Vicious Justice

by Tobi Doyle

  “Yes, I know. You’ve been an idiot about this girl for almost a year. Vanya was going to ask her out just to get you to finally make a move. For Christ’s sake, you’ve gotten more haircuts in the last year than you have in a decade.” Dima sounded cheerful. “You need to remarry her. A nice ceremony with her friends and yours. I get to be best man.”

  “Deal.”

  “Good. Now shut the fuck up, we are almost there.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Men were disgusting creatures. The smells coming from the scratchy fabric of the stained fabric couch that my head rested on was a mix of cigarette, fart, and I’m pretty sure Absorbine, Jr.

  I took stock of my aching body, and clearly all the parts were there, although my bra had been shoved down below my breasts so someone had copped a feel while I was passed out.

  But here’s the thing, having been abused for so many years I had no more fucks to give. I wanted to survive. I shifted as silently as possible on the crappy couch and realized I was in an office trailer. A fake wooden desk took up most of the back wall and there were framed certificates hanging on the dilapidated wood paneling. White lawn chairs served as the spare chairs in the cramped space, and there was a narrow door that probably led to a tiny bathroom, which could be why a flatulent smell permeated the space.

  Voices spoke outside. Russian-accented and Eric. And they weren’t happy.

  I twisted until I could see the duct tape binding my ankles and wrists. Thankfully, Eric, being the cheap bastard he was, probably bought the tape at the dollar store on the corner, which meant I had a pretty good chance of tearing it. Contorting into an unnatural yoga pretzel, I flicked my fingernail under the end of the tape and pulled on the ankle binding.

  I half listened and smelled the cigarette smoke wafting in probably from under the flooring, and continued to pick at the strip until I pried away a couple of inches. I pinched the end of the tape and tried to rip it apart, hoping Eric was lazy and only wrapped it a couple of times. And if he’d bought the cheap stuff at the dollar store, he only had ten yards to play with and…

  One ankle free.

  He’d looped duct tape tying my ankles to my wrists but the loop of tape pulled away and eased the tension between my wrists. I slid one hand out and removed the rest of the duct tape. I rolled my shoulders and winced at the sharp clicks and grinding sensation in my joints.

  I wanted a weapon. I grabbed a framed certificate off the wall, pulled the frame apart and placed the glass on the couch and snapped off a shard. I wrapped the fat end of glass in the duct tape and made a crude knife.

  I wanted out. The bathroom was tiny and windowless. It did, however, have a vent above the toilet they’d obviously added to help rid the stench of the occupant’s breakfast burritos. The white plastic domed square was probably smaller than my hips, but fat squished, and I didn’t have a lot of other choices. I locked the bathroom door.

  The smell of cigarette smoke was stronger here, too and I worried they were on the other side of the wall. Still, being on the roof of the building was better than being inside the building. I stood on the toilet and flipped open the white plastic vent. The vent was probably intended for an RV, not an office trailer, but I doubted the occupants worried about code violations.

  I peeked through the opening and heard Eric and the Russian talking near the front, giving me at least nine feet of distance. I gently placed my glass weapon on the roof and slid my arm through the opening, leaning my elbow on the roof’s cool metal surface. I expected the metal to whine with my every move, but I needed a place to hide.

  The office trailer was parked against a mountain ridge, and there were two large trucks parked next to it. On the far side stood a large railroad car probably used as a storage shed. The car wouldn’t stop bullets, but it might delay them from killing me.

  And I wanted to survive.

  I slid my other arm through and popped one boob at a time through the hole. My butt might not fit…

  Eric begged the man for mercy.

  But not for me.

  “I’m so sorry, Adri,” he screamed out.

  I pushed, forcing my flesh through the opening and sat on the edge. I pulled up my legs.

  The crack of a gunshot echoed around the valley.

  We’re we in a quarry?

  Was there a quarry in San Francisco?

  Eric screamed.

  I closed the vent cover, stuffed my weapon in my back pocket, and laid flat on the roof. Silent and still.

