The guy next to him said, “Dude, just tell him where she is. These guys are bad news.”

“Shut up, bro!”

As these two were talking, Yaron said through the coms, “Lead, we found her in one of the back rooms. She’s beat up pretty bad. Two is with her. I’m clearing the rest.”

Furious, Nir reached for Arturo. But as he did, he heard a bang to his left. A compact man with scruffy beard had kicked in a side door and was aiming a shotgun directly at Nir. Nir lifted his Glock, knowing he’d never get a shot off in time.

A pop sounded from the other side of the building, and the side of the man’s head blew out.

He dropped.

Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

23:40 / 11:40 P.M. CST

Yaron still held his gun in firing position as he moved toward the prone man.

“One, continue clearing,” Nir said. Then pointing to Imri, “Go.” The operative broke off to secure the dead man’s shotgun and clear outside the door.

So much for nobody dying, Nir thought, angry.

“What did you do? What did you do?” Arturo was crying. The other two men were shaking, pushed as far back into the couch cushions as they could go.

Grabbing Arturo around the neck, Nir lifted him, then flung him against the wall. With his hands zip-tied behind his back, the man had nothing to slow his momentum. He hit hard, and then crumpled to the floor. The broken television separated from its mount and crashed on top of him.

Taking hold of the man again, this time by the collar, Nir pulled him up. “You want to know who killed your buddy? That was you.” He began dragging him over to where his friend lay dead. “That was you with your drugs. That was you with your stolen cars. And most of all, that was you with beating on little girls.”

“Come on, man. I’m sorry. I’ll leave her alone, I promise. I swear on my mother’s grave.” Arturo was sobbing now.

“Right side clear,” Yaron announced in the coms.

Nir reached the body, then took hold of the back of Arturo’s sweaty head. “Look at him. Look at him! You did this. This was all you!”

Tucking his boot under the dead man’s body, he rolled him over so he was faceup.

“Half his face is missing because you’re a pathetic punk. And unless you want to end up like your idiot friend”—Nir looked at the blood-soaked coveralls—“Wesley…unless you want to end up like Wesley here, you will never go near that girl again. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you believe me?”

“Yes.”

“Outside clear,” said Imri.

“Do you believe I will kill you without blinking an eye?”

“Yes.”

Nir let go, and the man collapsed to the ground.

“Team, let’s go.”