The Dark Side: A Mafia Romance Thriller (Morozov Mafia Series Book 1)

45. Attack

Adrik pressed against the wall, panting, slightly bleeding on the arm. He kept his gun close to his body, listening for footsteps and signs of life. The body of one of his men was at his feet, but it phased him little.

Their opponents were strong and plentiful. They came on four speedboats, with a dozen soldiers on each. It should have been like shooting fish in a barrel, but their enemy was prepared. They had mirrors to blind them and tear gas that they shot from over-the-shoulder cannons. But their arrival had been a diversion. A team of sea divers went under the boat and boarded from the other side, taking Adrik and his team off guard.

Now, they were searching the hull of the yacht, and Adrik had the means to kill every last one. But his numbers were decreasing as the minutes passed.

This boat had never been breached. Thirty million went into this ship, now being reduced to splinters. The failure would eat at Adrik at another time, but right now, he needed to focus on his target.

In his ear, Adrik wore a small Bluetooth and could hear the other members of his army continuing to fight. Adrik didn”t want to put himself between the safe room and their enemy for a simple reason. They would know he was protecting something, and they would only try harder. So, he left the safe room to Dima, who sat in hiding, watching the room”s safety. He listened every moment for Dima to tell him if the girls were in danger.

Adrik pretended instead to be protecting the upstairs bedroom, and that”s where the stalemate was.

A shout called in English, ”We only want Zinof.”

”He”s not here, you fucking idiots.”Adrik hollered back in Russian, if only to spite them. But even if Zinof was here, Adrik would still fight with the same amount of zest. They dared come onto his boat; now they must face the penalties.

”Hand him over, and no one else has to die.”

”Fuck you,” Adrik yelled, and then he shot down the hallway with only his arm out. Immediately, his opponent fired back, and the bullets stuck into the floorboards and walls.

In his ear, he heard Dima. ”Sir, there”s someone coming.” Adrik pressed his back against the wall and closed his eyes. ”Someone coming” didn”t mean they knew where the safe room was. But even if they did, they couldn”t breach it, not without a bomb or Jolie”s hand.

”Sir,” another voice came on the line. He was whispering and clearly out of breath. ”In the back of the ship, there”s a crew of four. They”re sawing into the side. They”re breaching the safe room from the outside.”

Adrik ground his teeth and smashed his head back against the wall. A tangent of curses rolled through his head. This group of mercenaries had a smart leader. Adrik touched his earpiece. ”How long?”

”Five, ten minutes tops.”

”How many are on the ship?”

The count went out, and it came to seven. He ordered someone to the stairs to help clear his pathway. Adrik entered his bedroom and threw the mattress off the bed to reveal a safe. He typed in a number quickly, listening behind him for any footsteps closing in on his position. Inside the safe was money, drugs, and two grenades. He snatched the two dark-green balls and put one in his pocket. Then he tossed the other down the hall. The yells were humorous, and the bomb vibrated the ground at his feet. Gunfire followed, but from the bottom stairwell.

”Clear!” his soldiers called.

Adrik stepped out of the room, and a gunshot hit him in the shoulder. It pushed him back a step, and he looked down at the wound seeping blood. Then he fired his gun five, six times into the mutilated corpse on the floor. How the soldier managed to get half of him blown off and still survive, Adrik didn”t care to know. He was dead now. Adrik vaguely touched the bullet wound on his shoulder, but the adrenaline kept him from feeling most of the pain.

Pulling all his soldiers together, they arrived at the back of the ship. There were two opponents on the top of the railing as lookouts. They wore sunglasses and body armor. Adrik couldn”t see the others, but he could hear the drilling, even feel it in the bottom of his bloody feet. So much glass dug into his soles, but he paid it no mind.

Adrik tossed the bomb and watched the two soldiers try to dive off the edge, but it blew them up into the air, and they fell into the water. He stepped out as his soldiers ran to gun down the crew on the side of the ship. They sat in little swings, trying to dive out of their seats, but it was too late. Bullets rained down on them from up above.

