CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE)

by Julia Gardener

  “Hello, Mr. Gregori,” my grandfather said with a false smile. “I see that you’re fashionably late as expected. Shall we get down to business?”

  Gregori laughed. “The only business is why I shouldn’t execute your entire family?”

  “Your grandson was seen with that bitch,” Petrov growled touching his bandage. “He almost killed me! I want his head!”

  “I’m well aware of that,” the great Don Pastore said coolly. “I’ve given him a time out so we can discuss terms. I’ve brought you the girl in hopes of resolving this peacefully. Shall we discuss terms?”

  “My terms are that you surrender that boy as well,” Gregori snarled, staring at Kelly. “That bitch will do for now. Her father cost me my wealth. She’s been a thorn in my side for the last two weeks!”

  Kelly began to sob quietly. The woman was a born actress. “Please, don’t hurt me-”

  “Quiet,” my grandfather said, lacing his fingers under his chin. “What do intend to do with the girl? You’ve already blown up a penthouse chasing after you money and tying loose ends.”

  Petrov eyed the young woman before licking his lips. “Maybe I’ll cut her into a thousand pieces. Maybe I’ll fuck her before killing her. It depends on what mood I’m in.”

  Kelly continued to sell the part of a terrified college student. My grandfather didn’t break his composure. “Are you in the mood for a deal then?”

  Petrov scoffed at the idea. A man like hated to negotiate when he could take what he wanted. Gregori, however, seemed amused at the proposal. “You give us your grandson and maybe we might come to an understanding. He’s cost me very much by harboring this woman. He was last seen with her.”

  “My deal is that you turn around and leave,” my grandfather replied, starring daggers into the two men. “You might have lost your fortune but it’s not too late to keep your life. You leave with what little dignity you have and disappear into Siberia or God knows where. As for Petrov, he stays behind. The man killed my daughter and he’ll be put to trial for his crimes. Blood can only be paid with blood. That’s my best offer.”

  “That is your deal?” Gregori said, breaking out into a fit of giggles. Petrov chuckled at the idea as well. “You want me to leave empty handed? You want to have Petrov on trial in some court with you acting as judge, jury, and executioner? In case you haven’t noticed, I have more men than you.”

  “Get the fuck out of this city,” my grandfather growled. I hadn’t seen him this angry in years. “Get out of this country and don’t ever come back. Leave the girl and Petrov behind. Leave my grandson alone. Don’t come back or else I’ll make you wish you’ve never been born.”

  “I have more men,” Gregori said, reaching into his pocket. I tightened the grip I had on my sniper rifle in case he tried anything. “I have more guns.”

  Gregori drew a small handgun and pointed it at my grandfather. The Pastore men drew their guns as well. The Black Fang army responded by drawing their firearms as well.

  Ignoring the gun in his face, my grandfather raised a hand. “Easy everyone. No need for violence if we can avoid it.”

  However, Gregori didn’t share the sentiment. “No, I think violence is exactly what I want.”

  He reached out to grab Kelly. My heart raced as I heard her scream for help. The acting was over and she knew she was in danger.

  The whole warehouse went into Defcon One. I could almost hear the men cock their guns and point it at each other. The situation was balanced at a knife point.

  Gregori used Kelly as a human shield in case my grandfather’s men tried to fire at him. I felt my heart skip a beat as he held the woman I loved. She cried out. “Let go of me!”

  The drug kingpin merely laughed. “And why should I let you go?”

  My grandfather answered for me. “Because my grandson is about to end your miserable life. Now, Jackie!”

  One shot.

  One Kill

  I fired a round.

  Kelly broke off her handcuffs.

  And all hell broke loose.

  One moment, Seymon Gregori was holding me from behind.

  The next moment I felt a spray of blood from the same direction.

  I did what Jackie has instructed. I hit the floor and crawled towards some cover behind a stack of crates. It was just in time to avoid an exchange of gunfire.

  The fight had begun. I knew I had signed up for this but I was terrified. Only the thought of Jackie watching me like guardian angel gave me the courage I needed.

  I heard the sound of bullets whizzing by. Soon, they were followed by small explosions. They were no doubt grenades hurled by Petrov.

  I peeked over the side of the crate to see a dead body. The man’s expensive clothes were now stained with blood. His head had been blasted into a thousand pieces. It was Gregori’s body.

  The man who led to my father’s death was dead.

  I kept me head down and curled into a ball as Jackie had taught me. It was difficult to say who was winning. Friend and foe were dying alike. I saw a dozen dead bodies and it had barely been a minute.

