The bloody stump sat on the floor as I strolled to Kiril, holstering my knife. A shriek rang through the building when the guard spotted half of his arm a few feet away from him.
"Should tell your dog not to bark at night. That shit's rude."
"I'll make a note." His gauze wrapped lips turned up to a grin.
When I neared, he held up a finger, wagging it back and forth.
"Not yet." I glanced to Cody's unconscious body. His torso was slumped over and held up by his wrists.
Kiril signaled a guard and all the doors in the room opened. Fifteen men ran inside forming a barrier.
"Foreplay?" I winked at him.
He nodded, looked at his men, then back to me. All hell broke loose.
I whipped my knives back out as the stampede ensued. The room looked like a horror film. I was a blur, a wild cyclone dodging strikes and carving up anything in my path. Men dropped all around me and blood rained down as Kiril smiled, eyeing every maneuver carefully. I kicked the blade in my boot into a man's thigh when a gun appeared over my shoulder. I turned and stared down the barrel, laughing at it.
"Should've brought handcuffs. That shit gets me hot."
My head darted sideways and I kicked straight up into his chin, the blade from my boot ramming into the roof of his mouth. He projectile vomited blood to the floor and fell face first. I grabbed his back as he hit the ground, cartwheeling over him, and kicked through a man's ribs. The blade impaled his heart and I ripped my foot from his chest cavity as his soul went to meet whatever fucking god he prayed to. Kiril eyed me with amusement, standing amidst a pile of death, completely unscathed.
When I turned to face him all I saw was the bottom of a shoe. Everything went black as a shooting pain pierced my skull.
I slowly opened my eyes. My pulse beat in my temples. Whose foot was that? It was the hardest blow I'd ever taken. Careful not to move too quickly, I raised my head with caution. My mouth dropped open as the stabbing pain shifted to my abdomen.
Suki glowered next to Kiril, her arms folded. I was overcome with confusion, unsure if it was from the blow to the head or eyeing Suki standing there.
Kiril nodded and Suki turned and left the room. My arms burst in a rage, recoiling back into the chair. The ties bore into my wrists. I yanked and wrestled against the restraints, quickly realizing it was useless. Cody's limp body sat next to me, still unconscious, held up by ties now wrapped around his chest. I saw his lungs contract and he occasionally let out small groans.
Kiril beamed with pride, taking his time, savoring the moment. He bent over to me, his eyes the only thing I could make out. The rest of him hidden behind layers of linen.
"Your fighting skills are impressive. Where'd you learn them?"
"Fuck you."
He sighed.
He could unmask me at any second, revealing my identity. I couldn’t let that happen. The fear was worse than knowing he could kill me at any moment. I knew Kiril wouldn't make it easy for me. He would torture me first, or worse, he would torture Cody in front of me. I couldn't let him know that I knew him.
"Do you know this man?" He nodded to Cody.
"No."
"It's not wise to lie to me." I wanted to knock him the fuck out, but I had to remain calm. I had to find a way out of this chair.
"I don't know who the fuck that is. Why don't you just take my mask off and get it over with?"
Kiril leaned back down in my face.
"I don't need to take it off. Nobody cares who is underneath. They'll only care that you're gone. So tell me...why did you come if you don't know him?"
He unsheathed his knife. I swallowed hard, cursing myself for showing the slightest reaction.
"I like blood." I smiled.
"Well please enjoy." He pressed the knife back inside of Cody's mouth, staring at me and smiling as I tried not to give in.
He pressed the blade against the corner of Cody's mouth and began to saw toward his ear. Blood spewed down Cody's chin as he moaned. I lost it. I started beating my back into the chair, fighting against the restraints with all my might, grunting and heaving heavy breaths.
"Ahh, so you do care?"
"Zak should have let you fucking burn to death. You fucking coward!"
Kiril's hand tore through the air, smashing the side of my face. It was like he owned me again. His other hand gripped my neck so tight I couldn't scream.