”Adrik,” Dima’s whisper was a siren in his head. His hearing had dulled because of the bombs, and now, in a moment of clarity, it came back to him. ”She opened the door.”

His brows knit, confused first before his eyes widened. Jolie opened the door.

Adrik ran to the front of the ship and darted through the living room. The team kept up with him, trying to calm him, to stop him, but he wouldn”t. He threw himself down a flight of stairs, barely catching himself from falling. It felt like hours till he made it to the boiler room and shoved his way through the door. He finally arrived, but the sight made his heart stop.

In the safe room, Jolie sat on the ground with Helina tucked into her side as they watched Frozen in Russian. The words were rough, coarse, and difficult for her to work her lips around, but she tried her hardest to pay attention to the little girl as she went over sayings.

Jolie”s mind was on something entirely different and terrifying, but she pretended for the child. She smiled and laughed, watching Helina get annoyed with her inability to speak Russian properly.

It was over an hour now that they were in this safe room. With soundproof walls and the movie blaring, there were no hints of what was happening out there. Jolie watched Tatianna, hoping for support, but the woman was fixing her makeup with a small glass mirror. Tatianna was as sweet as sunshine, but emotionally, she was empty. Was there nothing that bothered her?

Is Tatianna my future?

Jolie wanted to ask the woman thousands of questions about marrying into the Mafia, but she didn”t dare in case she accidentally leaked that she was dating the other brother. Instead, they sat quietly, listening to the Russian voices of actors.

A weird sound rang in her ear, like scrapping metal against metal. ”What is that?”

Tatianna shook her head. ”I never know. It will be over soon. I hope this doesn”t ruin our afternoon.”

Jolie snatched the iPad and turned it off. Helina hollered at her, but Jolie quieted her, and they listened. The sound was a continuous vibration, and soon, the sound became familiar. It sounded like a tool her stepfather used on weekends when he built her a swing set. A saw. She got up on her feet, searching. ”They”re sawing through the ship.”

Tatianna giggled. ”No, sweetie, what would they do that for? They would have to know about the safe room, and only a few people know about it.”

”Do you trust those people?”

”Adrik took the proper precautions, I”m sure.” The sound stopped. Jolie put her hand against the wall tentatively before she pressed her ear against it.

Two inches from her face, the saw broke through.

Jolie jumped back, pulled Tatianna out of the chair, and picked up Helina. The little girl clung to her, once more spouting Russian. It brought the memories from the shootout fresh into her thoughts, and she gripped the little girl”s head. This time, Jolie was ready with soothing Russian words. They were choppy and felt odd on her tongue, but she nonetheless whispered, ”You”re okay, princess.” Jolie went for the door, but Tatianna gripped her arm.

”What are you doing?”

Jolie flicked her eyes between the woman and the sparks shooting out from the wall. ”We can”t stay here!”

”My son is coming. Just wait.”

”They are breaking down the wall!”

Tatianna touched Jolie”s arm. ”I understand it is scary. But be patient, sweetheart.”

The woman was out of her mind. Jolie was quite sure there wasn”t a human in her. She was a shell of a woman, only acting like she was alive. Jolie ripped her arm free and placed her hand on the keypad. The door clicked as it unlocked, and Jolie pushed it open.

The door was pulled out of her grasp, and two black men stood before her. They were giants, grinning like fools, with guns in their hands. The first one reached for Helina, and Jolie resisted, pulling her back, but when a barrel pressed into the side of her forehead, her muscles weakened. Helina was pried out of her arms, her little fingers trying to grip Jolie”s clothes, but the man peeled her off.

”On your knees,” the left one ordered. Jolie wasn”t paying attention; she was watching Helina, trying to soothe her. A sharp hit to the side of her head dropped her to the floor. She moaned, trying to push the dizziness from her brain.

