Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Valerio
I broke just about every speed limit getting to the airport, but the only thing on my mind was getting to her and nothing else. Sergei was going to pay for his sins, and I was going to make sure his punishment was swift.
I put the car into park only a few short meters from the bunker, and even from here I could see the three men that guarded its door. This was likely all he had brought. The fact that he had been able to tail us so quickly meant that he hadn’t brought his full arsenal with him, and he had no intention of involving so many people. This was a matter of pride, and the fewer people who knew of this, the better.
“Alex, I need you coming in from the back. Sergei doesn't know that you're here, and I want to keep that element of surprise.” I hopped out of the car and made my way toward the bunker. Before the three men could even react, the three of us pulled our guns and shot them dead.
Pathetic .
Alex nodded. “Remember that I take the shot, Valerio. We need to do this clean and efficient. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment.”
I didn't respond to his words. There was no point, because even he knew I wasn't going to listen to him anyway.
Alex started for the back door of the bunker. He knew this place well; he was a frequent flier in this area. I was going to give him as much time as I could to take the kill shot, but if he took too long, then I would take matters into my own hands.
“So, what is the game plan, exactly?” Danill got out of the car and fell into step with us. The bunker was only a few feet away from where he had parked on the tarmac.
I would have expected this man to have left with her by now, which meant that he had planned some kind of trap. But if I knew Sergei like I liked to believe I did, the man was off his game. His castle was under siege, and he was likely in a manic state.
If my guess was right, he would have anticipated our arrival and he would have her at gunpoint to force me into submission.
I looked over my shoulder at Danill and gave him a signal that we were going in. I moved along the wall and just as expected, there Sergei was, with Anastasia held at gunpoint.
The man could not get any more predictable than that.
“Nice of you two to finally join us.” The deranged smile on his face was enough to conclude that this man was truly off his rocker. So, this is what happened to a man when the power he had stolen was taken from him. Scary stuff. “I’ve been waiting for you. Now I have to kill her in front of the two men who love her the most in this world. How sweet.”
“Fuck you, Sergei,” Danill spat from beside me.
Sergei simply threw his head back and laughed. “Right back at you. Do you have any idea what your little slut sister just cost me?
My gun was hot in my hands. I tried to exercise restraint, but my patience was wearing thin, and Alex was still nowhere to be found.
“You okay there, cielo ?” I called to her, but my eyes remained hard set on Sergei, who had his arm over her neck, holding her body to him.
Tears streamed down her face as she stared at me, scared for her life. I made a mental note, that from this moment on, she would no longer cry tears of sadness ever again.
He pointed the gun right at her head and I pointed mine right at him.
“You don’t want to do this,” I said coolly with my gun pointed at his head. The man’s eyes looked deranged. I could see more white in his eyes than those haunting blue irises of his. I clicked my gun into place, ready to take my shot. “Let her go and I won’t shoot you.”
“What happened to being a man of honor? Surely, you know the way of the Code. You prided yourself in it only a few short years ago.”
The taunting in his voice rattled me. My finger laid heavy on the trigger, ready to pull at any moment. I had no idea where Alex was, but Danill stood off to the side.
“Valerio,” she sniffed. “I love you.”
Those were the three most important words I had been waiting for. But this was not at all how I pictured I would be receiving them.
“Tell me again later, baby.” I tightened my hand on the gun. I stared into her eyes, hoping she could read what I was trying to relay to her. A glimmer of understanding resonated in her gaze. I gave her a subtle nod and turned my attention back to Sergei. “You’re going to die today, Sergei.”
“Then so will she.” He pressed his gun against her head.
“Now, Anastasia!”
She jabbed him in his stomach, and he doubled over, not suspecting the attack. She ran toward me, and I pulled her behind me and pointed my gun at him.
“You dumb bitch!” Sergei roared in anger and pointed his gun.
Alex was out of time. I eased my finger onto the trigger, ready to take my shot.
“Say hi to my father for me when you see him in hell.” And then the guns went off.
One minute she was behind me, and the next she was in front of me acting like a shield to my body. The guns went off, and everything fell silent for a few moments.
A blood-curdling scream filled the bunker and sent my soul flying out. Anastasia dropped to the floor at the same time Sergei’s body did the same. But I could have cared less about him. My concern was to the woman who was on the floor next to her brother’s bleeding body.
He had jumped in front of us and taken the hit for Anastasia.
“No, no, no… Danny…” She pulled her brother's head into her lap. She brushed his hair away with one hand whilst the other pressed on his open wound. “You can’t die, Danny. You don’t get to leave me like this, do you hear me? You aren’t allowed to die on me.”
My eyes flicked up and saw Alex standing only a few feet away from where I stood. His gun was now lowered, and a somber expression riddled his face.
My gun still had its last bullet in it, which meant that the kill shot had come from him. He gave me a curt nod, to which I returned in understanding.
Mission complete.
Ana’s screams rippled through the bunker. “We need to save him. Call someone, please!”
As one problem arose on one side, another was created. The monster of our problems was dead, but in his wake, he may have just taken another innocent soul with him.
Danill’s body oozed with blood, and his eyes were shut. His sister’s cries echoed through the bunker, and my heart tore a little at the sight before me. I wanted to comfort her, but I knew that was not what she wanted.
“I will call the ambulance here,” Alex said.
I could only hope it wasn’t too late.