Chapter 38 – Vivian
“ I f Ilya hurried up, we could do a food delivery service for coffee and snacks,” Laurel huffed as she filled a plastic cup with Diet Coke. “I hate pop.”
There were Bratva guards stationed at the doors outside, but when the club wasn’t open, we were alone in here.
I cocked my head to the side. “But you’re such a sweet tooth?”
The long red curls bobbed as Laurel nodded. “Both aren’t great for my health, but if I have to pick a poison, I’m going with candy. Always candy.”
I chuckled. “I feel that way about chocolate.”
“Mmm,” Laurel hummed in agreement. “Any candy. Want a pop?”
“Chocolate is superior,” I countered. “And no thanks, soda can give me headaches, especially diet.”
“See, that’s the problem with fake sugar,” Laurel started to say.
The lights went out.
There was a whine and buzz. Something metal clicked, and then the club was bathed in a red glow.
“Shit!” Laurel abandoned the drink and crouched behind the bar. “Get over here.”
“What is it?” I stepped toward the dance floor, peering around.
“Quit being the girl in the horror film who trips into the killer’s path and get your ass over here!” Laurel snapped.
“That’s rude,” I grumbled. But I obeyed her. Those light brown eyes were wide. Laurel snatched my arm and tugged me beside her. “Those bimbos are always platinum blonde.”
“So not the point right now,” Laurel hissed. “Here. Do you know how to use this?”
I blanched. “I hate guns.”
“Great, we’ll deal with your conscience later.” Laurel forced the warm chunk of metal and death into my hand.
Staring at the weapon like it was going to bite me, I swallowed hard. “I avoided trap shooting in gym class. I’m…scared of guns.”
“That’s a good start. A healthy wariness means you’ll learn to respect the weapon. But you need to be more scared of whatever the people who broke into this club are going to do to us if they succeed.”
“Someone broke in?” I hissed.
Laurel threw her arms wide. “What? You think the power goes out and the emergency generator kicks on for shits and giggles?”
“What about the guards?” I protested.
“Probably dead,” Laurel said matter-of-factly.
“Why are we sitting here talking?!” I glared at her.
Tipping her head back and forth, Laurel considered my words. “Good point. The boys would probably strangle us if they knew we were just sitting in the open. Okay, here’s the plan. We need to get back to the office. The door is steel-enforced. Nothing’s getting through there. Plus, my phone is up there, but first—”
Laurel began to waddle in a squat to the kitchen door.
Heart thundering in my throat, I followed her. My clammy hand gripped the gun, and I cursed myself for not learning how to use one. Now that we were in danger, all the notions about not carrying a weapon to defend myself seemed utterly ridiculous. If we could call the police, they wouldn’t come in time.
I’m my own first line of defense . That realization went to great lengths to settle my nerves.
The kitchen was also bathed in a reddish glow. Once the door closed, Laurel straightened and reached above the door. A panel that blended in with the wall opened. She pulled down a shot gun.
“Look, feelings about guns aside, we need to fight to survive in the underworld, Viv. Can you do that?” Laurel watched me intently.
“I think so,” I stammered.
“That’s all I need to hear. If more women protected one another, we would be better off against the bad apples in the bushels of males.”
Her words played through my mind. “Okay, I can do this.”
“Good, now think.” Laurel checked something on the shotgun. “They probably came in through the back. We shouldn’t go that way.”
“So we cut through the dance floor and climb to the VIP section?” I suggested.
“Yeah, but is that what they’re going to expect?” Laurel chewed the inside of her cheek.
Well, shit. She was nervous too.
Laurel might be married to the pakhan, but she was still new to this underworld business.
The need to encourage her gave me strength. “Hey, we got this. Let’s move.”
Her smile, although unsteady, was grateful.
Laurel led the way, crouching as we slipped back behind the bar.
There was a sound, a door opening and closing. The courage I felt just seconds ago evaporated.
“Don’t accidentally pull that trigger,” Laurel hissed. “The safety isn’t on!”
I gaped at the gun. Did I have to do this? Shoot at people? There had to be another way. “Maybe if we see who it is? We could reason with them!”
Laurel’s voice turned hard. “They’re here to hurt us, if not worse.”
A sob threatened to choke in my throat. She was right. Of course, she was right!
Lifting my head, I checked our surroundings. “I don’t see anything.”
“Run to the stairs,” Laurel whispered as she took off.
I was right on her heels. My shoes slapped against the metal of the steps. Blood roared in my ears, and it was all I could do to take a breath.
There was a noise below.
I knew even before turning which door. It was like watching the next few seconds from above. I saw myself spin. The gun lifted. The shaking finger pulled the trigger. There was a flash of white on the muzzle accompanied by a deafening bang.
And then I was looking at a screaming figure.
“You got him!” Laurel whooped. “Watch out. Shit! Get down!”
My ass hit the step. The impact made my tailbone scream.
There was an even louder bang.
Adrenaline created tunnel vision. There was a second and third shot.
Whimpering, I covered my ears. I turned away from the single target, who lay still on the ground. There were other blobs falling to the ground, their shapes blurred in my peripheral.
Laurel kept shooting at intervals.
Some sixth sense prickled a trail of ice down the base of my spine. Tearing my eyes away from the chaos on the dance floor, I looked behind us. This time, I saw the attacker as I raised the gun. There was no third person view. The face didn’t register, thank heavens. It was a mass of shadow and menace. It was going to hurt us.
I simply pulled the trigger.
There was a second’s pause. It lasted an eternity. The wheel of the world might have stopped, but the horror inside me swelled.
It snapped when time resumed, and the man crumpled.
No sound registered, but my ears rang.
And then, Laurel was sitting beside me, shaking my shoulders. “It’s over. We did it!”