Chapter 10 Mauro #2
A fleet of black SUVs pulls up, stopping beside us. Alex grins, stepping up into the first vehicle. “How about after we get home, seeing that none of us know how to fly a plane?”
I enter the vehicle and take a seat. You know how to do everything, and you never thought about learning how to fly a plane?
He shrugs. “Never saw the need to.”
“What’s the problem?” Vin asks, checking the rearview mirror.
“Mauro wants the pilot fired,” Alex answers while checking his phone.
Vin rolls his eyes. “He can’t control the fucking weather.”
I cross my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Fine. I’ll look into it,” he says as Leo shuts his door, facing forward.
“Everyone ready?” Leo asks, turning to look at us over his shoulder.
Alex and I nod just as Vin accelerates out of the lot.
Two vehicles of our men follow closely behind as we maneuver through the dark backroads, stopping when we reach the side of one of the abandoned warehouses.
The four of us get out and inspect our surroundings.
Leo creeps through the shadows to scout out the area, while the remaining three of us enter the building.
Our men surround the area, staying hidden as they prepare for whatever happens.
Darkness descends as we step cautiously toward the cracked and dirty windows facing the port, the moon the only source of light. Vin places his night vision goggles before his eyes and, after a few seconds, says, “I don’t see one fucking thing.”
“That’s because you don’t have them turned on, you idiota,” Alex whisper-shouts. He flicks a switch on the back of the goggles.
“I’m not the idiota who forgot his silencer,” Vin remarks.
“I was preoccupied!”
“By what?”
“Ah…nothing.” Alex adjusts his glasses, looking off to the side.
Vin pulls away his goggles and arches a brow. “Nothing? You’re one of the most organized human beings I’ve ever met. You thrive on details, and your focus is unparalleled by anyone, and yet something…distracted you?”
Alex rubs his brow. “Was that a compliment?”
The sound of an approaching vessel draws our heads in that direction. A horn blares, declaring it’s arrival.
“This conversation isn’t over,” Vin murmurs.
The door to the warehouse opens, and Leo appears, pulling up his balaclava. “From what I saw, there are ten men plus Kazimir and Luka. Not to mention whoever is on the boat.” He inserts a cartridge into the chamber of his firearm. “They have a big rig stationed nearby waiting with a driver inside.”
Alex shakes his head, his fingers tightening around his McMillan TAC-50. “They’re going to regret this.”
“Agreed.” Vin claps his shoulder and looks at me. “Think you can handle Kazimir while I take care of Luka?”
I nod.
Kazimir has been insufferable over the years.
A monster with no conscience, and I’ll gladly send him back to hell where he belongs if it comes down to it.
Vin pulls out his walkie-talkie and speaks into it. “On my command, we make our move. But not a minute before then. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” is the response.
“And let me remind you what happens if any of these women are touched or looked at in the wrong way. I will personally chop off your dick and shove it up your ass for good measure. Have I made myself clear?”
“Cr-crystal, sir.”
He looks at us with serious eyes. “We get the women into the last vehicle and then get the fuck out of here before the Vasilievs and their men have a chance to take a shot at us. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” we answer.
“If any of you so much as get a gunshot graze, I will never hear the end of it from our mother, and I really can’t deal with that right now.”
Leo smirks. “Some things never change.”
Alex gets into position, stationing his gun before him as he looks through the lens. “The boat is approaching the dock. I have eyes on the captain, and from this angle I can see four men. I don’t see any women, though.”
“They’ll most likely be in the lower level,” Vin tells him.
“When do I take my first shot?” Leo asks, positioning himself beside Alex.
“The moment the boat is secured to the dock.” He turns to Alex. “Aim for the captain. That will be our first warning shot to the others.”
“Got it.”
Adrenaline courses through me as the boat appears closer. A few men nearest to the dock start laughing, appearing eager for the approaching ship. Most likely thinking they’ll be able to test out the women like they’re toys and not fucking human beings. My fingers curl into fists.
“Let’s go, big guy.” Vin pulls down his balaclava as he hands me mine. We head toward the entry, keeping our guns at the ready, waiting for the first shot before exiting the building.
Boom!
“That’s our cue.” Vin shoves the door open, and when we turn the corner, we see all hell breaking loose.
Gunshots are fired.
Men are shouting, taking cover behind whatever they can find.
But not Kazimir and Luka.
Nope. Those two look death straight in the eye as they stare at the warehouse, trying to figure out where the shots are coming from, which is why they don’t notice us approaching: Vin from the side, and me from the rear.
