by Donna Grant
Reyna slid the magazine into her gun and pulled back the slide to cock it. “So am I.”
34
Lev was done hiding.
He was finished with running.
It was time he came face-to-face with those who thought they could suppress him, rule him. Make him cower.
It was time he showed them just who they had fucked with.
He stood in the shadows, staring at the building that had become his home, his sanctuary while he worked for Sergei. His friend was gone, but Lev would see his legacy live on.
Sergei hated regrets. He’d always told Lev to live life without any, and Lev had tried. Yet he had one regret. That he hadn’t told Sergei that he would take over once the old man was dead.
Lev’s gaze lifted to the sky. “But you knew I would, didn’t you?”
He drew in a deep breath and slowly released it as he returned his gaze to the three-story edifice. While he didn’t know where Cullen, Yuri, or Orrin were, he did know that Reyna and Mia had made it to the building. The knowledge that Reyna was safe lifted a huge weight from his shoulders.
Not that she would remain that way. As soon as the bullets started flying, she would be right in the thick of things. But that’s what made her who she was.
And it was why he loved her.
Well, one of the many reasons.
Lev had left Tommy’s office and stopped off at his secret cache of weapons and ammunition to load himself up for the battle. He wasn’t going to lose simply because he’d run out of bullets. Besides, he just needed to get to the building.
He shifted his shoulders, adjusting the bulletproof vest he’d had made specifically for him. The Saints might want him alive, but he was sure there would be some who fired directly at him.
With a knife in one hand, he walked along the path he had driven several times a day for the last decade and a half. Lev remained in the shadows and crept up behind the Saint nearest him. The bastard hadn’t even realized that Lev was near. And he was paying for it with his life.
Lev slit his throat and lowered him to the ground before he bent low and ran to his next target. In minutes, he’d taken out nine.
He hid behind a crate and eyed the fifty feet between his location and the door of Sergei’s building. Lev cleaned the blade of his knife off on the clothes of the Saint he’d just killed and sheathed it. Then he palmed a pistol in each hand.
From his count, there were another thirteen Saints between him and the door. That wasn’t counting the soldiers with sniper rifles or those hidden behind the building that he couldn’t see. He wasn’t worried about them. It would take them time to come around to the front. The snipers, however, might be an issue. They could wound him, making him immobile. Lev was counting on Orrin, Cullen, and Yuri to handle those.
Lev usually had the patience of a saint—no pun intended—but he was fast running out, waiting for Tommy. If the union men didn’t show within the next five minutes, Lev was going in on his own.
The minutes ticked by excruciatingly slow. He’d taken a chance with Tommy. It wasn’t that the union leader had backed out. Most likely, Tommy had had a hard time convincing the others to join him.
Tommy and his men had been the ace up Lev’s sleeve, but he hadn’t counted on them. He, along with his friends and Reyna, could handle this problem. And Lev would make sure the Loughmans and Yuri were able to get out of Dover and make it to Texas.
Lev tightened his grip on his weapons and started to rise when there was an explosion to his left. His head jerked in the direction as a smile pulled at his lips.
“I knew you’d come through, Tommy,” he whispered.
Lev smiled again when he heard the shouts of the dock workers as they encountered the Saints. He watched as the Saints near him turned their attention to the disturbance that was rapidly making its way toward them.
Lev stood and raised his weapons as he began walking toward the building. Lev pulled the trigger on the first Saint that looked his way, his aim dead center mass. After that first shot, the Saints nearest him turned his way.
Lev fired round after round as bullets flew near him. He dove to the ground and rolled as he ejected the empty clips and loaded more. He then got to his feet and began firing again. It was when he saw a Saint go down that he hadn’t aimed for that he knew the Loughmans had his back, just as he’d expected.
He was fifteen feet from the door to the building when the Saints pinned him down. The door suddenly opened, and his men filed out, along with Reyna and Mia. The moment he saw his woman, Lev smiled.
“Get inside,” Mia told him.
Lev shook his head as he got to his feet and kept firing. His men fanned out around him. Several went down, but more Saints were lying dead.
The sound of a chopper approaching drowned out some of the shots, but it was an all-out war on the docks with Lev, his men, and the Loughmans fighting the Saints on one side, and Tommy and his men on the other.
The helicopter flew over them, a spotlight on the Saints to make it easier for them to be taken out. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long as two other choppers flew in and began firing at the first.
“What the hell?” Lorraine asked.
Anatoli discreetly withdrew his gun from the holster while Lorraine and the four men she had with her looked on at the scene before them.
Anatoli had told Lori repeatedly not to underestimate Lev or Reyna, and yet she had done it time and again. Now, she saw just what that had wrought.
Despite his plan after secreting the information to Reyna to get into the headquarters and the archive room, he’d never imagined that he would end up with Lorraine. The time he’d spent with her had shown him that she hadn’t changed at all. She never stopped to look at the small things.
All she saw, all she wanted, was world domination. With her leading it.
