by Ivy Clyde
“Don’t sneak up on me like that again,” I said, patting my chest to calm my pounding heart. Ducking behind the curtain, I moved forward.
“What are you doing, Danny?” Alexei hissed as he followed me.
“I am going to save Charlene.”
“How?”
“I’ve got a gun too.”
“The other guys have guns too but they’re not shooting the man because they might end up killing the girl.”
“I have better aim,” I said, moving toward a point from where I could target the man without him noticing me. “I’ll make sure not to kill her.”
“You don’t have to do this,” said Alexei in a low, grim tone. “Rescuing hookers is not part of your job.”
I whirled around to face him. My chest rose and fell as my breathing got heavier. I was trying my best to control my rage so I really wouldn’t end up punching Alexei Sokolov in the face. Ivan wouldn’t like it if I ruined his nephew’s handsome face.
“Victor wouldn’t have stopped me,” I hissed like an angry cat. “He gave me this gun as a gift and he won’t mind me saving one his assets. He won’t mind me saving someone who reminds me of River.”
Alexei looked struck by my words. He didn’t stop me again as I stomped toward the corner which presented me with the assailant’s back.
Taking the gun out, I held it up, aiming for the man’s head. The distance between him and me made it challenging but I knew I had to take a clean shot at his head. It was the only way to save Charlene at the moment.
I felt a rush of hot breath hitting the back of my neck as my finger coiled over the trigger. My body tensed, but Alexei didn’t make a move or say a word.
Calming my mind, I aimed and shot three bullets in quick succession.
The shots echoed around the quiet hall but the man was already hit twice behind his head and once in the neck by then.
Several women screamed while the bouncers looked toward the spot where I was hiding, trying to see who’d fired the shots.
The bottle slid away from the assailant’s fingers and crashed to the floor. Next second, his whole body slumped backward and hit the ground. Charlene shook from head to foot as she slowly turned around to see what happened to her attacker.
Stowing my gun away, I ran out into the open and reached Charlene before anyone else could. My arms wrapped around her tightly in a hug as she slumped into me.
“You’re going to be okay,” I said as I rubbed her back.
My gaze met with one of the bulky dudes in black. “Clean up the mess,” I said in an authoritative tone.
The man looked confused for a moment but looked wary once again as someone came to stand behind me. Glancing behind me, I saw Alexei staring at the bouncer with cool amber eyes.
I dragged Charlene to the corner so I could take a look at her wound.
Making her sit on a chair, I took off my jacket and draped it around her shaking shoulders. Next, I dropped to my knees and checked out the injury on her side.
“Is she okay?” a strange voice sounded from behind me.
Straightening up, I faced Kyle.
“She needs a doctor to fix her up,” I said. Stepping forward, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward me, so I could look him in the face. “Get her treated right away. Do you understand me? I’ll personally come and carve your pretty face if anything happens to her.”
“O-okay!” he blurted out.
Stepping out of the way, I let the young man take care of Charlene. It was better she stayed with someone familiar rather than a stranger like me.
“Come with me,” said Alexei as his fingers wrapped around my wrist.
I let him pull me alongside him until we stepped out of the club. An early evening was setting in and a breeze blew all around us. I shivered from the cold.
Out here, the city seemed unaware of the incident that happened inside the nightclub just now. People on the streets hunched against the strong cold wind and kept going about their business. No one would ever know about the man who’d soon be declared ‘missing’ by the police.
“You’ve changed a lot since the day I met you,” said Alexei after a while.
“I’m still the same,” I said, meeting his intense gaze.
“You’re not the same person who was crying in Boris’s hold, begging for him to stop.”
I swallowed against the sudden, irrational fear that choked my throat.
“Victor managed to beat the fear and doubt in you,” he said in a slow, measured voice. “Or maybe you realized no man is as scary as my cousin.”
I stayed silent and looked away. He wasn’t completely wrong.
I’d definitely changed from the doubtful, blithering young recruit I’d been a week ago. The sight of a young prostitute being held hostage didn’t disturb me one bit. I was calm when I took aim to shoot someone dead.
“Victor would’ve been proud to see the way you threatened that young pimp,” said Alexei with a sudden grin that lit up his face.
“I meant those words,” I said in a grim tone. “He better take care of that young lady or I’ll finish him.”
Alexei’s amber eyes glowed with an inner light. “You’re claiming your power, Danny.” He rested his hands on my shoulders. “You make me proud too.”
Surprise flitted through me. “I thought you’d be mad at me.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not mad. I was just worried you’d get hurt while trying to be a hero.”
“I wasn’t being a hero. I just didn’t want that kid hurt. She isn’t working in this place by choice. Her circumstances must’ve forced her...”
“You’re thinking of my cousin’s whore?”
“Don’t call him that,” I bit out. “Please, Alexei...don’t call him that again.”
I thought he’d get mad at me again but he gently patted my head and then caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re so hard to figure out.” Letting out a sigh, he gestured toward the parking lot. “We can talk later but right now, we’ve got to get out of here. We have another meeting to get to.”
