Status Quo_The Last Ones Standing

by Monique Chanae

  “I got your message on what the doctor had to say about her condition.” He spoke to Will, but his eyes never left his baby girl.

  “I’m still taking it all in to be honest with you.” Will replied as he stared at Cori. She looked to be in a peaceful sleep, but he knew otherwise. The bandages on her head and over her body were a dead giveaway.

  “What exactly happened to her, Will? Last time I checked, you and her haven’t spoken in over a year.” Stepan finally broke his stare and turned to focus his attention on Will.

  “That’s true, we haven’t. I received a phone call from my sister…”

  “Sister?” Stepan squinted.

  “My godsister Tari… Well, Nefertari but we call her Tari for short.” Stepan nodded his head.

  “Yes, Tari. She and Cori have become close these past few weeks.” Will looked over at him.

  “I didn’t even know that they knew each other. Tari called me about a meeting she wanted me to come to and the next thing I know, Cori walks through the door.”

  “Cori was brought on to help look after Tari. As you may or may not know, she’s been having a little pest control problem. I saw it befitting to bring her on board seeing as how they’re sort of family.”

  “What do you mean they’re sort of family?” A scowl graced Will’s face and Stepan let out a slight chuckle.

  “Tari’s husband Trent and Cori are cousins. His father and her mother are brother and sister.” Will slid his hand over his face.

  “I guess the world isn’t so big after all.”

  “No, it isn’t. Now back to the most important subject; what happened to my daughter.” Stepan quizzed once again.

  “When Cori walked into the room, a few words were exchanged between the three of us before there was an explosion. She flew to one side of the room and Nefertari and I to another. Her injuries just so happened to be more severe than ours.” Stepan placed his hands behind his back while he stood in deep thought. He glanced at Will for moment as he stared over at Cori. He could see the love he has for his daughter in the young man’s eyes.

  “You, Tari and Cori all could have been the target, or it could have been just one of you and the other two were simply collateral damage. Either way we won’t know for sure until the person or persons responsible are found. With that being said, I won’t be leaving Chicago until my daughter is awake and the person who did this to her is dead.”

  “I plan to hit the streets hard in search…” Stepan waved his hand to stop him.

  “I think you’re in the right place for now, Will. I know you and Cori had some issues but I’m sure she wouldn’t want to see anyone more than the person sitting beside her now.”

  Will was going to protest but if he was being honest with himself, he had no plans of leaving Cori until she opened her eyes. As selfish as it may sound, he wanted his face to be the first one she saw when she did. When she walked into that meeting, all the feelings he had for her that he tried so desperately to bury came rushing back.

  “Will!” he snapped his head towards Stepan who had been calling his name for the last minute.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m going to step out for a minute to discuss something with my family. Cori’s aunt Sofia is here, and she would be coming in soon.” He walked over to Will and patted him on the shoulder.

  “We have a lot to discuss, but it can wait. While looking after my daughter make sure you’re taking care of yourself. We wouldn’t want Cori to wake up and not recognize the man before her.” They both chuckled.

  Stepan spared one last glance at his baby girl before walking out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, his facial expression changed. He was angry and, on a mission, to grant whoever had done this their wish of dying.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Will intertwined his fingers with Cori’s and gently kissed the back of her hand. Not long after Stepan made his exit, he had made some changes. With assistance from Fallon, Stepan had her moved to a private sector of the hospital where armed guardsmen would be able to watch over her at all times. He was taking no chances when it came to his baby girl. Will was glad that he did because if not he would've had it done himself.

  “Seeing you today, really fucked me up, you know?” Will said as he stared at her.

  "I never stopped loving you. After all the time that had passed, my love for you never changed. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't angry with you for walking away from what we shared though. In all honesty, I was pissed. I wanted to hunt your ass down and make you change your mind." He chuckled a little.

  "I didn't because I refused to make you do something you didn't want to do. You didn't want to be with me and I had to accept that."