He’d discovered that about her within the first few months of dating her, but he’d already been in love with her by that point. She had done them both a favor by leaving.
“Who is the other group?” Lorraine demanded of anyone who might answer.
Anatoli remained slightly behind her and the Saints. “I did warn you about bringing so many to the docks and not talking to the union president.”
“Oh, please,” she stated sarcastically as she glanced at him over her shoulder. “We’re the Saints. We do whatever we want.”
“And that’s why you’re going to die.” He fired four shots, killing the guards before they realized what he’d said.
Lori whirled around. Shock filled her face as she looked from the guards to the gun he held pointed at her, and then she finally met his gaze. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “So, the elders sentenced me.”
“No,” he said with a snort.
Her brows drew together in a frown. “If not them, then...?” She shook her head as she realized what was happening. “You won’t kill me.”
“I will. Without hesitation.”
“You still love me. I can see it in your eyes.”
Anatoli laughed. “You see what you want to see. I stopped loving you long ago, Lori. Right about the time I came to understand exactly what the Saints were planning.”
“You agreed with their rhetoric. You said someone needed to handle governments so the silly wars, the killings, and the famine would stop.”
He shrugged, twisting his lips. “The Saints managed to do a few of those things, but I’m talking about Ragnarok.”
She snorted loudly and looked at him as if he were the dirt beneath her shoes. “There are too many people in this world. Babies who have no one to raise them because the mother was too stupid to make the man wear a condom and she didn’t want her life hindered by a child.”
“We’re not God, Lori. No one has the right to decide if a person can have a child or not. We’ve created our own sins, and it is up to the human race to fix it. Not one group who believes they know best.”
“But they do,” Lori argued.
&nb
sp; Anatoli shook his head in disbelief. “We kill because people speak out against the Saints. We silence them, we take away their right to free speech. We stop people from forming their own opinions. We threaten and murder to take over governments and military so we can run countries.”
“So,” she stated with a shrug. “It’s all done for the betterment of this planet. Sure, some innocents will be killed in the process, but nothing ever worthwhile has been done without consequences.”
“I won’t have any more dead on my conscience.”
She raised a brow. “And my men? Me?”
“The world will be a better place without the Saints.”
Her mouth went slack. “Oh, my God. You’re the one who leaked the information to Reyna.”
“There are more of us in the organization. More than you can possibly know. And we’re going to take down the Saints.”
“If you think I’m going to let you get away with that, then you’re wrong.”
As soon as she reached for her gun, he pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing her heart.
Anatoli rushed to her, gathering her in his arms as she fell. Her eyes stared up at him as she clung to him.
“I don’t want to die,” she whispered.
He watched blood run from the corner of her mouth. “We could’ve been good together.”
She smiled then. “I knew...you...still loved...me.”
Anatoli continued to hold her after her hand went slack and her eyes closed. He kissed the top of her head and gently lowered her to the ground. Then he rose and stood beside the car as he pulled a mobile phone from his pocket.
He dialed the only number in the phone and waited for the line to pick up. There was no voice on the other end, there never was.
“Lorraine is dead. The Saints in Dover are being taken out as we speak. In another ten minutes, none will be left standing.”
The line went dead. Anatoli pocketed the phone and turned his gaze to the building that Sergei had occupied for decades, a building that would house a new boss—Lev Ivanski.
Lev and his group didn’t know they had allies. It was better this way. The Saints were relentless in their pursuit of taking out anyone they believed went against them—especially one of their own. And it was going to take those within, as well as those outside of the organization to bring them down.
Anatoli wanted to remain and see the outcome of the battle. He would also love to meet Lev and Reyna, but that could never happen. Just as Reyna would never know that he was the one who’d given her the details to get into headquarters.
The brutal and aggressive strike against the Saints this night would reverberate through the organization for weeks to come. And just like with the Loughmans at their ranch in Texas, the Saints would pull back, lick their wounds, and figure out how to attack next.
That left Anatoli and the others in the society fighting against the Saints little time to plan. But they would pull something together. They didn’t have any other choice. Each of them was all in and prepared to give their lives in this ambitious showdown.
Anatoli had once had a dream for the planet. He’d wanted an end to war, hunger, and poverty. To have peace. That’s what had led him to the Saints, and it was that same dream that had him standing against such a malicious and criminal organization now.
He got into the car and drove to the airport where the jet awaited to take him back to Kiev.
35
Reyna held her arm against her bad side as she continued to fire until the last of her ammunition was gone. Lev then shoved her behind him as he continued to fight.
Suddenly, there was silence.
Lev turned his head to look at her. “You good?”
“Yes. You?” Reyna asked.
He winked at her before looking at the men around him. Over half were dead, with a handful more wounded. Reyna peered around Lev, but she didn’t see any more Saints standing.
“Are they all dead?” Mia asked.
Lev motioned for some of his men to go around the building and check while the rest of them inspected the area. Reyna accepted a magazine from Lev and ejected her empty one, replacing it with the full one. She held her gun up, ready to shoot should an enemy jump out. Mia was on her other side, and she had also gone through a fair share of ammunition.