  I lost track of everything. I didn’t know where Don Pastore was. His wheelchair was empty except for a large bloodstain. Jackie’s sniper rifle had gone silent. I didn’t know whether he had run out of ammunition or someone had got to him. I prayed that he was alright.

  However, a crazed Black Fang soldier ran across the warehouse. Avoiding a hail of gunfire, he turned a corner and came charging at me. The main raised his handgun at me.

  I couldn’t dodge in time.

  He fired his gun.

  BANG!

  I felt like I had been hit with a softball to the chest. The wind had been knocked out of me. Yet, I didn’t feel any major pain.

  Looking down, I saw that my vest had stopped the small handgun round. The man was just as surprised. He began to aim higher at my exposed flesh.

  Suddenly, the man yelled in pain before falling down.

  I saw Don Pastore on his back with a knife. I looked away as he slit the man’s throat. “Not her you son of a bitch.”

  I crawled towards Jackie’s grandfather before moving his body to a safe location. His clothing was dark with blood. When we were safe, I examined the source of the blood. “Oh no…”

  It wasn’t just the blood of his enemies. A stray bullet must have hit him in the abdomen. “You’re bleeding.”

  “More pleasant than a round of chemotherapy,” he laughed, blood falling from his lips. I didn’t need to know where the bullet had hit. The man had months to live. Now, it would be a miracle if he lasted a minute. “Don’t worry about me. Keep your head down until this is all over.”

  The damage was too great for even an emergency room to do anything, “Thank you for everything, Mr. Pastore. I wish I could help you…”

  “Name your son after me,” he said, looking half serious. The light was leaving his eyes. “Just take care of Jackie for me.”

  I took his hand in mine. “I will.”

  The man’s body slumped and he breathed his last.

  Don Pastore was dead.

  Before I could mourn, I felt a hand grab me. He turned my body and revealed himself to be one of Gregori’s men. His hands began choking me.

  The next instance, I felt his grip become loose. The man grunted in pain before following to his knees. It looked him the very life had been beaten out of him.

  Another man moved like greased lightning as he hit my attacker with a flurry of punches. Then, he used a handgun to finish him off. I flinched at the sound of the gun firing at point blank range. After the deed was done, I looked up at the man.

  It was Jackie.

  He was covered in blood but looked well enough to fight. I prayed he was not injured. Jackie stopped to affectionately glance at me before returning to the fight. If he was emotionally disturbed by the death surrounding him, the man didn’t show it. He was a killing machine.

  Another Black Fang came to attack him in close quarters combat. Jacki
e responded by grabbing the man’s forearm and wrenching the gun from his hand. Then, he broke the man hand before using the man’s own gun to finish him off.

  It was like watching a deadly dance. I had never seen Jackie in action. During the shootout at the penthouse, I was too scared to do anything but hide.

  Jackie stopped and surveyed the battle. There were dozens of dead bodies. The Black Fang had killed many men. However, we were winning this fight. Soon, there were only a few enemies left. Jackie’s marksmanship and Gregori’s arrogance had sealed their fate. One by one, they went down.

  However, Sergei Petrov was still alive.

  And he was the only enemy left standing.

  “You son of a bitch,” the man roared, taking out a knife from his vest. The man must have run out of ammunition. It was no wonder considering how he sprayed gunfire everywhere. “Come, fight me like a man.”

  “Give up, we have you dead to rights,” Jackie said, point a gun at him. He was joined up with other Pastore soldiers who had survived the battle. I was no soldier but I knew Jackie had him at his complete mercy. Sergei Petrov was a dead man. “You’re alone and out of ammo. We can make this quick and painless. It’s more than you deserve.”

  “Running away from a good fight?” Petrov sneered, waving his bowie knife at Jackie. “Your mother was better sport. I watched as they caved her skull in!”

  I knew there was nothing stopping Jackie after that.

  The man I loved dropped his gun. In its place, he pulled out a small switchblade. The expression on his face was of pure hatred. “Let’s settle this once and for all.”

  Petrov eyed the other Pastore men who had their guns pointed at them. “Doesn’t seem like a fair fight, Italian.”

  “Then, let’s make this interesting,” Jackie said calmly, flicking open his knife. I knew the man well enough to see that his rage just bubbled under the surface. “My men will not interfere while we fight. If you win, my men will give you a ten minute head start out of here. If you lose-”

  Petrov tossed his large bowie knife back and forth between each hand. “I won’t lose!”

