through that building if I have to crawl."
Something shifts in Nico's expression. Not pity. Not doubt. Something that looks almost like respect.
"Then let's get your wife back."
The SUV stops.
Valentino kills the engine. Through the windshield, I can see our men moving into position. Dark shapes against darker shadows, spreading out around the building like a noose tightening around a throat.
"Thirty seconds," Pietro's voice crackles through the earpiece.
I check my weapon. The weight of the gun feels right in my hand. Familiar. Like an extension of my arm.
"Ten seconds," Pietro says.
I reach for the door handle.
My legs protest. My spine screams. Every part of my body that spent two years in a wheelchair begs me to stop.
I ignore all of it.
"Five seconds."
Valentino exits the driver's side. Nico moves around to my door, ready to provide cover.
"Three."
I push the door open.
"Two."
I step out onto the cracked asphalt.
"One."