"What do you know?" He growled through his gritted teeth.
I looked over at Cody. The open wound spilled blood from the cut halfway up his cheek. I hated myself for saying Zak's name like that, giving Kiril additional information about me. But it felt good knowing I could get to his ass.
I tried to speak. He loosened his grip to hear what I had to say.
"I know you're a bitch. And I know you're hideous under that mask. And I know you killed your sister because you're a fucking pussy."
I braced myself for the onslaught that ensued. His fists were like solid boulders, driving me back and forth, shaking me like a convict in an electric chair. The pain was nearly unbearable, but I wouldn't let him break me. Not here. Not ever. If I was going to die, I would die with the satisfaction of knowing I cut him, deep.
"Don't you talk about her! Ever!" He screeched in my face. Gripping a fistful of hair, he lifted me and the chair to his face.
"Yeah. You don't talk so much now. Do you? You think I didn't recognize your mask? I know it’s from Golem. You're not as clever as you think."
He dropped me, turned his back, and walked a few steps.
My faint chuckle began building to a rhythmic laugh. He turned back, fists clenched, jaw tightening under the mask. I spit a mouthful of blood. It splattered the floor. I began laughing hysterically. Kiril strolled back. His phony laugh tried to mock mine.
"Yes, it's very funny. Isn't it?"
I nodded, smiling at him.
He cocked back his fist and pummeled my face. My body went limp next to Cody. I could still hear and could barely see as Cody shook in and out of consciousness. He had a brief moment of lucidity as he stared at me and his eyes rolled to Kiril.
"Don't you worry. I'll finish her off soon."
My vision slowly sharpened. A surgical table had been wheeled in and Cody was strapped to it.
Kiril walked in with a man in a white lab coat and they approached the table.
"What are you doing?" They ignored me.
Kiril walked over and crouched next to me. He was up to something.
"We are going to turn your friend into a woman since he bleeds like one. What's the correct term? Castration?" His chuckle in my ear sent chills down my spine. I raged against the ties still holding me down.
I thrashed in the chair as it skidded on the tiles. Blood dripped from my nose.
Kiril walked back over to the doctor, both nodding to each other. They unbuckled Cody's pants. I screamed and pleaded.
"Don't worry. I'll kill you soon enough for the world to see. But him—" He nodded to Cody. "—we'll let him live, as a woman of course."
The doctor drew on Cody with a marker as he groaned.
Kiril stared at me, savoring every reaction. The doctor pulled out a scalpel. I was helpless. There was nothing I could do.
The doctor moved the scalpel down to one of his marks. Kiril's eyes widened. I turned my head, unable to watch.
A blast shook the walls and ceiling. A shockwave of drywall and dust pelted everyone. My ears throbbed and I frantically turned my head, trying to see through the dirty haze. Men wandered around confused. A glow emanated through the dust cloud. I heard faint pops that grew louder as my hearing returned. Bodies dropped as gunfire echoed through the room.
I saw a man in a black ski mask, mowing down guards with two handguns. An AK-47 was strapped to his back. Kiril fled as the man ran over and pulled out a large knife, cutting me free.
I fell to my face trying to get to Cody. My legs were completely numb as my blood migrated south. I recovered and cut Cody free. Kir
il and Suki filed back into the room.
"Run!" I stared at my rescuer.
The man in the mask pointed his guns, ready for a shootout. I pulled him to my face and nodded at Cody. "Get him out of here! I'll take care of them."
The man was hesitant but threw Cody over his shoulder. They ran to the hole in the wall.
I looked to them. "Wait. Where are you taking him?"
"Don't worry, we'll be waiting for you." Something in his voice sounded familiar, but I didn't have time to think.
He looked at me once more for a moment before disappearing.
I flipped around. My goal was to buy Cody and the man enough time to escape. Kiril snapped his fingers and the wall of men parted. Suki strode between them.
"Time to die." He grinned.
