55
In cahoots
Andrey
T he bullet that was fired from the gun shattered the ICU window, the projectile was deflected by one of the shards, and instead of piercing his carotid artery as I had calculated, it only wounded him in the shoulder.
I didn't want to waste time crossing the ICU to exit the way I had entered. I went straight to the broken glass frame, gathered momentum, and jumped through it.
My clogs sank into the pile of shards; luckily, I didn't lose any in the jump.
Yuri's thug pulled out his gun and fired as he rushed through the door leading to the emergency stairs.
The bullet chipped part of the plaster from the hallway wall, causing no other damage. Alarmed voices were shouting for help. There was no doubt someone would call the police. Considering how close the station was, they wouldn't take long to arrive. I had to deal with this guy before they did.
I ran, reaching the same spot as him. Fresh blood droplets marked the path to follow. It's much easier to track an injured person on tiles than through foliage.
A second shot aimed at me. This time, it was close; the problem was that the stairs didn't provide a complete view. He was clearly intending to reach the underground parking lot because he didn't stop descending. One more floor, and we would reach level -1.
I had to take him down, get rid of the clothes I was wearing, and head to the cafeteria before it was too late.
The entrance hinges squeaked. Yuri's man slipped into the parking lot, and I pulled the door down. A bullet embedded itself in the metal sheet, sinking into the exact spot where my head should have been.
"Amateur…" I thought to myself.
I hadn't pretended to enter; I just wanted to see the trajectory of the shot I knew he would fire to gauge his position. That's how I knew where that rat wanted to escape to.
The second time I pushed the door, I did so while firing.
The sudden screeching of wheels put me on alert. Luckily, I didn't shoot on impulse. It was a woman in a Twingo accelerating, probably startled by the gunshots.
I continued advancing between the vehicles, crouched, with all my senses attuned to any sound.
The hurried steps of shoe soles made me peek to the right. An elongated shadow scurried under a flickering fluorescent light. I saw him seeking the cover of a van belonging to an IT service company. I moved stealthily, taking the opposite side.
I made no noise. On the last flight of stairs, I had discarded my head shield and clogs because they hindered my agility. I was grateful for it now. The best way to avoid making sounds was to go barefoot.
I crouched. Sweat beaded my focused forehead. The damned glasses were fogging up; I had to push them onto my forehead to see better. I lay on the ground and glimpsed what I expected, those shoes that caught my attention because they didn't belong to a nurse. They were already mine.
I blew out his Achilles tendons. The sound of tearing tissue was accompanied by a scream of pain, echoing shamelessly off the grimy walls. In a crude attempt at retaliation, Yuri's man tried to reach me from his angle but failed. I had rolled into the improvised protection of the vehicle's rear wheel.
I stood up stealthily and used the rearview mirror of a nearby vehicle to finish him off.
The bullet pierced his skull. He dropped dead.
I moved to him and checked his shoe size. Walking barefoot in the parking lot was one thing; entering the hospital with bare feet was another.
I took off his shoes before they got too bloodied; he wouldn't need them anymore.
Didn't they say to see life from another perspective, you should walk in someone else's shoes? Well, I had worn two pairs in a single day.
I got rid of the PPE, the nurse's scrubs, and headed back to the emergency stairs to ascend to the ground floor.
I arrived breathless at the cafeteria. It was deserted. People were running up and down, trying to escape the shooting. The news had spread like wildfire.
Two police cars parked in front of the reception, lights and sirens blaring. The officers entered, shouting for everyone to clear the hospital, for everyone to get out. A nurse directed the officers to the ICU, the parking lot, and the third floor, saying the nurses had just raised the alarm about a lunatic pointing a gun at someone in room 315.
A shiver ran down my spine; that was where my boss was supposed to be.
I didn't think twice, and before I could be detained, I ran up the emergency stairs.
I had to think quickly.
Upon reaching the third floor, I saw Irene yelling at a disheveled Romeo. From his body position, he was aiming at someone. He wasn't firing, just pointing at the target, who was undoubtedly Yuri.
If he wasn't pulling the trigger, it must have been because the coward Korolev was using his wife as a shield.
I approached, sticking to the wall. One glance, and they would notice my presence. For now, I preferred to stay unnoticed. The redhead was so engrossed in her argument that I had time to crouch behind the empty nurse's station.
The police had just arrived. I heard them shout for Romeo to drop his weapon. He didn't comply. The redhead stated she was unarmed and that there was a man inside the room threatening a patient with his gun. What a liar! I wanted to step out and start shooting at that vile woman to stop her breathing once and for all. However, I didn't; it wasn't my place to administer justice.