I gave a nod, hoping the next meeting would be completely dull and boring, but my strangely pounding heart told me not to let my guard down just yet...
32
Danica
I stared at a bakery as we passed down a street. The place was already decorated for Christmas even though it wasn’t December just yet. For a moment, I wondered if Victor and Alexei celebrated Christmas. I was about to ask Alexei when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Taking it out, I found texts from an unknown number. Opening the messages, I realized they were all coming from River because the first one started with a photo of him pretending to be sad.
When are you coming back? – River
I’m missing you so much. – River
I’ve ordered meatball sandwiches from our favorite place, so hurry up and get your ass here ASAP! – River
A smile rose on my lips as I read each of his texts.
“What’s making you so happy?” asked Alexei from beside me. He leaned into me and stared at my phone screen. “How close are you with River?”
I looked up at Alexei and felt my face heating up.
“We’ve gotten close,” I said, looking back at my phone. “He’s very sweet and I love his dog.”
“That big useless heap of fur?”
I frowned and Alexei suddenly chuckled. “You’re so easy to tease. I said that just to see how you’d react.” His amber eyes glowed with humor as my frown deepened. “You’re protective of your people,” he said in a more serious tone. “I like that about you, Danny. It’s something you have in common with both me and my cousin.”
“I can’t help it,” I said in a low, grim tone. “An orphan is desperate for love.”
“I understand.”
I looked back at him. “You do?”
“I’m an orphan too, Danny.”
I archived that information in my mind. The department nev
er had much intel on Alexei. He was even more elusive than Victor but it explained why we knew nothing about his parents and why he was working so closely with Ivan’s son.
The car was driving through a darkened, deserted street now.
“Are we close to our next meeting venue?” I asked, looking down the road.
“Yeah; we’re almost there.”
I am about to go into another meeting, I quickly typed out a text to River. It would be a few hours before I can come home. I miss Ginger.
River’s reply came back in a few seconds.
Just Ginger? - River
The sandwiches and mozzarella sticks too. – Danica
You’re such a tease! – River
I chuckled but caught myself and glanced at Alexei. He was staring at me with an amused look in his handsome face.
The car came to a stop before a tall gate, fenced on the sides by tall, thick brick walls. I squinted through the window to get a better view but the place was shrouded in darkness.
“Is this the place?” I asked, still trying to look through the window. “Why is it so dark?”
“That’s what I’m wondering too,” said Alexei. “They aren’t supposed to stop production. Besides, they knew I was coming over today.”
Next moment, Alexei stepped out of the car.
I followed him and reached him, coming to stand before the gates of the estate. The property was surrounded by vast stretches of grounds with no other building in sight. It looked like someone’s private property.
Alexei pushed at the gate and it swung open with a heavy, creaking sound. The outline of a vast mansion loomed in the distance surrounded by heavily wooded grounds. A wide, clean path stretched before us.
“Should I ask the car to take us in?” I asked.
“It’s fine,” said Alexei. “Let’s walk.”
My gaze darted around the dark grounds. A frigid breeze blew through the bare tree branches, making them wave wildly over our heads. I stayed alert even though I didn’t pick up any sounds.
Despite appearances, this place was supposed to be a kind of drug manufacturing hub. There should be security guards patrolling these shadowy grounds. Why was no one around?
I was about to step forward when Alexei’s arm suddenly swung out before me, halting me. “Do you have your gun with you, Danny?”
“Yeah.”
“Take it out.”
“What?”
He gestured toward the house before us. “Something doesn’t feel right,” he said. “It’s too deserted and too quiet.”
“Could it be because Tommy is absent?”
“No. His absence doesn’t mean they’d all leave without informing someone on whatever the fuck’s going on here.”
I took the gun out and held it steadily in my hand. My whole body shivered from the cold but the absence of my jacket provided more free movement.
“We should go back,” I said. “You can cancel the meeting, right? Maybe we can come back with more people.”
Alexei’s face was lit up by the glow of his cell phone screen. His features were contorted in the harsh light.
“We need to get out of here,” he whispered as he looked at me. “I can’t reach any of the people who work here.”
I gave a nod.
We were about to turn back when something whizzed over our heads, followed by the resounding echo of a gunshot.
“Shit!” Alexei cursed, pushing me down on the ground.
My head turned toward the direction from where the shot was fired. The person shooting at us couldn’t be far away. Before I could push myself up from the ground, another bullet was shot at us.
“They’re close by,” I said in a harsh panting voice. “It’s too dark to aim at us from a distance.”
Alexei was covering me with his body as he desperately scanned the tree trunks around us.
“Stay on the ground,” I whispered while my heart hammered in my chest. “You’re unarmed, so let me cover you.” My eyes caught movement to my right. I took aim immediately and shot at the body about to dart toward a closer tree trunk.
The figure fell forward and stayed on the ground.
Staying hunched, I scanned the area around us. Right now, we were both out in the open while our attackers hid in the shadows of the thick trees. It was easier for them to shoot at us.
