Page 112 of Elite Metal: Warriors

She had to do something.

Even if it meant she lost this tenuous connection to Nurelnikov. Even if it meant she had to start over from scratch.

She simply could not allow Coop to die.

And she had no idea why.

She left the office and made tracks to her apartment and quickly assembled her gear and changed into an outfit more aligned with what she would have to do.

Ming Kow would be heading for the warehouse on Lánlǚ de Pier, but she knew he had an important meeting that afternoon. Hopefully, he would not cancel, which would give her the opportunity to sneak in before he got there, free Cooper and escape with no one the wiser.

But she wasn’t naïve enough to think it would be that easy.

It was a shame Gregor had disappeared into the woodwork as well. She could have used his help. But knowing Gregor, he would have made things difficult. He so often did. And Nat was used to handling things on her own.

It was no problem finding the warehouse. Though she’d never been there before, she’d seen the address listed in invoices and memos many times. She was not surprised to find it in a remote and rundown section of the dockside. It was obviously one Ming Kow used for some of his more illicit activities…ones he didn’t want anyone to witness.

It was a shabby, weatherworn building in an area that seemed abandoned, but she knew better. All the other buildings were just as dilapidated, but all showed signs of recent activity. All probably as foul as those her boss dealt in under the table.

She parked her car several blocks away and skirted the empty pallets piled in the yard, and, making her way to the side door, slipped inside. The warehouse was filled with stacks of crates, boxes, equipment—and, incomprehensibly, several cages near the back—but it was silent, still. She moved quietly, scanning each aisle with quick efficiency, but saw nothing. She was beginning to think she was too late, or too early, when she heard a sound. A low moan…and then a laugh.

She recognized Bruno’s gravelly voice and she froze. Of all of Ming Kow’s henchmen, Bruno was the most vicious. He’d been recruited because of his stellar resume, which included stints in black ops for the CIA, bag man for the Darkwater Corporation and mafia hit man. He was as nasty as his background suggested. Perhaps more so.

But Nat had two things on him. She knew his strengths and weaknesses…and she had surprise on her side. Also, he was distracted at the moment.

There was nothing Bruno enjoyed more than tormenting his victims and, as she peered around a stack of crates, she saw he was engaged in just such a thing.

It horrified her that the object of his evil desires was Cooper.

Bruno had him tied to a plank, with his head low. There was a bucket of the floor beside him. It was clear what was happening here and her gut clenched.

She fucking hated torture, but waterboarding was one of the worst. It gave the victim the sense that they were drowning and indeed, some did, if their tormentors were overzealous.

If he was one thing when it came to this kind of work, Bruno was just that. Overzealous to a fault.

“Are you ready to talk?” he said in a voice that made shivers walk up Nat’s spine.

Cooper made a sound, probably in the negatory, but it was hard to tell, because he was clearly disoriented. Who knew how long Bruno had been at this work? There was little time to waste, but before she made her move, Nat knew it was important to have a clear understanding of the threats here. She counted three other men, standing idly by, smoking, as Bruno verbally taunted Cooper. The men had side arms, but their automatic weapons were out of reach, leaning against the wall.

Fools.

She quickly checked the crates around her, knowing some of them would hold weapons. It took her a moment to find what she needed. Flash grenades. Perfect. They would disorient Bruno and his men enough for her to take her shots. She would need to take all four men down before she could rescue Cooper.

Without hesitation, she lobbed a series of the grenades into the area and hunched down as they went off. Yowls and cries resonated, and she moved quickly, dropping the men with four perfectly aimed shots to their chests. It was extremely satisfying to watch them fall.

Yeah, she missed this kind of work. She couldn’t deny it. It was good to know that her months working in an office hadn’t made her soft.

She ran across the floor to Cooper’s side and slit the zip ties holding him with her knife, but before she could help him up, Bruno groaned, and rose.

His gaze met hers and he hissed, “You!”

Fuck. He must have been wearing a vest.

There was no time to reach for her weapon, but a woman trained as she was didn’t need one. Her body was a lethal weapon. She whipped into a round-kick and smashed her boot into Bruno’s ugly face. He reeled back and then launched himself at her with a spittle-specked snarl. He got in one good punch—which robbed her of her breath—before she slithered around and put him in a choke hold. He flipped her over his back and to the floor and then lunged again, but she was ready for him. Using his momentum, she met him with her feet and threw him into the air over her head.

He landed with a resounding thud.

The fool should have stayed down, but he didn’t.