  The man moved. Two more gun shots.

  On my belly, I inched closer to the trucks.

  The office door squealed open.

  I stood and leapt off the end of the trailer and onto the hood of the truck, cushioning my knees to soften the noise like when Elena and I would jump from my father’s truck onto the roof of the house to escape.

  The trailer shook. “Open the door!”

  I climbed onto the roof of the truck cab and leapt to the next one. My knee gave out and I fell against the unforgiving metal.

  Trained by a sadist, I didn’t scream.

  Had he heard me?

  It didn’t matter. Keep going.

  Scrambling toward the railroad car, I reached out for the roof ledge.

  One hand.

  One elbow.

  A gun shot from inside the trailer.

  Second hand.

  “Where are you bitch?” Angry Russian curses followed.

  Second elbow. Pull. Hips up. Hips over. Roll flat.

  I was done.

  The trailer office door slammed open.

  I stared at the night sky. Cloudy and dark, with a bit of a chill, I wished I could see the stars. I breathed silently. Inching toward the center of the roof, moving slower than the Earth revolves. Patient. Quiet.

  My past proved useful.

  I would wait him out. He would leave, bored, and I could escape.

  “Come out and I won’t hurt you,” he called out. His lies echoed around the valley. He walked around the trailer. “Come on, sweetheart. Dima will be very upset if he doesn’t get to play with you.” He spoke loud enough for me to hear him, but not loud enough for the echo to reply.

  It was so silent in this small valley. I couldn’t hear the ocean, seagulls, or crickets. His footsteps wandered around the trailer.

  I didn’t look. Never look. They can feel you watching them.

  “You clever girl, where have you gotten to?” He opened up a truck door, and it screeched.

  More footsteps. Closer. The second truck door opened.

  “Fuck.”

  Tires crunched on gravel, approaching. Dima? Was this good or bad?

  The railroad car door shook. “If you are in there, you better come out now, bitch. If you don’t, he’ll torture you.”

  Clearly this Russian didn’t understand logic or how to threaten.

  “Grigori?” Dima’s voice called out.

  “Over here,” Grigori answered. “Fucking bitch, open this door.” He hissed the words.

  “Why is Eric dead?” Dima’s voice sounded cold, completely unaffected by death.

  And I understood, because I could grieve later, but now was the time to stay silent and calm.

  “He proved useless,” Grigori answered calmly.

  “Where’s the girl?” Dima asked.

  “She’s in there.”

  “Then open the fucking door.” Dima’s deadly calm voice sent a chill over my skin.

  The door rattled.

  “Shoot the lock,” Dima said.

  Footsteps moved away, probably afraid of ricochet, which could be an issue for me too, but it was a risk I chose.

  The gun fired twice more and clicked. “I’m out.” Grigori pulled at the door.

  Another gun fired, a different sound, quieter. “He’s dead, Adrianna. It’s safe. Come. Alyosha is here.”

  I waited, prayed he told the truth, prayed that Alyosha would come for me.

  “Alyosha, come get your woman,” Dima called
out.

  “Kotyonok? Where are you?” Alyosha’s voice sounded panic-stricken and I laughed, a hysterical screech as joy swooped through me.

  I scrambled to the side and smiled down. So relieved. Ridiculously relieved.

  Dima stood, legs wide apart and looked up at me and smiled. “Smart girl. There’s a ladder at the end.” In the dark, his scar wasn’t as imposing, and the warmth of his voice melted my fears.

  “She’s here, Alyosha. Your capable kitten hid well.”

  I swung my leg over and reached for the first rung. One rung at a time I descended until Alyosha’s arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me from the ladder.

  “Kotyonok, I love you. I never should have left you.” He set me on my feet and held my face in his hands. He kissed my forehead. “Why do men always hit your face?”

  I laughed and burrowed into his chest. “Because they’re bastards.”

  He rocked me side to side. “Sweet kotyonok, never leave my side again.” He hugged me tight. “What is this?” He pulled the make-shift knife from my back pocket.