  Will glanced over at the door when he heard it open. He watched as a beautiful older woman walked in and over to Cori's bedside. She stared down at her for a minute before she placed her attention over on him.

  "You must be him." She said with a small smile on her face.

  "What do you mean?" Will asked as he looked her over. He remembered that Stepan said Cori's aunt would be coming to see her. He assumed that this woman standing there with the Russian accent was her.

  "You're the man that stole my niece's heart. That's not an easy task to do, but somehow you did it." She watched his facial expression soften a little.

  "Oh, forgive me for being rude. I'm Sofia, Cori's aunt and Alyona's mother." She introduced herself.

  Will stood to his feet and walked over to the side of the bed that she stood on. He reached his hand out and she placed hers in his. They then shook hands.

  "I'm Will Cooper, an associate of Cori's."

  Sofia laughed as she watched him walk back over to where he was when she entered the room. "I know exactly who you are and you're more than just an associate of my niece."

  "Mrs. Romanov..."

  She waved her hand at him. "Call me Sofia."

  Will nodded. "Sofia, Cori and I haven't seen each other in over a year. I assure you that she would agree with me telling you that we aren't anything, but two people who shared a few moments together." He heard the words leave his mouth, but he didn't believe any of what he had just said.

  "Will, I can assure you that Cori would certainly disagree with that nonsense that just left your mouth. You young people always have to make things more difficult than what they are. When you love someone, you tell them. Love isn't easy and if it was it wouldn't mean anything special. Since it does that should tell you that the road to everlasting love, won't be an easy travel."

  "You're definitely a Romanov." He said.

  "I'll take that as a compliment." She giggled.

  He sat there and thought about what she said. Before Cori, he had never even experienced love. Not the kind you share with the person that you plan to spend the rest of your life with. When she left him, she took that love away from him. He wasn't the same after that.

  Sofia looked down at her niece then back over at Will.

  "Cori has been through a lot in her life. That's no excuse, but it's a part of why she does the things she does. I know that when she left it hurt you. All I'm saying is don't give up on her just yet. You were the only one who was able to truly break down her defenses. That couldn’t have been easy, but you did it. Will, you hold her heart in your hands. Don't give it back. She needs you." Sofia kissed Cori on the forehead and headed for the door. She glanced back at Will and smiled.

  "Think about what I said. I'll be back a little later." She said before she walked out the room.

  Will stared at Cori as he held on to her hand. "When you decide to wake up, there's going to be a lot of changes. I won't let you walk away from me this time. You're mine Cori. I thought you understood that before, but I guess not. This time I plan to make it crystal clear for you." He softly kissed her hand.

  "Wake up, baby. We have a life plan together." He said with his lips still pressed against her hand. While Will waited at her bedside, Nefertari and company were on a hun
t for blood.

  Chapter 35

  “Your father-in-law speaks highly of you, Nefertari.” Stepan said as he and his brother Alexei sat across from Nefertari and Jason inside the hospital café after hours.

  “I wish we all could’ve met under better circumstances.” Nefertari offered and Stepan nodded his head as if to say ‘likewise’.

  “What happened today was no accident. Whoever set off those explosives was trying to send a message. Now I’m not sure who the intended target was; it could’ve been any one of you but what matters right now, is that we find whoever did this and we ensure that their blood and the blood of every living family member of theirs gets shed from here to the fucking end of the earth.” Alexei declared the last part through clench teeth as if he were holding something vile in his mouth. He ended it by declaring “I can taste their blood now” in his native Russian tongue and Stepan simply nodded to his brother.

  “The explosion happened here which means more than likely it was with ammo bought here or someplace nearby. I know a couple of guys up in Lake County that usually work with this type of thing. I’ll go pay ‘em a little visit, Hennessey style.” Jason replied with murder and mayhem etched in his eyes.

