Chapter 10 - Tasha
I was glad I could still do some hacking and searching to keep my mind occupied. I didn’t want to ponder on everything that had happened since I was kidnapped. After entering a new series of codes, I pressed enter and waited for the screen to load.
As it opened, I realized I had struck gold. There before me as I sat the entire Chernykh family records appeared. I could see who the head of the family was. Plus, all his children along with most of the details of their operations.
Gasping, I placed my hands over my mouth. It was unbelievable how much intel I had just uncovered. I saved the details and secured them with a locked file. Hearing movement in the passage, I closed the laptop and turned as the voices came closer.
“Tasha,” Vadik huffed as he appeared in the doorway. “Come join us, we’re heading out.”
Feeling excited to be helping with another mission, I got up and followed them to the van. I couldn’t contain the joy I felt in being able to assist with their missions. I love working in the field and look forward to gaining more experience.
The ride was mostly spent in quiet reflection. Occasionally, the three men would bicker about this or that. Vadik inquired about gear that Pavel was supposed to have loaded, and he said Makari did. But the gear wasn’t there.
Once the van came to a stop Vadik handed me his phone. “You will have to unlock the doors,” he said.
“Right,” I replied as we got out. According to the plans, the building had three stories. “I need to get to the top floor, the office in the back is the server room.”
“Good, I will get you there,” Vadik huffed as we moved closer.
Climbing through the fence, I wondered why it was so quiet. I couldn’t see any guards or other people around. Staying in the shadows, we moved to a door on the side. It didn’t take me long to dismantle the cover and de-activate the alarm.
Glancing back at the men, I knew they also heard the satisfying click of the mechanism opening. “Nicely done,” Pavel whispered as I pushed the door open.
Standing to the side, I watched as they moved in guns drawn. Pavel and Makari went in first then me and behind me Vadik. The place was dark, and silence hung in the air. Pavel and Makari went ahead scanning the hallways and rooms. “Everything seems deserted,” Makari huffed as he came back.
Vadik nodded and started moving towards the staircase at the back. I followed closely behind not wanting to be caught alone. Reaching the second landing, Vadik barked orders at his brothers. They moved down the hallway scanning the second floor as we continued up.
This doesn’t feel right,” I whispered as we started down the hallway on the third floor. “It’s too quiet.”
Vadik glanced back at me as he replied. “Don’t jink’s it, let’s just get in and out before anyone arrives.”
Smiling lightly, I nodded as we moved ahead. I didn’t like the feeling the emptiness brought. Shivering, I shook the impending doom off.
Vadik led me up to the server room. Stopping at the door, he handed me a small drive. Nodding as I took it, he spoke softly. “Copy everything onto here and then destroy the system. Make sure all their data is lost, okay?”
“Yes,” I replied turning my attention to the blinking lights and computer system in the corner.
“Going to my brothers, we need to destroy any labs, notes and other things we can find,” he added before disappearing. I wasn’t sure if he was going to help them or ensure they did it right.
He was a very commanding person. Chuckling as I hacked into the server, I wondered what he would do if we all said no. There was a gunshot from somewhere in the building. I had just completed the download and was about to upload a virus I created.
Stopping, I glanced around hoping Vadik and his brothers didn’t get shot. But there was no time to ponder. I had to complete what I was doing. The transfer was practically done when I felt the tip of a gun pressing hard into the back of my head. “Stop it now!” a deep voice commanded.
I froze in terror, not knowing what to do. I was sweating profusely suddenly even though my skin was ice-cold. Hearing the safety clicking, I knew this was it. I was about to die. A shot rang through the air deafening me. But I was still standing. Blinking, I couldn’t believe I was still alive.
Turning slowly, I saw the man on the floor behind me. He was bleeding from a hole in his back. Raising my eyes up, I saw Vadik holding a gun. He was standing in the darkened hallway. Letting go of the breath I was holding my legs shook as I stepped over him. I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life.
“Are you okay? Did you get it done?” Vadik asked before turning around.
“Yeah,” I replied hastily. I was bubbling with the thrill of it all.
He glanced at me sideways over his shoulder as we moved out of the building. I could see the curiosity on his face as he spoke. “What did you do?”
Smiling, I bit back the laugh as I replied. “I uploaded a virus to their mainframe. Any system connected to this one will receive a small gift of corruption.”
We had gotten into the van and were not even two blocks away when I heard the explosion. Looking back, the sky was filled with bright orange light and then clouds of smoke. “Did you blow it up?” I asked astounded.
The three men laughed as we took a right and sped up. “It had to be done while the place was empty,” Makari said as he drove.
Vadik couldn’t stop smiling all the way back to the mansion. We had only just stepped inside when he spoke. “Tasha, I must say, I’m grateful for your assistance today. It was something to watch you work.”
Giving him a small curtsy, I nodded. He had no idea how great it felt to be out there working with them. He gently caught my arm as I headed upstairs and turned me back to face him as he continued to speak. “However, I think you need some training in fighting. If you are to work in the field with us, I can’t have you stumbling around.”
Lowering my gaze, I looked down at my feet. The excitement rushing through me was almost uncontrollable. But I didn’t want him to see it. I had to look unfazed. I glanced at him once I wiped the smile off my face. “Okay, thank you,” I replied shortly.
Pulling back, I nodded and headed upstairs. My family would not have agreed to something like this. They never offered to train me and wouldn’t even let me try. My brother’s preferred to be my protector.
As I walked into my room and shut the door it dawned on me. That is why I’m in this predicament. I might have managed to escape if they had taught me even one thing about protecting myself.
But no, they had to be stubborn. Flopping down on the bed, I smiled up at the ceiling. This was going to be great. Finally, I would be able to become physically fit and offer my service not only from behind a desk but in the field.
Grabbing some clothes from my closet, I headed to the bathroom. My mind was whirling with all the possibilities. After undressing I stepped into the shower. As the hot water hit my skin, my smile faded instantly.
“Oh, no,” I breathed out as the water ran over my head. I stood for a moment feeling it trying to relax my body as I tensed up. I’ve watched my brothers sometimes when they practiced. This meant there would be a lot of physical contact.
Sitting down in the shower, I wiped my hair out of my face. Learning how to fight would involve a lot of contact with Vadik as he was going to be teaching me. Standing, I lathered the sponge in soap and started scrubbing my body.
“No, no, no,” I mumbled to myself. “This isn’t what I want. I don’t even want him close to me,” I huffed trying to convince myself as I scrubbed harder.