The elevator descended toward the hotel's parking garage with agonizing slowness. Antonio's men flanked Lucky and me, their weapons concealed but ready. Through the small window, I watched the floor numbers counting down like a timer to our execution.
"Commander Chen will find us," I said, testing Antonio's reaction.
My brother laughed softly. "Commander Chen is three floors above us, preparing to storm an empty room. She thinks she is rescuing you from Syndicate remnants."
"But you control her movements."
"I control information. Chen gets reports that confirm her assumptions about who took you." Antonio checked his watch again. "In approximately four minutes, she will discover surveillance footage showing Viktor's surviving lieutenants dragging you away."
Lucky strained against the z
