Chapter 20 #2
She tried to fight the acid rising in the back of her throat as she walked around Alexander, trying not to step in his blood.
The room was small, and the walls lined with lead. Probably an old Soviet bunker. But there was another door on the other side of the room; it might be how he’d brought Teteruk into the room.
Teteruk’s dark brown eyes met hers, and he cocked his head, his eyes pleading for her to help him.
How could she possibly help him? You! The reason we’re in this mess to begin with.
She pressed her fingers to her mouth, fighting the urge to crouch and close Alexander’s eyes.
“So, you were going to have the world learn about what the U.S. did and then set off your device once you were safely down in the tunnels . . . and you were going to kill Teteruk yourself on the way out.” She tipped her chin toward the Ukrainian tied to the chair. “Guess we screwed up your plans.”
Gromov rubbed the butt of his gun against his temple, a flash of irritation crossing his face. “Kill Teteruk, and I may let your friends live after all of this is over.”
She staggered back a step in disbelief.
“Untie him.” He retrieved a second gun from the back of his pants. “Or I will execute you right in front of your friend, Owen York.”
One gun in each hand, he tipped his chin Teteruk’s direction, and she finally crouched before the murdering son of a bitch who had killed Brad and Jason. Her fingers trembled as she worked at the ropes.
“You sit behind your desk making decisions, but you don’t see yourself as a killer, even though the men who put on the uniform murder in the name of your country—at your government’s orders.
Why not? Do you not think you are just as much a killer as your military?
As the sailors you came here with tonight? ”
With one gun pointed her way, and the other extended toward Teteruk, Gromov strode a few steps closer to her.
Then, he surprised her by flipping the gun to its side and holding it out to her in his palm.
“It’s time you get blood on your hands.” He glanced at Teteruk then back at her as she stood upright. “Kill him, or I’ll kill you right now.”
Her hand trembled as she slowly took the gun and lifted it into the air.
“Good girl,” Gromov hissed, and Teteruk held up his palms, blood staining nearly every inch of his body. He’d probably been battered and beaten for days.
This is a test. He wouldn’t give me a loaded gun. “You killed my fiancé.” Her finger touched the trigger. “You started all of this,” she whisper-cried, her voice laced with the obvious fear of death.
“Let him feel your anger.” Gromov was at her side now.
She pinched her eyes closed and fired the weapon, hoping to hell it was empty and she hadn’t just committed murder.
Click.
Empty.
“I didn’t think you’d have the guts to go through with it.” Gromov snatched the gun from her hand, and her stomach turned as he loaded a bullet into the chamber. “Now, do it for real this time.”
As he started to hand her back the gun, Teteruk charged their way, and Gromov’s other weapon fell to the ground at the contact.
With her back to the wall, she observed the two men wrestle, blocking her path to the other gun.
The second door—maybe she could get to it.
Grunts and groans.
Fists connecting with flesh.
She couldn’t look at the men; she couldn’t lose her nerve, her chance at freedom.
Her hand steadied on the rusty door handle, but at the sound of a bullet piercing a target—she halted.
“Back away from the door and don’t fucking move.”
Hands in the air, she turned to find Gromov’s lifeless body close to her feet.
“I’m leaving this place.” He circled the bodies. “If you don’t want to die, I suggest you get away from the door.”
The escape route. She couldn’t let him leave.
Her gaze darted to the black metal peeking out from the side of Gromov—the second gun.
One was empty. One was loaded.
But she had no idea which one Teteruk had . . . if she went for the firearm, and she was wrong—it’d be game over.
And so, she watched as the murderous son of a bitch disappeared out the door, and only then did she drop to the ground to grab the gun.
In a rush, she jerked the exit door back open, unable to see anything but darkness . . . and she fired.
An empty click like before. And now Teteruk was gone.
Her shoulders slumped in disappointment, but at the sound of the other door opening behind her, she spun around, the adrenaline coursing hard and fast through her veins.
“Easy. It’s me.”