Suki walked through the group of guards. Her tennis shoes squeaked on the floor. A pair of baggy, navy pants hung from her waist and a maroon lycra top clung to her chest and arms. She popped her neck to the side with her fist, glaring at me. Hints of her childhood innocence hid behind a mask of rage.
We circled, staring at one another, waiting for someone to strike. It was time.
Suki shrieked, lunging at me. I dodged her kick, spinning away unscathed. I'd never seen anyone kick that hard, not even Zak. Kiril was unamused.
"Kill her."
Suki feinted left and came back across the top, rocking me with a right cross. It sent me rolling across the floor. Her leg hammered down from above, but I rolled just as her foot crashed to the floor where my head had been. A crack screamed across the tile. I hopped to my feet, wincing. Suki unleashed a fury of jabs that I blocked with my elbows. Pain ripped through my arms and midsection, making it difficult to breathe.
How the fuck does she hit so hard? I tried to dance around, bouncing side to side, fighting through my cracked ribs. Suki swung at me. I grabbed her arm and leaped up to her shoulder, wrapping my legs around her neck and locking her in an arm bar as we crashed to the ground.
It was over, nobody escaped the arm bar. Pulling on her arm was like trying to bend iron. Suki's bicep flexed and her elbow bent. What the fuck? Her free hand swung, clobbering my mouth. Blood gushed as I flew across the floor before flipping to my feet. I panted as blood oozed from a gash inside my cheek. Heaving breaths in deep waves, I bent over at the waist.
I was dizzy, but remembered my teachings. Meditate. Stay focused. Outwit your opponent. Sometimes the simplest solution was the answer. Suki approached me, backing me up to the wall. I looked over to the table at my belt and knives next to the surgical bed. Kiril and the guards stared in amusement at what seemed to be my final moments.
Suki lunged forward. Her hand was about to crush my face. I ducked to the side. She hammered the wall and a crack shot toward the ceiling. Suki let out a shriek. I jumped over her head, the blade in my boot thrust forward and I planted it in her shoulder, pushing off with my toes. I landed close to the table, barrel rolling across the floor as I grabbed my belt. I heaved one of the knives in Suki's direction. It sunk into the back of her leg, sending her hobbling to the ground. I dashed for the hole in the wall, heaving another blade into a guard's jugular. He dropped his weapon, clutching his throat.
"Kill her!" I glanced back to Kiril. He looked nice and pissed off. Fucker. A barrage of gunfire exploded from the guard's weapons. I dove through the opening as bullets seared over my head, hammering into the wall around me. Once through, I took off in a sprint down the hall and burst through a pair of double doors into the cool night.
Where the fuck did he come in?
Fifty yards away, a small swath of chain link rattled with the wind from a hole cut in it.
My vision was blurry but began to focus. A man in a mask was carrying me up a set of steps to a mansion. Where the hell am I? I tensed up.
"Shit, sorry about the mask, buddy. I'd take it off but you're pretty fuckin' heavy."
My eyes darted around the expansive grounds before an old man opened the front door.
"He gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, but he's pretty damn beaten up."
"Mags know?"
Who the hell is Mags?
"Bek—" My jaw and face throbbed, stinging pain tore through my cheek and I groaned. The old man jumped at my voice.
"Take it easy buddy. We gonna have to fix you up." He turned to the man in the mask. "Can't get hold of her."
"Why aren't you taking me to the hospital?" My cheek throbbed and stung, but I needed answers.
The taste of blood was still in my mouth. I pressed my tongue to my cheek, grunting as it opened the cut in my face.
"I said take it easy, son. Rebekah should be here soon."
"Why haven't you called the cops?"
The masked man carried me to a room and set me down. "Try and get some rest. The bleeding stopped. You'll be fine. Cops can't be trusted. Or the hospital. Kiril will be looking for you. You're safe here."
My eyelids were like anchors when I hit the bed.
I woke a few hours later and my eyes were still heavy. I heard the two men speaking but couldn't understand what they were saying at first. I looked over at them, sitting in ornate, decorative wooden chairs smiling at one another.
