Time is of essence as I have to quickly decide how to tackle this. The men will surely come to the room, and just like the hallway, it's an open field.
Trying to keep a handle on my panic, I realize that the only hiding place is... behind the door.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, situating myself behind the door and waiting for them to burst through. If I can take one down, then I can handle just one person, right?
I better hope so.
A few more seconds and the men almost tear down the door.
"We need to get to Kuznetsov." One notes while the other grunts, using his fingers to signal something.
I wait until they are further into the room before I announce my presence. Holding tightly on to the rifle, I aim, managing to nab one of them in his cheek.
Blood spurts out as he falls to his knees, his gun dropping to the ground, his screams of pain worse than a woman's. I don't even have time to consider that as I see the other aim at me.
Before I realize what I'm doing, I pull the door towards me, using it as a shield.
Bullets hit the steel door, and I'm grateful that Vlad's had the entire level custom made. It certainly made the difference between life and death just now.
Debating what to do next, I take a risk and I drop the rifle.
At this point it's all about timing, and taking the time to get the target right might cost me precious seconds. Wrapping my fingers around the hilt of a knife, I wait until the bullets quiet before peeking inside the room, immediately throwing the knife at him.
Missed.
Out of bullets, he's abandoning his own weapon and picking up the one of his fallen friend.
Shit!
Already on automatic pilot, I reveal myself once more, my sight clear as I make eye contact with him. He has a smug expression on his face, as if he's already won this, even though his partner is sitting in a blood bath that I caused.
I let my lips spread in a smile before I move my shoulder back, preparing for the throw. He smirks as he takes in my knife, probably expecting me to miss again.
Ah, but I have a surprise for him.
After all, if there's anything I know how to do well, that's survival.
And so I keep my smile on, my fingers tight against the hilt of the kunai, and I throw.
His lips are stuck in a perpetual smile as the tip of my knife lands right in between his eyes. He falls to the floor with a thud, but I can't even gloat in my win.
Not when I have to get to Vlad as soon as possible.
I all but run out of the room, heading straight to the blood room. But just as I am two steps from opening the door, four more people appear in the hallway, all coming from the direction of the hatch.
My eyes widen in horror as I realize I'm truly caught.
Their weapons are pointed towards me as they slowly advance.
I could surrender, but that's simply out of the question. Not when I know what they're likely to do to me if they get me. I'd rather die than open myself up to that type of hell.
I take another knife from the back of my pants, ready to do whatever it takes.
"It's just a girl." One of them mentions as they get closer to me.
"Where's Kuznetsov? He told us he'd be here." Another says and I frown.
Who told them?
"Doesn't matter, you know the drill. No witnesses." The third one chimes in, and I know my time's up.
Vlad...
But just as I'm about to either let them kill me, or do the honors myself, the door to the blood room swings open.
A naked Vlad entirely covered in blood struts out, his eyes immediately locking with mine. He looks me up and down, giving a small nod when he realizes I'm unharmed.
As he fully comes out from the room, I realize he's not unarmed. One rifle in one hand, one corpse in the other as he's dragging the body across the floor, he doesn't seem to be still in the throes of an episode.
If anything, he looks perfectly sane.
The men do a double take when they see him, the sight of him in a blood bodysuit seemingly making even seasoned soldiers sweat.
My own heart finally calms down as I know he's here, and that he's lucid. That means they don't stand a chance. And so I release a relieved breath.
"Duck," his voice is soft and I don't even question the command, throwing myself behind him and ducking at the entrance of the blood room.
The entire thing happens in slow motion as Vlad single handedly opens fire on the three men, bullets raining on them and penetrating every inch of their non-armored body. He's so fast they don't even get to point their weapons towards him.
When one does a feeble attempt at shooting at Vlad, he simply lifts the corpse with one hand, using it as a human shield.
Once everyone's down, he dumps the corpse, hurrying towards me.
"My brave, brave, girl," he takes me into his arms, rocking with me. "I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier." He says, holding me so tight I can barely breathe.
"It's ok," I say, even though my body is trembling slightly from the adrenaline residue. "We're fine. We're both fine," I lean back to look at him.
He shakes his head slightly, cupping my cheeks and laying kisses all over my face. "We need to get out of here," he mentions, tugging me to my feet.
"There are more people upstairs," I tell him what I'd seen on the camera, including the fact that someone must have told them his location.
"Fuck," he curses under his breath.
Passing by the dead men, he picks up their guns, handing me two and keeping two to himself.
"Stay next to me, hell girl. If anyone shoots, get behind me, ok?"
His features are stern, his voice grave as he more or less orders me to let him take any bullets meant for me.
I want to argue, tell him I'd never do something like that, but one look at him and I know he's not likely to be amenable. So I just nod.
"Good," he grunts, taking my hand as we go to the ground level. "We need to get to the car, and then we'll head straight to the airport." He explains, telling me the house is compromised now and he's not taking any risks with my safety.
We're in the service elevator, which luckily has a tablet too, so Vlad is able to monitor the activity in the house.