A bomb went off from above, vibrating the ground. Jolie blinked, focusing on the noise, and she pressed a hand against the floor, feeling the movement. The drilling behind them stopped, and shouts weren”t too far behind. But it was only a minute before the sound of a dozen bullets broke through the crack in the soundproof wall, and screams followed.

Jolie stared at the floor, her heart pounding, her breath coming in crazy pants. If she had waited, Adrik and his people would have saved them, and they would have remained unharmed in the safe house. Guilt barreled on her heavier than gravity. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to wrap her brain around everything, but she was lost. This was too extreme. She might have killed them all.

Helina shivered and whimpered as the man placed his hands on her shoulders. ”Don”t do anything stupid, and we won”t hurt you. You understand?”

Jolie clenched her teeth, but it was painful. She forced out, ”She only speaks Russian.”

The mercenary flicked his eyes to her. ”Then, translate,” he bit back.

Tatianna whispered to her with a sweet, calming voice, and Jolie sunk to the ground in shame. She was criticizing the woman for not responding like an average person, yet she now saw Tatianna”s attitude as more of a strength. The woman was impenetrable. She didn”t whimper and shake. To her, this was a momentary misunderstanding.

If only I could tell my heart that,Jolie mused.

A shadow shifted in the backwall. “Dima!” Helina cried, but it was the worst thing she could have done. The man in front of her wasted no time, spinning around and firing into the darkness. Bullets ricocheted off pipes and hissed, sending out a stream of white smoke. “No! Dima!” Helina wiggled and kicked at the man, but he had one good hold of her shoulder and it was all he needed. Dima collapsed, his gun falling inches from him. He struggled with movement, trying to push against the ground to drag his body, stretching for his gun. Another shot to his head and the arm slapped against the ground.

Jolie clenched her eyes tight. Don”t look, don”t look, don”t look. It”s fine. He”s fine. The words were illogical; even she knew that, but she kept repeating them.

”Dima!” Helina tried to crumble, but the man wouldn’t let her go. Tatianna desperately spoke to her, asking her to calm down and not look. Helina buried her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking with tears.

”Get ready,” the mercenary said. ”He”ll be coming.”

”All part of the plan, right?” the other replied. Keeping his gun on Jolie, the man took out a walkie-talkie. ”We got the package. Bring the boat to the front of the ship.” There was a pause, but no one responded, and the man repeated it. When there was only radio silence, the two of them glanced at each other. ”Not part of the plan.”

”Fuck, Mic, this is your fucking fault,” the other said, tightening his hold on Helina.

Moments later, Adrik and six soldiers were running toward them. Jolie flinched, wanting nothing more than to go to him. But Helina called out, ”Papa!” Any of Jolie”s wants didn”t matter. Only Helina mattered. Could she somehow help? Or was it better to just let Adrik handle it? He knew how to get out of these situations, didn”t he? He”s had more practice. He was made for this; she was a bumbling bird caught in a storm she couldn”t weather.

Adrik slowed as he approached, a hand up to stop the six men behind him from making any rash moves. His daughter, mother, and girlfriend in the hands of an enemy was his worst nightmare. But his focus remained solely on Helina. In Russian, he whispered, ”I”m here, baby. Don”t move, okay? Wait for me.” Her little whimper was the only reply.

The leader instructed, ”Put your guns down.”

Adrik ground his teeth and shifted his focus to the man holding her. He tossed his weapon on the floor while the others dropped theirs. Though he had another in the back of his pants, there was no way to move without being noticed. ”Zinof is not on this ship.”

”But you know where he is.”

Adrik fisted his hands, staying silent. He studied their faces, trying to pinpoint who they were. They weren”t the run-of-the-mill mercenaries. They were too structured, with an abundance of money. They had to be from a cartel or family. But Adrik knew all the local leaders.

Mic snickered. ”Don”t make this harder.”