“We need to get behind some trees,” I told Alexei. “We won’t make it easy on them to shoot us.” My training was kicking in as I slowly crawled on my elbows and knees. “Follow me, Alexei. Stay close to the ground.”
Few minutes in, I realized Alexei was having trouble keeping up with me. He wasn’t used to the merciless drills Ethan designed to train me. I could hear his heavy breathing close behind me. Bullets were shot at us but staying against the ground helped us avoid them.
I’d already lost four precious bullets. The magazine held ten, leaving me with only six. With no other weapon between us, we were truly fucked.
“Listen, Alexei,” I whispered. “Get to that ring of trees while I run over there.” I pointed to the spot where I’d shot one of the attackers. “I’ll distract them, so just run that way.”
“No way!” he hissed.
“We don’t know how many men have us trapped here,” I said in a harsh whisper. “I want to get that man’s gun. We’ll be safer with more bullets in our hands.”
“You better be careful, Danny,” he said, his eyes gleaming in the dark. “Or I’ll punish you worse than Victor.”
I swallowed and gave a nod. Grabbing a handful of dirt and dry leaves, I threw it to my left. At once, a few shots were fired. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, both Alexei and I leaped forward, running in different directions.
I slammed onto the ground as soon as the direction of the firing changed. Turning my head, I saw Alexei had disappeared.
Good job, I thought as I crawled on the ground and reached for the thicket of bushes where I could see a pair of legs sticking out. Dragging my body behind the bush, I stared down at the fallen man.
My bullet had hit him in the neck. He was bleeding out profusely and would be dead soon. Snatching his pistol, I stowed it in my trousers’ pocket.
Grabbing the man’s hair, I shook him until he opened his eyes and blinked at me weakly. “Who do you work for?” I asked him in a cold voice.
The man coughed hard and groaned.
“Tell me,” I demanded, tightening the grip on his hair.
“The Sullivan brothers,” he gasped out. “S-save me. Please...”
I moved away from the moaning man. He wouldn’t survive the gunshot I’d inflicted on him. Part of me felt sorry for him but there was nothing I could do for him while my and Alexei’s lives were still in danger.
The large, overgrown brambles allowed me to get to my feet and survey the path before me. From my position, I could catch glimpses of men peering out from behind the tree trunks.
I took a moment to calm myself. These men belonged to the Sullivan brothers, a smaller mob working the drug peddling business in the city. Tommy Regio was selling to them and that was the reason, he received such a harsh punishment from Victor yesterday.
Were the Sullivan brothers attacking the Sokolov gang because they were scared of consequences? Did they already know what happened to Tommy? Were they trying to silence those who knew of their deal with Tommy? Were the rest of the Sokolov men working here dead already? Did Alexei and I come at the wrong time?
Questions churned in my mind but one thing became very clear to me. These men were here to kill everyone involved in the deal with the Sullivans. The men shooting us had no idea who we were. They probably thought we were part of the operations happening in this out-of-the-way mansion.
Taking a deep breath, I aimed at the man closest to me. He was already in the open, trying to search for me and Alexei.
The man went down with a cry but several bullets were shot toward me, forcing me behind the bush.
“Where are they?” someone shou
ted. “Where the fuck did they go?”
“I can’t see them, boss!” another strange voice shouted back.
Following the sound of their voices, I glimpsed two figures close to where I hid. Crouching to the ground, I peered through the gaps in the brambles, took aim, and shot.
The two men crumpled down, letting out curses.
My own heart hammered hard in my chest as bullets flew over my head, but I realized there weren’t as many gunshots as before. The number of attackers seemed to have reduced drastically. Either my guess was right or the others were just hiding.
The crunch of leaves under heavy footsteps alerted me to a new presence. A shadow stretched out before me, followed by the figure of a stranger.
“Over here! I got one of them!” he shouted as he jumped toward me, tackling me to the ground. The gun in my hand slid away as he punched me in the face.
Ignoring the blinding pain, I twisted my legs around the man’s ankles and threw him to the ground. He sprawled before me and I was on him before he could get up. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, I slammed his head on the forest floor.
The man groaned but he tried to buck underneath my weight and throw me off. Gritting my teeth, I slammed his head hard once again, feeling the strength in his legs starting to loosen.
I battered his head a few more times until he didn’t move again.
“Stay there!” someone shouted from behind me.
My arms rose up at once.
“Turn around slowly,” a man’s voice commanded.
Breathing hard, I turned around and faced three tall men. They all had their guns pointed at me.
“Recognize him, Harry?” asked the man.
“No. I’ve never seen him before,” answered the man to his left.
“Who are you guys?” I asked, despite knowing who they were. A familiar figure was slowly creeping behind them and I needed these men to keep their attention on me so that Alexei’s sneak attack was as effective as possible.
“Who the fuck are you?” the man retorted, waving his gun in my face.
“I was told to pick up some shit,” I lied. “Why the fuck are you shooting at me, man?” Alexei was slowly inching closer to the group with a large rock in his hand.