She let out a broken sob and fell to her knees at the sight of Owen. He holstered his weapon and ran toward her, and she dropped her empty gun to the ground.
“Are you okay?” He gathered her in his arms, holding her tight.
“I let him get away.”
His fingers threaded through her hair, and he cupped her head. “What are you talking about?”
“Teteruk,” she cried. “He’s gone.” But before she could say more, the room flooded with Russians with guns.
Angry shouts were flung in their direction, and rifles were aimed their way.
“It’s okay.” He reached for her hand, but a booted foot stepped between them, kicking his hand away from her.
“Stop!” a voice called out, a familiar voice she was damn grateful to hear. She lifted her eyes to see Jessica standing with two armed FSB officers—Russian FBI agents. “They’re with me.” Jessica patted the air, motioning for the men to lower their weapons.
Owen helped Sam up a moment later, and she watched as the FSB agents crouched to check Alexander’s pulse, and then Gromov’s.
“Teteruk killed Gromov, but before that, Gromov killed Alexander. He was going to set up the Kozaks for everything to turn everyone against each other. He was doing it for money, but under the guise of justice,” Sam said in a daze.
She noticed that Owen’s face was covered in ash as if he’d gone through hell and back to get to her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t figure it out sooner,” Jessica said apologetically.
“Sooner?” Sam asked, confused.
“Something was bothering me about the hack, so while you guys were inside, I took a deeper look and discovered the money trail leading from the Kozaks to Cheng was too on the nose,” Jessica explained, and it had Sam taking a deep breath.
“Gromov was the one who paid him off.” Sam looked back at Owen. “I tried to stop Teteruk, but I couldn’t.”
“Everyone’s okay. That’s all that matters.” Jessica gave a reassuring nod. “Your dad told security he lost you in the crowd, and once the device was deactivated, I turned comms back on and let Owen know what’d happened.”
“I should’ve gone right instead of left,” Owen said under his breath as they began walking down the hall.
“Did you get all the bad guys?” She sniffled.
“Yeah,” Owen replied.
Except Teteruk. “Are the Russians mad?” Sam whispered her question from behind the agents.
“You mean about what the president said tonight?” Owen asked. “Too early to tell.”
But they had a plan for that, and God, she hoped the plan worked.
“You could’ve died back there,” Owen said once they’d climbed the stairs and were in the charred hallway. “I shouldn’t have left you.”
“It’s not your fault.” She tried to stop walking and face him, but the agents behind her nudged her along, anxious to get her out of the building, apparently.
“I’m sorry,” Owen said once they were outside. “I’m so goddamn sorry.”
Before she could respond, her dad whisked her into his arms, clutching her tightly, and she squeezed her eyes closed.
“Are you okay?” he cried into her ear, showing emotion for the first time in years. “I’m so sorry.”
She tried to find the words to say, but then she spotted Laszlo Kozak in the crowd, falling to his knees at the sight of his son’s body being carried out.
Alexander Kozak may have been the Grim Reaper in the military, but he hadn’t been responsible for the night’s events.
Laszlo Kozak had lost his wife, and now he had lost his son to his traitorous best friend. Sometimes the world just wasn’t fair.
“I love you,” she said to her dad, even though she still clung to a fraction of anger about his lie. But he was a good man, despite his faults, and she could’ve died tonight without letting him know she still loved him.
“I love you, too,” he said into her ear.
She pulled back to scan the crowd once more, noticing Owen was nowhere in sight.
When her gaze fell upon Asher alongside Jessica, she hurried toward them, only one thought in mind. “Asher. Jessica!”
“Hey.” Asher wrapped a hand over her shoulder. “You okay? You were pretty damn brave back there.” His dark eyes thinned. “What’s wrong?”
She skimmed the crowd of guests mixed with police and firefighters, searching for Owen one last time. “It’s Owen.” She exhaled a deep breath. “I think he’s gone.”
“Gone?” Jessica asked.
“Yeah.” A hard knot fisted in her stomach. “I think he went after Teteruk.”