On the counter, I found exactly what I needed. Some decorative balls with a thank-you note, a gift from a patient to the head nurse. If thrown with enough force, they could knock out a man of decent size.
I only had one chance, and I couldn't afford to miss.
One officer was aiming at R while the other was handcuffing Irene, calling for backup and reporting that a suspect was holding the patient from room 315 hostage in the bathroom.
I grabbed the silver sphere, climbed onto the counter, gauged its weight, and took a breath to hurl it forcefully at the head of the cop holding the gun. I hoped I had applied enough force to knock him out with a single blow.
As soon as I released the ball, I jumped, rushing toward the other officer to strike his temple with the butt of my gun.
Irene screamed, and I shoved her mercilessly to the ground to keep company with the unconscious men. Romeo turned and aimed his weapon at me.
"Calm down. I'm not your enemy. I've come to save you and warn you about what I've discovered." I raised my hands to show I was serious. I saw his finger tightening on the trigger. "Think about it, if I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."
My boss's husband was anything but stupid; he knew what I was saying was true. He looked at the two officers out of commission and then at me.
"You have ten seconds to convince me."
"Irene was in cahoots with Yuri; she's the mole, his lover."
"He's lying!" the redhead screeched.
"I have proof to back it up. That's why I rushed to the hospital. They intended to kill Aleksa, and she was supposed to distract you in the cafeteria. As soon as I took down Yuri's men, I tried to warn you, but things got complicated, and you were gone."
"Why should I believe you? What says you're not in on it too? You're the right hand of a traitor; I know what Nikita and her brother planned against me and my family."
"It wasn't long ago that the boss told me Korolev was alive. She ordered me to gather evidence to prove it. I've been trying to get the proof for three days. Nikita screwed up, and that's something you two need to discuss, but she's not to blame for what happened. I have evidence to show it."
"Don't listen to him! He's a liar! He's trying to deceive you!" the witch exclaimed.
"This bitch triggered the explosion that blew up the bikes! If you let me, you just need to listen to the audio on the player where I've stored every conversation. Give me the chance to prove it to you. I planted mics and cameras in Yuri's place. The footage is uploaded to the cloud."
"Your ten seconds are long gone," he muttered.
"Give me just five more; I guarantee you won't regret it."
"Quick."
It didn't take me long to pull out the small player and hit play.
The voices of Yuri and Irene echoed, furrowing Romeo's brow. My boss's husband needed no more evidence.
"Stop it!" he shouted, trembling with rage. He knelt on the floor where the redhead was crying her eyes out with a horrified expression.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I swear I didn't want to, Yuri threatened me, either I did what he asked, or he was going to kill me."
"Since when?!" he roared, she shook her head, and Romeo slapped her across the face. "Since when have you been passing information to that bastard?!" he demanded, shaking her.
"I met Yuri before you," she confessed. "At first, it was a kind of game. He just wanted me to pass information. It was like playing spies, and he indulged me; I didn't think..."
"Didn't think?! Men have died because of you!" R was frantic.
"I kept getting deeper, and when I realized it, I was in over my head."
"Why didn't you ask me for help?"
"Because you wouldn't have forgiven me, and I was scared of Yuri. You have no idea what he's like; he would have killed me."
"That would have been the best thing that could have happened to you," he reflected, looking at her with disgust.
"Romeo, listen to me, I'm in love with you. That wasn't a lie."
"In love?! What you've done isn't out of love. Nikita wasn't wrong about you. You don't deserve to live; I should have shot you that day in the woods."
"But you didn't! Deep down, you know I'm the woman for you! She's a manipulator just like her brother. Kill them and let's be happy! They wanted to destroy you!"
"You're a fucking lunatic! Do you seriously believe what you're saying? I don't want anything with you!"
"The room is too quiet," I warned. "Could they have escaped? Does the bathroom have a window?" I asked.
"Shit! Do you think they could have climbed out the window?"
"Yuri is capable of anything. I'll check the adjacent room. I know you want to get the redhead, but don't kill her yet; she might be useful, and it's better to do it somewhere more discreet. We don't have much time; these cops weren't the only ones in the building, reinforcements will be here soon."
"Do what you must," Romeo muttered. I went into the next room.
"You can't kill me!" Irene screamed.
"Oh, I can and I will, you can be sure of that. And this time, nothing and no one will stop me."
I reached the bathroom and, without opening the window, looked out.
My boss was climbing down a drainpipe. It was better to catch them from below.
I headed out and urged Romeo to follow, dragging the redhead along.