  “I’m going with you.” Alexei announced and together, the two men exited the dining area leaving Stepan and Tari to talk amongst themselves.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The silence in the car was almost deafening. Neither man spoke a word because he had other thoughts running through his head. Jason had never been this physically close to a man of Romanov lineage. Their names and reputations preceded them and he was just lucky that they were on the same side. Alexei's mind on the other hand was replaying the night that he and his brother went to go save Alyona and he was wondering if that night when they rescued all those trafficked little girls had anything to do with what happened to Cori.

  "What's your specialty?" Alexei asked Jason finally breaking the silence almost thirty minutes later.

  "What do you mean?"

  "To kill someone. What's your signature move?" Alexei explained his question.

  "Give 'em a clean headshot."

  "You said they're butcher's right?" Alexei asked about the people they were going to pay a visit to.

  "Yeah."

  "Well we're going to do something a little bit differently tonight."

  The Butcher's Barr was located in the heart of Lake County. Owned and operated by identical twin brothers Jeff and Jamie Barr, the two got many accolades for having one of the most lucrative butcher shops in the state but on the underground circuit they were major for dealing primarily with explosives and detonation devices. Jeff was a former Naval weapons specialist who had an extensive knowledge of the materials he worked with. After serving his country, Jeff came home and couldn't live life as a civilian. He had seen and done too much and he was seemingly a threat to society. With his brother backing him in any endeavor, Jeff was able to fully operate his business while Jamie used his butchers shop as a guise.

  Jason drove down the block and stopped a few doors down from the shop. He had already informed Alexei that he had a mini arsenal in the hatch of his trunk and they immediately got out of the car and began suiting up. As they got ready, Jason’s phone pinged signaling he had an incoming message. Taking the phone out of his pocket, he opened up the email from Kumar of the building’s blueprint. Handing the phone over to Alexei, Jason continued getting ready. After five minutes had passed, Alexei handed him back the phone and gave instructions on how he wanted this to go.

  Jason walked up to the front door and knocked on it three times. Jamie Barr looked through the front blinds and immediately opened the door for him.

  “Jason! My favorite white boy! How you been kid?” He reached his hand out for Jason who accepted it and dapped him up.

  “You know how it is, Jamie. I’m out here hustling like every other cat. Where’s Jeff?” he asked as he stepped further into the shop and didn’t see any signs of Jeff.

  “He’s back there in the stock room going through some shit.” He replied taking a seat in one of the wooden chairs that littered the waiting area. “So what can I do you for, Jay? The shop is closed now so I know you must be in need of a little something else.”

  “As a matter of fact, I am. You still keep a heavy artillery?” Jason asked with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

  “Always.” Jamie led Jason to the back of the butcher’s shop and stopped as they approached a large steel door reinforced with keypad entry. Hoovering over the console, Jamie placed his hand on the monitor and waited for it to register his palm print. Within seconds, the door slid to the side and opened up to a weapon connoisseur’s dream.

  “So, what were you looking for, Jason? I just got in rifles with scope action – that shit seems more your speed.”

  “Actually, I was wondering if you had come across any C4 in the last couple of months.” Jason asked leaned up against a shelf that housed chrome revolvers.

  “You know you’re the second person to ask me that in the last month or so. But nah, our plug for C4 has been in hiding for a little bit. No plug, no merch.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jason asked with a wrinkled brow.

  “Yeah.”

  Jamie turned around to face Jason with a wrinkled brow. “What are you planning that you need C4 for? Must be some big shit, huh?”

  “I’m doing a bit of intel.” Jason replied with his gaze never leaving Jamie’s, waiting for him to slip up just a little bit. Before Jamie could open his mouth to speak another back door slid open and in walked Alexei who held a gun to the side of Jeff Barr’s temple as he nudged him forward.

  “I know that’s not who I think that is!” Jamie explained, his eyes bulging as if he had seen a ghost.

  “I saw his ink, Jay, he’s the real deal.” Jeff yelled out to his brother who stood before him in disbelief.

  “A Romanov! Jason, I know you didn’t bust up in here to tell me you’re kin to them.”