"You took three out, I took four..." he speaks, more to himself, doing the math as he counts a couple more people on the upper floor. "They fucking sent an entire unit."
A hint of a smile appears on his face, and I frown at him.
"Whoever told them about me gave them good instructions," he smirks, a sinister pull of his lips that promises bloodshed and death.
Even as I feel safest next to him, I can only rue the day those people decided to attack him. Because I don't think there's anyone more dangerous out there. If there's such a thing as a killer trophic chain, then he's on top.
And he proves my point as he leaves me in the elevator with a shrug and a kiss, striding in the middle of the living room in all his bloody naked glory, guns raised high as he shoots a few rounds in the air.
Thudding steps resound in the house as the remaining men all hurry downstairs. Locked in the elevator, I can only watch through the video feed as he baits them out in the open.
A total of five men ambush him, all seemingly flabbergasted at finding him naked and covered in blood.
"You dare," he says with a smile and I turn on the volume on the camera, not wanting to miss anything, "to come into my house, and threaten my woman?" His voice thunders in the room, yet the smile's still set in place.
The men are in position, but Vlad doesn't seem to care as he simply discards his weapons to the floor.
My eyes widen, and I can't quite believe what I'm seeing. Especially as he'd insisted on taking them from the dead men.
But as the others fix their guns on him, he does something that completely shocks me. He ducks low, throwing himself between two men.
The entire thing happens so fast it's as if someone applied special effects to the
footage.
He raises himself up effortlessly right behind the two men. They don't even have time to react as Vlad takes hold of their protective caps, bringing them together and hitting their heads.
They struggle in his hold, but they're no match for him. Even with their army training, since they're clearly professionals, they look like children being scolded by an adult.
The other three men are ready to fire, but seem reluctant since Vlad is using the two men's bodies as shields.
"Not so brave now, are you?" He asks, banging the men's heads together once more, but this time, he undoes their caps, throwing them to the ground before hitting their heads again. The sound of bones cracking is unmistakable, and even the remaining men have a hard time believing what they are seeing.
Certainly, even for me it looks almost impossible, and I'm used to associating the word impossible with Vlad. His strength must be incredible if he's breaking their skulls with his bare hands. And it looks effortless, no visible strain on his face.
He continues the motion until the skin is broken, brain leaking out from the cranial vault. At this point, the men aren't even struggling anymore, their bodies slack, their weapons now at Vlad's disposal.
This is all a game for him. A show.
"What the..."
"He's not human... he can't be," one man curses out.
And as the others keep mumbling incoherent sentences, I realize Vlad's real purpose for the spectacle—he wants their fear.
The panic is visible on their faces, their feet unconsciously taking a few steps back.
Vlad's smile is unwavering, but his gaze is deadly.
Still, I can't feel sorry for them, because they did come into our home intent on killing us. They brought it upon themselves.
Fingers molded to the gun, Vlad shoots.
Two men fall down, blood pouring out of their necks and flooding the floor. Only one is still alive, and it's on purpose as Vlad lets the corpses drop to his feet, advancing towards him.
The man doesn't even try to put up a fight as he falls to his ass, trying to crawl backwards, an expression of pure terror on his face.
"Who sent you?" Vlad asks, coming to stand right in front of the man. He carelessly swings the gun in his hand a couple of times before pointing it straight at his head.
"Who sent you?" He asks again, the barrel of the gun moving slowly across the man's face. "I don't know if they told you, but I'm not a fan of quick deaths. Your friends there," he motions to the fallen men, "had it easy. But you..." he makes a tsk sound. "You either tell me or I'll get the answer out of you," he shrugs, plopping himself on his ass in front of the scared man, as if he couldn't give a fuck if he tried to attack him or not.
More than anything Vlad looks... bored.
"I..." the man stammers, "please don't hurt me," he cries like a little girl and Vlad's smile widens.
"Do tell," he prompts him.
"P... P... Petro Meester," he finally utters the words, and I narrow my eyes, almost sure I'd heard the name before.
"Is that so," Vlad whistles a short tune—in surprise or disappointment, I don't know. "And who told you where I was?" he continues, and my ears perk up.
I watch attentively, curious about the person who sold Vlad out because I know for a fact that very few people had been aware of this location.
"I..." the man keeps on stammering, his eyes wildly looking for an exit where there's none.
More impatient than usual, Vlad grabs his nape, bringing him closer to his face. I push the volume of the sound to the max, wanting to listen to everything that passes between them.
"You tell me that, and I'll give you a quick death. You have my word. If not..." he purses his lips, telling him exactly what he'll do to him, a gruesome experiment meant to keep him alive while his body writhes in pain. The descriptions are so vivid that the man wets himself.
"I don't know... a bald man," he says, his entire body trembling with fear.
Vlad gives a jerky nod, the barrel of the gun at the man's temple before I can even blink, the sound of the bullet going through his brain and immediately killing him almost deafening.
Vlad's expression is grave as he stands up, pensively striding to my location and opening the elevator doors.
"We need to leave," he tells me, "but first, I need to do one last thing."