  I took my knife from him. “It’s the only thing I could find to make a weapon.”

  “Are there other men?” Dima asked.

  “No. I don’t think so. I was unconscious for a while. I’m not even sure how Eric got me from his truck to the trailer. Is Elena okay? Where are we?”

  “Yes. We’re in Brisbane.” Dima looked from the trailer to the railroad car. “Later, you will tell me how you managed to get up there. But now, we need to let Vanya know you are safe and we wait for Daniel.”

  Alyosha scooped me up in his arms. “I’ve got you my love. Please, I need to hold you.” The sadness in his eyes nearly devastated me. My emotions amped up, overflowing, overwhelming, and I didn’t want to cry. Not yet. We weren’t safe. We wouldn’t be safe until Dima’s family left me alone.

  I kissed his jaw. “I love you, too.”

  “Told you,” Dima muttered and then he winked at me.

  Dima had chosen me over his family.

  “What happens now?” I asked.

  Dima swung open the back seat door of his car. “We wait for Daniel to bring the flash drive. Your sister is uploading the video like you said, but she will give me time to call my uncle and show him I have the flash drive and you. I will promise to give him both. Then we kill him and burn the bodies.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you have a better idea.”

  I slid from Alyosha’s grasp and sat in the back seat.

  Dima cocked his head. “Before you speak, you should know my uncle has put a price on your head. The only way we come out of this alive is if he’s dead. New management, new rules, and you are protected by us. Does that help?”

  I nodded. “What about people loyal to your uncle?”

  Dima rolled his eyes. “It is like when new President is elected, they can transfer to a new location or change their allegiances. My uncle was not well liked, and my business plans for this area will be appreciated. There will be some,” he waved his hand, “cleanup to attend to, but my uncle never understood he was a small fish in a big pond. I have no such disillusions.”

  Alyosha knelt in front of me. He rubbed my thighs. “What happened to you after I left, Adrianna?”

  I told him everything. From being tricked into getting into Eric’s truck, to squishing my fat butt through the vent opening.

  Dima grunted and looked up from his phone. “Smarter than most soldiers. Daniel is coming, he would appreciate it if we didn’t shoot him. Have him wipe down her prints.”

  “Da.” Alyosha rested his head on my lap and I combed my fingers through his hair. “We need to take time off, you and me. Go someplace quiet, private, warm. Maybe Barbados?”

  I nodded because speaking would be impossible with the huge rock lodged in my throat.

  Lights swung and Alyosha finally saw my face in its full technicolor glory. His eyes got that scary-Thor look.

  “It’s okay tiger, he’s already dead,” I reminded him.

  “It will look good for the picture.” Dima clucked. “Do you think you could cry?”

  I glanced at Dima. “If I start, I’m not sure I can stop.”

  Dima dipped his chin. “Alyosha will take you home. You are safe now, Adrianna. You have been very brave.”

  “But what about your uncle?” I kissed Alyosha’s hand. “Should you go with him?”

  Alyosha shook his head. “No. It is better I stay with you. I will worry and be distracted. Vanya, Daniel, and the others will keep Dima safe.”

  Safe. Brothers protecting each other like Elena and I had done for years.

  And now we had a family to help us.

  Daniel’s head popped up. “Is Adrianna okay?”

  “Yes,” I called out.

  “Did you hear that? Now will you stop screaming and let me do my work?” Daniel sauntered over, stuffing his phone into his back pocket. “Your sister is fierce.” He stopped in front of Eric’s body and his eyes slid over to Alyosha.

  Alyosha stood. “If this is a problem, leave the flash drive and go. No one will think different of you.”

  Daniel shook his head. “No. I just forgot to bring tarps.”

  Dima chuffed. “They’re in the back of my car.”

  Serial killer much?

  Alyosha leaned back toward me and kissed my lips gently. “I hate to see you so bruised, but I think Dima is right. You need to look worse for the picture.”