  I saw a trickle of blood trailing down Jackie’s sleeve. He must have been wounded during the shootout. I couldn’t lose him now after all we’ve been through together. “You’re hurt Jackie. Stop this insanity!”

  It was trying to stop a boulder that was rolling down a hill.

  Jackie brandished his switchblade. “I’m good enough for this.”

  “I’ll kill you,” Petrov snarled, lunging at Jackie. The hitman stepped to the side and dodged the attack. “Then, I’ll come back for your woman!”

  I stared at Petrov’s large knife. I knew that it was the skill of the user than the length of the knife that mattered. Nonetheless, I felt scared for Jackie.

  However, my lover had a laser-like focus on his opponent. He didn’t attack Petrov. Instead, he dodged his enemy’s attacks and did the bare minimum to keep me at bay.

  This strategy enraged the Russian ex-solder. I could see his mouth foam like that of a rabid animal. “Come and fight me!”

  It was exactly what Jackie he wanted. Petrov overstepped and nearly tripped as he blatantly missed his opponent. Jackie took the opportunity to grab Petrov’s wrist and whish his knife away from him.

  It clattered onto the floor just a few feet from me.

  Jackie slashed his knife and Petrov cried out in pain. “AHHHH!”

  A bloody line appeared across Petrov’s face. He used to have one good eye. Now, he was completely blind. The man covered his face and cursed Jackie. “Fuck you, you son of a bitch-”

  Jackie interrupted him with a swift kick to the chest. Another punch to the abdomen sent the Russian reeling backwards. He bled profusely on the floor.

  Even with no working eyes, Petrov had a stunned look on his face. He had been utterly bested by Jackie. He tried to get on his feet but his knees buckled.

  “You kill my mother,” Jackie growled, punching Petrov in the face. The strike broke the man’s nose but it was the least of his worries. “And you threatened the woman I love! Death’s too good for a monster like you… but that’s what you’ll get.”

  He grabbed the Russian head and slit his neck. The man gurgled on blood before breathing his last. The man collapsed on the floor as a lifeless husk.

  This time, I didn’t look away.

  However, Jackie hadn’t gotten through this battle unscathed. I rushed over to my lover’s side. I was just in time to stop him from falling over. He let go of the knife in his hand. It clattered on the floor as he spoke. “It’s over…”

  I held the man I loved in my arms as blood flowed out from his body. Soon, I felt the most powerful man I knew go limp in my hands. “Jackie? Say something!”

  Some of the surviving Pastore men gathered around us. One of the men gave a grim diagnosis. “He was shot multiple times when he rushed in to protect you. God knows how we was able to keep on fighting.”

  I put the college girl in me in the backseat and put the medical student in the front. I tore off a piece of my shirt and used it to apply pressure on Jackie’s wound. It was like trying to stop a knee-deep boat leak with a small bucket. “He’s lost a lot of blood. Someone get help! He needs to go to the emergency room!”

  One of the Pastore men rushed out of the warehouse. The other used his cell phone to make a call. I prayed help would arrive in time.

  Jackie stared at me with his beautiful eyes. “Kelly…”

  I rocked him back and forth. “It’ll be alright Jackie. It’ll be alright.”

  It had to be alright.

  I lost mom.

  I lost dad.

  I couldn’t lose Jackie.

  It felt like I was floating. It was as if a cloud carried me to heaven. I didn’t want to go to heaven. I wanted to live.

  I wanted to be with Kelly.

  “Kelly!”

  I heard the voice of a man. “He’s up! How is he?”

  Another voice, that of a woman, made me open my eyes. The man was a mystery but I knew this woman. “His vitals look good. He’s going to be fine!”

  The light blinded me before I could focus. I saw the ceiling of what seemed like a well-furnished room. There was an IV feed filling my veins with something. I hadn’t been this bedridden since a mortar shell-shocked me back during the war.

  Wherever I was, this place didn’t look like any hospital that I knew of. It looked like mid-scale room you’d rent from a hotel. It wasn’t a fancy hospital but it was much nicer than a triage tent in the middle of the desert.

  “He’s coming to,” the woman said again. Her voice was enough to force me to wake myself. “Give him some space.”

  Finally, my vision came back. I awoke on an unfamiliar bed with bandages covering much of my body. I saw the woman I loved standing over me. “Kelly! Are you-”

  “Shhhh,” she said, silencing me. “You need your rest. I will explain what happened. Just sit back and take it easy.”