He takes my hand, leading me to the front of the house before thrusting me behind him.
"Come out, you fucking coward," he yells at the top of his lungs. "Maxiiiiiiim!" His roar would make anyone think twice before showing themselves in front of him.
But Maxim ends up coming out of the house, a resigned look on his face.
I try to peek at Vlad's face and I have to wonder what he's feeling. I know Maxim's been with him for years. To have him betray Vlad like this must be awful. Especially since for so long Maxim's been his only contact to the outside world.
Vlad takes a step forward, only one word crossing his lips.
"Why?"
Maxim has the shame to look down, his legs wobbly as he falls to his knees.
"Moya semya, vo Vladivostoke," he starts, his voice uneven as he talks about his family back in Russia and how Meester had offered him a deal in exchange for their lives.
"Maxim," Vlad says his name, and I can recognize a tinge of anguish underneath.
He's not unaffected. And that breaks my heart.
"You could have asked for help. Ya nekagda ne tebe skazal net. Ti znaesh shto ya vsegda hotel pomogat." He shakes his head, clearly disappointed.
Head hung low, Maxim doesn't even dare look at Vlad. Instead, he takes out a shashka from his coat, handing it to him with both hands.
"Pazhalusta," he whispers.
Vlad's expression falls for a split of a second, before his iciness returns in full force. Grabbing the blade, he doesn't even hesitate as he waves it in the air, the sharp edge cutting Maxim's throat from ear to ear.
He falls to the ground, blood gushing from his body, his eyes wide open as he stares into nothingness.
"Zemlya tebe puhom," Vlad whispers as he stoops low, placing his open palm over Maxim's face and closing his eyes.
Coming towards me, I cannot help but feel his pain as my own. So I do the only thing that I can. I meet him halfway, my arms wrapped around his torso as I pull him into a big hug.
He's frozen still for a moment before he starts reacting, returning the embrace.
"You're safe, Sisi. That's all that matters." He speaks, caressing my hair, his mouth on my temple as he lays a sweet kiss on my skin.
"We are safe," I correct him, "I don't want to imagine a world without you," I tell him, my words laced with the agony I'd felt at thinking that something might happen to him.
"Me neither," he responds, his voice hollow. "Me neither."
A quick sweep of the house to get some belongings and then we're both in the car, heading to the airport.
Back to New York.
I don't even want to imagine what awaits us there. From Vlad's enemies to my own disapproving family, I don't think anyone's going to receive us with open arms.
At least we're together. And together we'll brave it all.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Using a towel to dry my hair, I head back to the main seating area of the plane. With the impromptu attack on the house, I'm thankful that I'd kept the jet in New Orleans. We hadn't lingered too long at the house, grabbing only a few necessities before taking the car to the airport. I hadn't even had the time to wash the blood off, and I'd definitely run a risk driving around drenched in blood.
Still, better being pulled over by some puny cop than risk Sisi's safety even more. They had sent a unit to dispatch me, so there's no doubt that another one would follow when they realize they've lost connection to the first one.
Legs crossed, she's sitting by the window, staring into empty space. Not for the first time, I stop to admire her. Even tired, she's stunning, her beauty unique. She's still dressed in her work ou
t gear, some blood spatters on her skin. Her blonde hair is lightly stained around the tips. I'd suggested she use the shower first since the plane bathroom is too tiny to fit us both, but she'd insisted that I was in more dire need of it. Of course, she commands and I obey.
She's looking out the window, her expression serene. Too serene considering what she just went through, and that only makes me more in awe of her.
By the time I'd registered that shots were being fired in the house, my Sisi had been dealing with those bastards on her own. I can barely forgive myself for letting her stand up to them on her own. But even as I'm mad at myself for my own failure, I can't help but admire her. She'd bravely faced them and even killed a few on her own.
A smile pulls at my lips.
She truly is one of a kind.
Although she'd handled herself better than I could have ever hoped, I won't ever let that happen again. Even if I have to cuff her to me, I will make sure she's never in danger again.
I don't think I could handle it if anything happened to her. Certainly, I don't think the world could handle me if anything happened to her. Because one thing is for sure. I exist if she does. That's my only requirement.
She notices me in the doorway, and she gives me a shy smile as she beckons me to her.
"There you are, handsome," her hand reaches out to touch my face as I sit next to her.
Without even thinking, I tug her out of her seat and on my lap, holding her tightly. I don't think the sight of those people aiming their guns at her will leave my mind anytime soon.
"I love you," I tell her, nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck. That she's here and mine is the only thing I need to know to feel at peace.
"I love you too," she says, her soft voice soothing the beast inside of me.
It scares me too to think what I'd be capable of if anything were to happen to Sisi. I don't think there are limits to the destruction I'd wreck before joining her.
"I promise I'll never put you in danger again." I tell her, my mind already working on annihilating any potential danger, starting with the people who want me dead. Because if they want to harm me, then they'll surely try to harm Sisi too. And that I can't have.
Morally Ambiguous: A Dark Mafia Romance (Morally Questionable Book 4) Page 55