  “He told you what he came here for. How’s about a little less amazement, a little more answers; shall we?” Alexei shoved Jeff Barr so hard his body slid halfway across the floor before his back hit the beam of a steel shelf. With both Barr brothers backed into a corner, Jason finally took his hands from his pocket brandishing a .357 magnum handgun.

  “This is quite the setup you all have here.” Jason ran his hands along some of the different types of guns that decorated the shelf. “I thought you guys were only interested in explosives. This is a bit out of your norm isn’t it, Jeff? As a matter of fact, a lot of this shit looks like it belongs on Sven Powers’ turf.” Jason turned to him and asked. One twin looked over at his brother and then at Jason but neither man said nothing.

  “Okay, Jason, they want to be tough guys. Fair enough.” Alexei dug his hands into his pockets and seconds later pulled out a pair of leather gloves and a set of handcuffs.

  After he placed the gloves on, Alexei walked over to Jamie and handed him the handcuffs.

  "What am I supposed to do with these?" Jamie asked confused.

  "Put them on."

  Jamie looked over at Jason who shrugged his shoulders. "If I were you I would do as he says. From the stories I’ve heard about him, you don't want to piss him off." Jason told him.

  Jamie put the handcuffs on with shaky hands. Alexei stared at him the entire time. Once they were on he dragged Jamie by the handcuffs back to where a meat hook dangled from the ceiling.

  "Wait... wait, what are you doing?" Jamie questioned with fear in his eyes.

  "Isn't it obvious?" Alexei smirked as he hung Jamie from the meat hook.

  By this time Jason walked Jeff over to where they were so that he could get a good view of what was about to happen next. Jeff was just as afraid as his brother was.

  "I never thought we would have to come to this. You two always stayed in your lane. What made you switch over to mine?" Jason questioned with fire blazing in his eyes.

  Jamie looked o
ver at his brother. "We didn't mean anything by it. Come on Jason, you know us."

  Alexei walked over to a table that had a butcher's knife on it. A grin spread across his face as he picked it up.

  "In this business loyalty goes a long way. You two slimy pieces of shit thought that you could move in on his territory undetected and without any consequences. Well, we're here tonight to show you what happens when you try to step on territory that you aren’t welcomed on." Alexei raised the knife and slammed it into Jamie's throat. Instead of pulling it out he left it in there and watched Jeff as he watched his brother choke, shake, and die in front of him.

  Jason gave Alexei a raised eyebrow expression. Alexei shrugged with a bored look plastered on his face like he didn't just kill a man a few seconds ago.

  "You only need one of them to get the information that we need." He reminded him.

  Jason tapped Jeff in the back of the head with his gun. "Who else sells C4 in this area?" He asked.

  Jeff glanced at his brother and then at Alexei Romanov who stared at him waiting for an answer. "There's more empty hooks here if you can't seem to open your mouth." He sneered.

  "No... no... no, I know who else sells it." Jeff cried out as he shook his head feverishly at them.

  "Well, speak up we don't have all night." Jason snapped. Jason placed his gun directly onto Jeff’s temple. Jeff Barr immediately began telling Alexei and Jason about the out-of-towners who had snaked their way into Illinois and began taking over. He informed them that the out-of-towners must have been preparing to go to war and after piecing the information together as he spoke, Alexei had heard enough.

  “You did good, Jeff.” Jason lightly tapped Jeff’s cheek with the nose of his gun and walked a few feet away from him. Alexei stood a few feet back with his arms crossed over one another waiting to see what Jason would do next. Once a good four feet stood between Jason and Jeff, Jason swiveled his body to the side and gave Jeff two clean shots to the head killing him instantly.

  “I think it’s all starting to make sense to me.” Alexei nodded his head as he spoke. Something that Jeff had said rang all too familiar to him and if the lead turned out to be what he thought it was, they had to get going.” Once outside, the two men hurriedly hopped back into their vehicle and pulled off. Their bloodied attire was tossed onto the floor in the backseat and both retrieved a black hoodie from the trunk and placed it on. Stopping at a nearby gas station to refuel, Alexei took the time to call his brother while Jason called Nefertari.