By the time they finished looking over the bodies, the men Lev had sent to the back had returned and gave the all-clear.
“We got them all,” Mia said with a smile.
Lev turned as someone said his name. Reyna looked over to find a short, skinny man with two hefty men flanking him. The short one was smiling as he and Lev shook hands.
“Thank you, Tommy,” Lev said.
The union boss shrugged. “It was my pleasure. I think these Saints will think again before they come back here.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Reyna said. “They will retaliate.”
Lev grabbed Reyna’s hand and said, “Tommy, this is Reyna. Reyna, Tommy Sullivan.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said as she shook his hand. “And thank you again for helping us.”
Red stained Tommy’s cheeks as he smiled at her. “We’ve always stood with Sergei, and we will stand with Lev.”
Tommy and Lev exchanged nods before Tommy turned on his heel and went back to the rest of the workers who had begun to return to their homes now that the threat was over.
Behind them, Sergei’s men waited for Lev to turn around. Reyna didn’t push him. She simply stood in the arms of the man she loved, marveling that they had won a major victory over the Saints. But she feared that they had only angered the titan.
And the retribution would be vicious.
Lev kissed her temple. “You can still leave.”
“I’m with you,” she told him, meeting his gaze. “I’ll always be with you.”
He smiled at her before he turned them to face those remaining. “Thank you all for fighting with me. I’ve heard that some of you believe I was responsible for Sergei’s death. The men we fought today were the ones who took his life.”
“Reyna and Mia told us,” Arnold said as he held his wounded arm.
Lev’s gaze moved over the men. “Sergei asked me to take over upon his death. I told him no repeatedly, but he never gave up hope that I would take his place. I’m here to tell you that I will honor his wishes.”
A loud cheer went up, causing Reyna to smile as she beamed proudly at her man.
“It’s not going to be an easy road,” Lev continued when the cheering died down. “Sergei was determined to see the Saints ended, and so am I. Our business is going to extend from the normal port dealings. We’re fighting a global giant that has people everywhere. We have to trust each other. The minute that ceases, we have a problem.”
“We’re with you,” Arnold told him and was joined by a chorus of agreements.
Lev grinned at them. “Let’s see to our dead and wounded.”
The men wandered away to do as ordered. Lev dropped his arm and walked to the left where a huge black mark scorched the concrete. She didn’t have to ask to know it was where Sergei’s car had blown up.
Mia moved closer and said, “Lev is staying here, isn’t he?”
“He thinks having two locations shows the Saints that we’re not afraid.”
“It’s what Sergei would’ve wanted. Oh,” she said and hurried away.
Reyna watched her rush toward three men walking their way. The youngest jogged to meet her, wrapping his arms around Mia and swinging her about.
Lev returned to her side and retook her hand as the foursome walked up. He and Cullen nodded to each other. However, the older man who looked similar to Cullen held out his hand.
“Glad to have you back safe and sound.”
Lev laughed and shook his hand. “It’s good to be back.”
“And you brought a friend,” the Russian said as he grinned at her.
“Yuri, Orrin, Cullen, I’d like you to meet Reyna Harris. Reyna, these are my friends.”
“We’re her friends, as well,” Mia said with a wink.
Reyna greeted each of them, shaking their hands as they welcomed her. They stood around, laughing and talking for a few minutes before one of Lev’s men said that they’d found five more bodies, one a woman.
They followed the man to the dead, and Reyna found herself staring at the body of her old boss. “That’s Lorraine,” she told Lev.
Orrin knelt beside her and looked at the wound. “She was killed at point-blank range.”
“She knew her killer,” Cullen said.
Lev looked at Reyna. “Do you think it might be the same person who helped you?”
She shrugged. “Anything is possible. Are there cameras around here?”
“Behind us,” Lev said, pointing to them. “I’ll ask Tommy for the footage.”
Mia walked around the bodies. “It looks like the woman who has been chasing the two of you is gone. Maybe you can stop running.”
Reyna met Lev’s gaze. “We’ll all be running until the Saints are brought down.”
“Come on,” Lev told them as he tugged on her hand. “There’s vodka waiting in Sergei’s office. I mean, my office. Damn. That’s going to take some getting used to.”
“But it fits,” Yuri said.
Lev smiled and gave Reyna a quick kiss. “That isn’t the only thing that fits.”
“I’ll be damned,” Cullen said with a wide smile. “Lev has himself a woman.”
“Keep talking, Tex, and I’ll kick your ass,” Lev promised.
Reyna looked at Cullen and said, “He’s pretty good. I think you should zip it.”
“Hey,” Mia exclaimed, unable to keep the smile from her face “My man is just as good.”
“Ooooh. Do I see a fight coming on?” Yuri asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
Orrin sighed loudly and looked up at the sky. “I’m too old for this shit.”
They all laughed, enjoying the interlude of peace because they would need to start planning soon. But they had earned a few hours of rest and celebration.