His eyes met Malin’s in the split second between storming the building and throwing the smoke bombs.
She was imploring him with those beautiful hazel eyes, and he was powerless to ignore her and follow the terms of the mission when Orlov had a gun to her head.
Dutch knew Mantis had already extracted Alegria, and the next step should’ve been for him, Razor, and Striker to exit the building before the men guarding her could see well enough to start shooting.
Orlov also knew time was short before he’d face the same response from Ghafor’s guards, especially given he was trying to kidnap a woman they believed worked for their boss.
Speaking of their boss, there had been no sign of Abdul Ghafor.
Dutch made his way through the smoke-filled room, almost not caring who he came in contact with; his weapon was at the ready, and there was no question that he’d shoot first.
“Let her go, Sergei,” he said, once they were outside. “She has no value to you.”
“On the contrary, it is you to whom she has no value. First you cast her aside to take another man’s woman, and then you rescue the same woman with no intention of taking our beautiful Malin with you.”
Dutch kept his eyes laser-focused on Orlov, all the while trying to process what he was saying. The Russian knew too much about his and Malin’s history for this to be a random act. He was here specifically for her, but why?
Striker would know if United Russia had an issue with her involvement with the Islamic State, which seemed highly unlikely, but what other reason could there be?
“What do you want from her, Orlov?” Razor shouted from behind him. “Whatever UR is paying you, we’ll double.”
When Sergei laughed, Dutch broke his stare and looked at Malin. She was scared, which had to mean she knew why Orlov had his gun at her temple, that he’d come specifically for her, and whatever it was, he’d either kill her or deliver her to whomever was paying him, where she’d eventually meet the same fate.
Each of the K19 partners brought their own special skill set to the table. For Dutch, it was his ability to make the one-in-a-million shot every time he fired. Orlov knew it too. While he may be known as “the Gun,” Dutch could very well have been known as “the Sniper.”
The truth was, he’d been waiting for this opportunity. Orlov wasn’t the only name on his hit list, not by far, but one by one, he intended to pick every one of them off, even if it took him until his last breath to do it.
Time to meet your maker, Sergei, thought Dutch.
With Razor and Striker at his back, Dutch didn’t hesitate, he fired and hit Orlov right between the eyes before the man knew the shot had gone off.
Dutch ran forward to grab Malin and get her away from the scene, when out of the corner of his eye, Dutch saw Ghafor walking toward them.
Chapter 32
Mantis and Alegria
“Papa,” Alegria cried.
Mantis stood near the door of the infirmary, watching her reunion with the man who had rarely been there for her when she was growing up.
The disparity between his own upbringing and hers was glaring, yet the love that passed between parent and child was almost universal.
As he watched, Mantis saw no recrimination on her part, only palpable relief that her “Papa” was alive and would make a full recovery from the beatings that had been inflicted on him.
Pierre Mondreau cupped his daughter’s face with his hand. “I was so worried about you. Thank God you’re safe.”
“Look at what they did to you, and it’s all my fault.”
“Non, ma fille.” Her father shook his head. “Your maman…”
Alegria turned and looked at Mantis. “We can leave as soon as your father is cleared to travel.”
“Thank you,” she mouthed to him, and then turned back to her father. “Have you seen the doctor tonight?”
He shook his head.
“Let me see if I can track him down,” Mantis offered.