But he still wondered … Why?

As he watched the lights of the city, he noticed something strange. He checked his watch. The security patrol was late, and their main function was to act as a silent alarm. He waited another three minutes and then said, “Something’s wrong. They’ve found us. Initiate escape plan zulu.”

Zarina showed little reaction. She simply began gathering her things. Raskin shot to her feet and said, “What are you talking about? What escape plan? Who’s found us?”

“My hatred of you has ebbed, Dr. Raskin. But I’m afraid that I still need your ring.”

Raskin’s eyes went wide. She didn’t even try to hide the significance of the emerald ring that she had claimed was her grandmother’s. She wrapped her fists around the ring and said, “You can’t have it. It was—”

“I know what it is. And I’ve been ordered to retrieve it. I’ve been wanting to kill you slowly, but I no longer have the desire or time to do so. Hand it over.”

“Kruger, listen. You don’t understand what is contained in these files. These are the secret records of Biopreparat, the Soviet Union’s clandestine biological weapons program. And no one realizes the terrible things they were able to create. These files could kill millions.”

“And not retrieving those files would kill my daughter. The world could go to hell for all I care as I long as my sunshine is safe. Now, give me the ring.”

Raskin seemed to search around for a weapon. He had already ensured that she had none at her disposal.

“I’ll give you a choice. I can kill you swiftly with no pain,” he said. “You will simply be here one second and the next you will be in whatever is beyond this world. The second option is that I stab you in a precise surgical manner that penetrates your stomach, allowing the digestive enzymes inside to spill out onto your other organs and into your bloodstream. Keep in mind that the venom of rattlesnakes and other deadly vipers is actually quite similar to our own stomach acid. You would die amid immense suffering as your own body devours itself from the inside out.”

Raskin’s eyes went wild, and she ran for the door to the hallway. Kruger closed the gap in three long strides, the knife appearing in his hand as he moved.

He grabbed the scientist by the shoulder and spun her around. Then he penetrated her flesh, ramming the knife through her abdomen in such a way that it missed other vital organs but punctured her stomach. Then he jerked the knife to ensure that the organ’s lining wouldn’t seal and heal over the wound.

As she slid down the wall to the floor, he ripped the ring from her clenched fists, likely breaking a few finger bones in the process, and shoved the carrier for the hidden files into his pocket.

Raskin sat against the wall, tears in her eyes, clutching her bloody abdomen.