  I buried my head against his chest and released my emotions. The tears slid down my face and my breathing hitched. The fear, the relief, the realization he loved me–all of it overwhelming and the emotions overflowed. My shoulders, sore from restraints, ached in protest from y heaving sobs.

  Alyosha rubbed my back and spoke Russian softly.

  “Give her the flash drive,” Dima ordered.

  Daniel said nothing, didn’t make eye contact, just handed it to me and stepped away.

  Alyosha stood, murmured to Daniel and Danial jogged toward the office trailer.

  “Hold it in your palms. Hands in your lap. Look down,” Dima’s calm voice soothed me. The flash from his camera reflected off the flash drive in my hand. “Good girl. Push your hair behind your ear. Tilt your head so I can see your black eye. Good.” Another flash. “That’s the one I think.”

  Alyosha pushed me back into the car and crowded me, pulling me on to his lap. “Shh, it’s over. I promise. From this day forward we have no secrets, no worries.”

  No secrets? Maybe. No worries?

  Impossible.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Adrianna shivered in my arms from cold and probably crashing from adrenaline. The cold leather of car’s interior didn’t help her retain heat.

  Dima caught my eye in the rear view mirror and turned up the temperature.

  Her breathing hitched and she slowly released her breath, forcing herself to relax. “Sorry,” she mumbled into my shirt.

  “You were amazing.” I kissed her forehead and cradled her closer. I almost lost her tonight and it would have killed me.

  She straightened on my lap. “Dima, thank you.”

  He chuffed. “You are family.”

  Her big brown eyes searched mine. “I think you should go with him tonight. Elena and I will be safe in the condo. She’s wicked with a knife. Leave a gun and text me before you knock on the door. His uncle won’t be expecting you. That would help.”

  “No,” I crushed her to me. “I won’t leave you unprotected.”

  She pushed back. “Excuse me? Unprotected? I told you leave us a gun. Elena has knife skills and you’ve got a drawer full of steak knives. We won’t be unprotected. But make sure you text before coming through the front door, because I’m shooting first and asking questions after.”

  I didn’t like the idea of leaving her. At. All.

  She cupped my face, her cool touch did little to soothe the uncomfortable tightness in my chest. “Dima saved my life tonight. He helped you find me. We’re not going to jus
t hand him over. When his uncle realizes I’m not there and Dima has betrayed him, he’s going to need backup. He needs you. Do you think I can’t lock a door and keep it closed?”

  Dima chuckled.

  I glared at him. This isn’t funny, I said with my eyes.

  He laughed. “Poor Alyosha, falls in love with a woman as brave as him.”

  “Hiding in a condo is not brave,” Adrianna muttered.

  I growled, held her closer and breathed in her citrus scent. My heart beat hard against my ribs and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to release her.

  “But I will do it so that you don’t worry about me. And if you stayed with me in the condo and Dima was hurt it would haunt you forever.” Adrianna leaned forward. “He could help.”

  Dima nodded. “It would make things more predictable.”

  Loyalty for both frayed my nerves, but Adri’s eyes said, trust me. “What do you want me to do?” I asked Dima.

  “Call Vanya, ask him where you should wait. I’ll bring Daniel in the car with me. You have a bag to cover his head that he can see through?” Dima asked.

  “At home.”

  Adrianna murmured something about serial killer starter kits.

  “Good. We make it look like he’s Adrianna, with the bag over his head and tied up, it may work. We just have to get close enough that I can force Lev outside and Vanya can get a clear shot. I’ll get Nik to cover Daniel’s side. Bring the van, you can create distraction.”

  “And then?” Adrianna asked.

  “We kill everyone who is with Lev. Then we go and talk to Robertson. I’ll call and you post the video, send me the link. I’ll tell Robertson it’s over and if he continues to annoy me or my family, I will restructure his family line.” Dima spat the last two words out with venom.

  Adrianna shivered.

  At the condo, Adrianna found a hot-pink sweatshirt that fit Daniel. The girls used Duct-tape to make bracelets so Daniel appeared to be restrained.

  Elena turned to her sister. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”