"I'm so glad you're here." The old man grinned.
"Good to be home. See family."
My ears perked up at the word 'family'. Who was this guy? Rebekah said her family was dead. All that remained was her grandpa.
"Bekah is going to have a heart attack when she sees you. Too bad you weren't here a few days ago. We had some fine ass women running 'round here."
My eyebrows twitched as I eyed the other man, assuming he was the one who wore the mask.
"You haven't changed since I was a kid. Only now Grandma isn't here to slap you around, keep you in check."
"I know, I know, god rest her soul."
I groaned and the men turned.
"You awake, boy?" Rebekah's grandfather grinned at me.
"Water." I moaned, still having trouble with my words.
My rescuer scurried through the house to grab a glass.
"You're a demanding little bastard, ain't ya?" Her grandfather chuckled. Attempting to grin, pain flooded my face.
"Take it easy, son. You took a hell of an ass whipping."
I pointed at him. "Rebekah grandpa?"
"Yeah, that would be me. Mostly a blessing, sometimes a curse."
He walked over and eyed me close, pressing on my arms and legs, searching for tender spots.
"Cody." I tried to point to myself.
"Pleasure. Charlie umm, Balfour. People around here call me Grandpa though. You need to rest up, okay?"
"Rebekah?"
"She's out. Went to see her private investigators. Guys she knows she can trust. We are trying to reach her. I promise. She's probably on her way."
The younger man swung the door open, holding a glass of water and a bottle of pills.
"Try to call again. I found some pain pills in the cabinet."
Grandpa snatched the bottle from his hand and read the label.
"Oh yeah, this is the good shit right here. You'll be feeling nice real soon."
My rescuer helped me up and took two of the white tablets from the bottle he snatched from Grandpa.
"These might make you groggy, but they'll help with the pain. I promise."
He put them on my tongue and held the glass of water to my lips. I swallowed the pills, letting out a squeal when the water oozed down my cheek through the open wound.
"Fuck me. That guy is an animal."
I nodded and pointed to him.
"Family?" I was still confused.
He stood still for a moment and nodded.
"Rebekah's brother, Kyle."
Intense, sharp pains pounded at my jawline. My head turned, looking for anything familiar on the street. Who the hell blew up the wall and tried to rescue us?
Cars peeled out of the compound, patrolling the area. I zigzagged through the trees and bushes, and found my bike.
Shifting it into neutral, I rolled it next to the road about a hundred yards from the guards. I took in the cool city air. My lungs were on fire and a million thoughts ran through me. A set of cars passed and I straddled the bike.
"Fuck it."
I turned the key and the motorcycle started to fire up and then sputtered silent.
"Goddamn it!" I gritted my teeth.
I turned the key again. Same result. Men yelled and raised their guns in my direction. I heard the crackling of handheld radios and orders being barked.
"There! There!"
The men howled and ran toward me. I beat on the gas tank of the motorcycle.
"Start you fucking piece of shit."
To my surprise, I flipped the key and it came to life, purring between my legs. With a twist of the wrist, I hammered the throttle. The back wheel slid sideways, trying to gain traction.
The men opened fire. Bullets peppered the trees and bushes around me as I tore up the grass, before finding pavement. The bike howled as I shifted the gears, my body wrapped tightly around it. I looked back as the men and their guns grew smaller, the sound of gunfire fading. I stared straight ahead at two black cars blocking the street. Men in uniform pointed weapons at me.
They opened fire. Bullets ricocheted off the plexiglass shield that curved in front of my face.
Thank god Grandpa installed this shit.
I looked around for any means of escape. Hammering the brakes and flipping the handle bars, I spun to my right as the back end of the motorcycle slid and my foot planted on the ground. My forearm flexed, hammering the throttle as I rocketed toward a side street. A steep, man-made irrigation ditch appeared between me and the road.
The Matriarch: An Erotic Superhero Romance (The Matriarch Trilogy Book 1) Page 16