Tatiana glanced down at the time on her phone as she continued walking through another section of the warehouse complex.

Almost twenty minutes had already passed.

Her brows pulled together slightly as she slipped the phone back into her pocket and kept moving.

Twenty minutes and nothing.

Not even a strange reading.

The scanner inside her bag remained silent the entire time, the small device quietly sweeping the area around her while she moved from one section of the warehouse to another.

Crates were stacked everywhere. Some were small wooden boxes while others were massive metal containers that needed forklifts just to move them around. Workers pushed carts back and forth while trucks backed into loading bays with loud reversing alarms.

The place felt endless.

Tatiana had already checked two entire rows of storage space and half of a loading dock area yet the scanner had not picked up anything suspicious.

She slowly exhaled through her nose.

"Come on," she muttered under her breath.

Her eyes kept moving while she walked. Every few seconds she glanced at the guards positioned around the warehouse floor. The same so called soldiers Liam had pointed out earlier.

Even now the more she watched them the more she noticed the problems.

One of them was leaning casually against a crate while scrolling through his phone.

Another was laughing loudly with a worker instead of watching the area.

Definitely not real soldiers.

Tatiana adjusted the strap of her bag and continued forward, slowly weaving through the crowd while keeping her movements natural. To everyone else she looked like just another worker moving between sections of the warehouse.

But inside her bag the scanner kept working.

Still nothing.

She sighed quietly.

Meanwhile on the other side of the warehouse Liam was not searching for explosives at all.

His eyes had locked onto one of the fake soldiers earlier and he had quietly followed him through the crowd. The man had no idea he was being watched.

The guard looked relaxed, completely unaware of Liam’s presence behind him.

He walked casually between the stacks of crates with a rifle hanging loosely across his chest while occasionally glancing at his phone.

Then the man suddenly changed direction and headed toward a hallway along the side of the building.

Liam followed him.

The hallway was quieter than the warehouse floor. The noise of machines and workers faded slightly as the guard pushed open a metal door at the end of the corridor.

The sign on the door read restroom.

Liam slowed his pace slightly and waited a moment before stepping forward and pushing the door open.

Inside the small restroom the guard was already standing at the urinal.

The man had one hand against the wall while he urinated casually, his rifle hanging by its strap while he whistled to himself like he did not have a single worry in the world.

He cracked his neck slowly while continuing his little tune.

The sound of the door opening behind him barely registered in his mind.

He did not even bother turning around.

"Fuck off," he said casually.

"Can’t you see I’m here."

He expected whoever it was to leave.

But the footsteps behind him did not stop.

Instead they got closer.

The man frowned slightly.

Then he quickly zipped up and turned around with an annoyed expression on his face.

"What the fuck is wrong with you man?"

His voice carried clear irritation.

But the moment he looked up the words froze slightly in his throat.

Standing in front of him was a young man he had never seen before.

The guy looked calm. Too calm.

He wore dark sunglasses even though they were indoors. A scarf was wrapped neatly around his neck and a trimmed beard framed his jaw. His posture was relaxed as if he had just walked into a normal conversation.

The young man smiled.

"Hi."

The guard stared at him with confusion.

"What the hell do you wa-"

He never finished the sentence.

Liam moved.

The motion was so fast the guard barely even saw it coming.

His hand instantly moved toward the rifle hanging on his chest but he was far too slow.

Liam’s fist slammed directly into his face.

Bang!

The sound echoed loudly inside the small restroom.

Crack!

The guard’s nose shattered instantly under the impact and a burst of blood sprayed down from his nostrils.

"Ahh"

The cry of pain barely left his mouth before something cold pressed against his forehead.

The guard froze.

His eyes crossed slightly as he looked down at the gun now pointed directly at his head.

Liam stood inches away from him, the pistol steady in his hand.

His smile had not disappeared but the warmth behind it was gone.

It was cold now.

Almost lifeless.

"If I hear one more sound from you," Liam said quietly, "I will put a bullet through your skull."

The guard swallowed the rest of his scream.

His entire body started shaking.

This was the first time in his life someone had pointed a gun directly at his head with the intent to kill him.

His breathing became uneven as he slowly raised his hands.

"W what the hell man..."

Blood continued dripping from his broken nose as panic filled his eyes.

"What did I even do to you bro?"

His voice shook badly.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Liam tilted his head slightly.

"Who I am isn’t important."

The gun remained steady against the man’s forehead.

Liam’s eyes behind the sunglasses were calm and focused.

"Who the fuck are you."

The man swallowed again.

Up close he could see that the young man in front of him did not look nervous at all. No hesitation. No fear.

Just control.

"I I am just a normal gang member," the man stuttered quickly.

"They hired us as security."

His voice trembled as he spoke.

"They said we had to wear military clothes so people would think we are soldiers."

Liam watched him carefully.

The gun did not move even slightly.

"Who is they?"

The man’s breathing grew heavier as fear spread across his face while he realized he had just started answering questions that could easily get him killed.

And the gun pressed against his head reminded him that refusing to answer was not an option.