Was there an accent? From the northern states? Why would a mafia family from the North come down here? Adrik ran his eyes over their tattoos, but they were shrewd. They were covered in long sleeves and gloves. But they couldn”t disguise the fact that they were black, and there were only three black mafia families in the United States. That”s if they were mafia, but they had to be, right? This was too well organized to be a random gang or cartel.

”Who do you work for?”

With a small shake of his head, the man smirked. ”I”m not at liberty to say.”

”I can give you double whatever they are paying you.”

A scoff. ”The moment I let these bitches go, you”d shoot me. I know your history.” The leader nudged his head, and Mic ordered Jolie and Tatianna to their feet. ”We are taking them with us.”

”You”re not going anywhere. You will not make it off this ship alive.”

The leader clenched Helina”s shoulder, making her wince. ”Big words when I hold your daughter in my hand.”

Adrik shifted, but the man casually laid a gun on her shoulder, but by not pointing it at her head, he was saying something. Whoever ordered him here gave an explicit instruction not to harm Helina. But Adrik wasn”t willing to risk that theory.

”Let us through.”

Adrik clenched his teeth and then flicked his eyes over Jolie, over to his mother. In Russian, he asked her, ”Mama, what do you think?”

She smiled sweetly. ”It might be best to listen, honey. They seem very upset right now, and we don”t want any accidents.”

He was hoping she would have a plan or some sort of encouragement. But to just give in caused the rage to build. Every bit of him wanted to lash out, but there was too much risk. Someone was going to get hurt, and he couldn”t have a single one of them caught in the crossfire. This mercenary had found a trifecta of weakness. It was a learning moment that Adrik would not soon forget.

Any threats were hollow. The words ”If you hurt them” died on his tongue. Adrik was going to get his revenge, no matter what. They were already dead in his eyes. It didn”t matter if they treated Helina like a princess; he would torture them just the same. “Zinof will be dropped in the middle of Hyde Park in one hour.”

“That’s where we’ll be. One hour.”

Adrik grit his teeth and nodded. It took every ounce of control to step aside, but he did it. His men parted, allowing the leader and Helina to walk through first. Words of comfort speedily came off Adrik”s lips, trying to assure his crying daughter that everything would be alright. But it twisted all his organs, making him sick to let her go.

Tatianna passed. ”I”ll look after her,” she assured.

Mic stood behind Jolie, with a hand on her shoulder and a gun at her temple, walking backward to keep Adrik and his people in his sight.

Adrik finally met her gaze. Blood was knotted in her hair on the side of her head. Her panic and fear were just another block on his shoulders. ”Follow their rules,” he told her, shoving down everything he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her he was in love with her, that she was everything he ever wanted in a wife, and that even barely knowing her, he wasn”t far from putting a ring on her finger. But instead, he was silent. He didn”t want the mercenaries to know just how important Jolie was to him.

”I”m sorry,” she whispered, and the terror in her voice nearly made him move to her. ”I should have waited for you.”

Adrik took a step, stopping himself as the man tightened his hold on her arm. He clenched his fists at his side, dying with every inch she moved away from him. He wasn”t angry about any of that. How could he be? It was his fault for not teaching her how dangerous his life was.

Mic smirked from over Jolie”s shoulder. ”Don”t worry. I”ll take good care of your whore.”

A single bullet fired, and Mic twisted his head around to see his brother”s body smack into the wall. A grief-stricken scream caught in his throat, but Tatianna turned and put a bullet through his forehead.

Jolie screamed as Mic”s body fell on her, and they both crumbled. Hot blood splattered her face, and she could taste the metallic substance in her mouth. It froze her like a sheet of ice encasing her.

Adrik stared wide-eyed at his mother. She stood in the center of the dead bodies, with a small six-inch handgun. Tatianna waved it around like a flag, and a hint of the woman she used to be sprang to the surface. ”Didn”t I say this the other day?” she nipped at Adrik. ”They never check the women. Am I so helpless that they think I can”t even hold a gun?”