“Funny seeing you here,” Vin muses before shooting Luka. The bullet gets him in the shoulder.
“Motherfucker!” Luka shouts, gripping his arm.
Kazimir spins on his heel, facing Vin. “You,” he sneers.
“Did you miss me?” Vin ducks behind a stack of boats as Kazimir raises his gun.
Before he can get a second shot in, I take aim and pull the trigger, but my gun jams. Fanculo!
Wasting no time, I fling my gun aside and launch myself at Kazimir, slamming him to the ground.
His gun slides several feet out of reach.
He looks up at me with wild eyes, a sinister smile spreading over his face.
“I was hoping our paths would cross again.” He jumps to his feet, appearing like a rabid dog.
“You thought you’d hold a gun to my head and get away with it?
” He laughs darkly, referring to the moment at Madeleine’s rehearsal dinner where I pressed the head of my gun into his temple, stopping him from shooting Eli. “This is going to be fun.”
He swings an arm at my face, but I avert his punch and maneuver my fist into the side of his jaw.
Blood gushes from his lip, but he spits it out, jumping on the balls of his feet.
“I’m just warming up.” He does a quick step, landing a punch right into my ribs, leaving me reeling back.
I shake off the sting and charge him, tackling him to the cement.
Gunshots continue to ring in the air around us as we lash out all our fury onto one another.
Finally, I have the upper hand when I land on top, my hands tightening around his neck. I watch as he struggles for air beneath my hold. This fucker will die beneath my touch, and I won’t lose one ounce of—
A growl reverberates from my throat as I look over at my left arm. A knife protrudes from my flesh, with Kazimir’s bloody fingers still wrapped around the handle. He pulls it down, causing a fiery pain to spread up my bicep.
I grab the knife out of his hand, pulling it out in one go, and toss it to the side. Blood seeps out over my skin.
“Another scar to add to the collection, you ugly motherfucker!”
I land a blow directly into his head, causing his eyes to close and his head to roll to the side.
He’s either dead or unconscious.
I’m hopeful it’s the former.
But I doubt I’m that lucky.
And I’m not willing to take any chances.
I reach behind me for my gun—my gun. My eyes dart to the side, landing on it several feet away.
“Mauro!” Vin shouts. “Let’s go! There’s too many! We have to move now!”
Reluctantly, I roll off Kazimir’s body and run for the awaiting vehicle as bullets fly around me.
But I don’t stop.
I keep running.
I keep fighting.
Because I have a wife waiting for me at home.
And I have no plans of making her a widow any time soon.
As I jump into the back seat, Vin steps on the accelerator, and we peel out of the lot.
“Cutting it kind of close,” Vin observes, looking at me from the rearview mirror. I roll my eyes and lean against the seat, catching my breath.
Alex is looking out the window beside him, so I tap on his shoulder. When he looks at me, I see so much fury in his eyes.
What happened?
“We lost one guard, Dario, and the women were…” He clears his throat. “They were tied up in the hull. Some of them appeared drugged.”
How many were there?
He sighs. “Six.”
And we got them all? They’re okay?
He nods. “They’re in the last vehicle. They all seemed physically okay, as far as I could tell from a quick observation, but Dr. Rose will be able to help them.”
That’s good.
“Yeah, I guess.”
You guess?
“I just mean… When is it all going to stop?” He lets out a frustrated sigh, one filled with tension. “One of the women looked barely eighteen, and when she looked at me…” He shakes his head. “All I could think about was what if that was Clara?”
I grip his shoulder, understanding where his head is at.
A wince escapes me from the pain shooting up my arm, and his eyes latch onto the blood soaking through my shirt.
“I need to wrap that,” he tells me. His eyes travel over the leather seats, shaking his head. “Getting blood out of leather is a pain in the ass.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ, Mauro,” Vin gripes. “Mom’s going to chew me out for this.”
Alex reaches inside the bag at his feet and pulls out a roll of gauze. “You’re probably going to need to get that stitched as soon as we get home, but for now this will have to do.”
I bite down on the side of my cheek as I remove my shirt, tossing it to the floor.
“Fuck. He got you good.” Alex adjusts his glasses and inspects the damage more closely. “Kazimir?”
I nod.
“Make sure you thoroughly clean this up when you get home. You don’t want it to get infected.”
I lean back, closing my eyes.
“Want some liquid courage?” Leo asks from the front seat.
I shake my head.
The only thing I want is to return home.
To my temporary wife.
Even if that means another sleepless night spent staring at the ceiling with her beside me.