Chapter 25 - Vadik
Raising from the table, I felt my insides twisting and my blood boiling. If Iosif harmed so much as a hair on Tasha, it would be the last thing he ever did. Her words penetrated me like knives. It felt like my heart was bleeding.
Taking a deep slow breath, I tried calming myself. Her life depended on me. I couldn’t afford one wrong step. “Iosif,” I stated in as calm a tone as I could muster. “Please, there is no need for this. Let’s talk a bit.”
Mentally, I slapped myself knowing I had to keep a cool head. He could kill Tasha. It was the last thing on earth I wanted. Breathing slowly and deeply, I took a step forward. Making my way one foot at a time, I intended to get to him before he could make any rash choices.
I was trying my best not to make sudden or quick movements. Iosif needed to stay calm and think he was in control. Once I was about five feet away, I stretched my hands out as I spoke. “Iosif, I was there remember? Tasha had nothing to do with it.”
He glanced at me. “That’s far enough!” he spat slamming the gun into Tasha’s head.
Tasha pulled her head forward as she spoke. “That hurt, please, I didn’t do anything.”
Taking a deep breath, I subdued the rage pushing up. “Please, Iosif calm down. Let’s talk about this. I’m sure we can figure it out. We know who was responsible and we can assist you.”
He lifted his head as he laughed. But I could hear the mockery in his laugh. “Now you want to talk. My father died and it’s her fault. It’s your fault!” he spat.
Moving my hand to my hip, I unclasped the knife sheath. Firmly grasping the handle, I knew I would only get one go at this. My intention wasn’t to kill or hurt him. But I had to get him away from Tasha.
Iosif appeared hysterical. Slowly, I slid the knife free from its perch. Keeping my tone calm and light, I spoke as I took another step closer. “Iosif, I know you are hurting. But hear me out. Your father’s death wasn’t … .”
He cut me off yelling like a madman. “You are lying! You were there and did nothing to help him. You did nothing!”
Sighing, I tried speaking again. “I did try and help. But by the time I got close enough, it was already too late. He was gone when we reached him.”
Iosif glared at me, his eyes narrowing. Lowering the blade to my side, I got ready to strike. “You know as much as I do that none of this would have happened if your father didn’t take such big risks. And all for the sake of power!” I shot at him hoping to pull his attention to me.
He turned slightly looking at me intently. I could see hesitation creeping into his eyes. My words hit deep but he wasn’t quite there yet, so I added more doubt. At least he was focused on me now. “If I can be honest with you, I have to add that your father was making us do worse and worse jobs. He was getting riskier and making bad choices.”
Iosif smirked at me as he spoke. “You had orders, what are you then saying, that he deserved to die?”
He was twisting my words. The way he perceived them wasn’t going to have the effect I wanted. Biting back my anger, I spoke slower. “No, that’s not what I said. The missions he had us do were nearly impossible. It was the conflicted interests and carelessness that got him killed.”
As he glared at me, I could see the gears in his head turning. But I had more to add. I wanted him to think hard about his father. “If he wasn’t so power hungry, seeking things he couldn’t obtain, we would not have been exposed. The rivals wouldn’t have found us if we only stayed clear of the last mission.”
There was a change in Iosif as he absorbed my words. He froze for a moment as the wheels started working in his head. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. Lunging at them, I firmly stepped in behind him and placed the blade to his throat. “Put the gun down, Iosif!” I huffed into his ear.
I wanted nothing more than to pull the knife to the side and let the blade slit through dislodging his puny little head from his body. I was willing to throw out all the regulations the Chernykh’s had in place.
But before I could execute anything Tasha turned out of his hold and grabbed my arm. “Calm down, Vadik,” she said softly. “Please remember that he is mourning his loss and can’t think straight now.”
Iosif dropped the gun. As Vadik pulled the knife away, he fell to his knees defeated. Tears started rolling down his face. Tasha knelt next to him placing a hand on his back. “There’s no more need for conflict and mayhem. Please end this here.”
I knew she was right, and he wasn’t actually a bad guy, he was clearly lost. Even so, I couldn’t just let things stand. Moving to stand before him, I spoke harshly. “Let’s make things clear, Iosif! You will never touch her again, not even a single hair on her head. Believe me when I say, I will bring your family to their knees if you do!”
Taking a deep breath, I took his arm and pulled him up. Speaking a tad softer, I handed him to Makari who stood waiting beside us. “Go home, be with your family and deal with this. We will speak in more detail at a later date.”
He nodded as Makari took his arm and led him out. I pulled Tasha into my arms as we stood watching. Kissing her head, I was relieved that things turned out good. She was safe and I would keep it that way.
Tasha tapped my chest lightly as she spoke. “We will have to set up a meeting sooner than later. Something needs to be done.”
Smiling at her, I replied confidently. “Yes, we will. Tomorrow we can sit down and device a plan.”