Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
nyx
''BLITZ!''
My scream deafens me as I rattle the handles of the door but they won't open. Graves fucking shot her, and I don’t think anyone’s realized it going by the ongoing shoot out.
Volokov hits the gas, sending me thumping against the door.
I ram my feet against the corner of the window to break it, but it's solid and won't even crack. I throw my elbow into it repeatedly but nothing works. The pain shoots violently up my arm, but I don’t stop.
I gear up to throw it again when the car shudders violently, the interior flashing white with fire.
The blast roars like thunder as heat sprays across the glass.
Flames surge into the darkening sky, and shattered glass rains down on the metal roof, mimicking hailstones as it ricochets.
There's a dull ringing in my ears, and my eyes prickle with white spots as I squeeze them open and closed, clearing the image of the blast and trying to slow my breathing.
My next inhale jams, the click of a gun clearing the fog in my mind.
I glance at Volokov, his gun hanging over his shoulder.
“Get in the front. Now.” His voice remains lethal despite his efforts to calm his own breathing.
I hesitate for a moment, looking back through the rear window and watching the inferno gleam over Blitz.
Not now Brodie, think later. I can't get caught up on what's happened right now, she'll be ok, she's alive.
The guys will get to her. They'll check her and get her medical from Hawk. She'll survive.
“Now!” Volokov’s voice rattles my bones as he slams the gun against the seat.
I scramble through the space between the center console and sit in the passenger seat.
My hand grasps the belt as he rallies through the forest roads to get to wherever the fuck he's taking us.
His gun is now resting in his lap, aimed and ready to fire as he keeps eyeing me, then the road.
If he goes over a bump, I have no doubts that it could activate a trigger finger.
“Don't do anything stupid or I’ll leave nothing but your insides for Nocturne to find,” he spits at me.
I keep my eyes on the road, scanning the area and taking note of how many turns he takes, but it's so dark now I have no idea where we're going. Everything looks the same.
My fingers itch for the blade in my vest, but he'll shoot me before I even get a chance.
With the way my elbow is throbbing, it will slow my movement.
I'd need his gun higher to knock it from him and be able to slit his throat, but with the speed he's taking these country roads, we'd both end up dead when he crashes.
Volkov puts the wheel in between his knees when we straighten out to dial someone on his car's screen.
A female voice barks through as he speaks rapid fire Russian, it sounds a little bit like Natalia, but I can't be sure with how fast she's talking.
He's obviously upset at something she said, because he roars whilst fisting his hand against the rim of the leather wheel, making us swerve before he rights us again. Fuck, I’m going to die in a car wreck.
The car lurches to a halt, making my hand fly out towards to dash with the momentum.
It remains there, grounding me whilst the pressure from the cold barrel presses into my temple.
“I know you have a tracker. Nocturne wouldn’t allow you to get in the car without one.
Take it off.” My muscles lock up, staring at him and trying to make my face seem indifferent.
Light temporarily blinds me before I can even protest, the ringing in my ears picking up again as a shot echoes in the enclosed space, glass from the window shattering over me.
“I don’t ask fucking twice.” I rip the sleeve of my shirt up, pulling the band from my arm and tossing it at him.
My heart is pounding at a gallop. He grabs it from his lap, launching it past me and out the window, and my throat constricts at how truly fucked I am right now.
I've estimated that we've already driven around thirty kilometers from the battle, give or take. He circled the entire area a couple of times, clearly trying to throw me off, but I don’t miss a thing.
The moon is dominating the sky by the time we head into the forest again, the jeep easing its speed as the faint outline of a building comes into view.
The only light being provided is from the moon, otherwise the place is cloaked in darkness, courtesy of the giant pine trees.
As soon as we edge the perimeter, a security sensor kicks in, waking the flood lights from their slumber.
I recognize this place. It’s the warehouse from a couple months ago.
My organs feel like they’re shifting positions.
“Don’t move.” Volokov’s abrupt voice barks at me whilst getting out, keeping the gun trained the whole way round the hood to my door.
He throws it open and barks, “Out and walk.” He takes a step back ensuring a safe distance between us.
“You know-” my words are clamped to the inside of my mouth, my lips sealed shut as the pistol whips across the cheek.
My back slides down the door with the force - I wasn't prepared.
He growls, “That was for my sister.” Stars threaten my vision, then the world tilts as I'm yanked up by the roots of my hair.
Volokov lands multiple blows to my stomach, forcing me to coil around my core to reduce the impact.
“This was just because I could.” My lungs scream for air as I fold over mechanically, fighting the convulsions that threaten to shudder free.
I let out a growl as he pulls me to my feet and drags me toward the warehouse.
“Don’t think I didn't know that was you who came and shot Natalia in my own fucking club.” He tugs my scalp a little harder as he rattles out his words.
My eyes blink slowly, and I fight to keep a grip on consciousness and stay upright.
He’s clipped the side of my temple, and I can feel the blood leak into my eye, casting everything to the right in a bloody red haze.
“Your sisters a bitch,” is all I manage to get out. I'll be quite happy if I die knowing I got that out of my system, just so I can say I got the last word in.
He grits his teeth. “She might be many things, but she's worth more than you, especially once I’m done with you.” To add insult to injury, he twists me to land a knee to my gut, and my legs go out from underneath me, landing on my hands and knees.
I can't seem to keep my mouth shut, and my inner demon's manic laugh forces its way from my throat, echoing off the metal exterior of the warehouse. I think he knocked out the last bit of sense I had in me. It’s got him wound up as he grips my vest and rains punches to my face, his bloody knuckles repeatedly flashing in front of my eyes as he pulls further back for each thump.
My hand paws for my knife, but this time I know I'm going to black out; the brightness of the flood lights is blinding me, making the ground come in and out of focus.
I spit the blood filling my mouth out into the dirt when he stops, trying to focus on the red liquid to keep myself steady.
As if I weigh nothing, he nudges his boot into my side, rolling me onto my back.
I stare up into the dark sky as it looms above, empty and black.
My wrists jerk forward, restrained together as the bite of cable ties draws them in sharply.
I’m yanked to my feet, but my legs buckle beneath me, the dizziness still swirling, and he ends up dragging me inside.
As the doors are opened, the loud clanking feels like a drill against my skull, causing a hammering pulse that makes my head feel like it could split at any moment.
I can barely see out of my right eye, it’s already started to swell.
Inside, the space is mostly empty, except for some huge crates and a container in the center of the room.
Volokov’s grip is back in my hair, yanking me forward whilst picking up the pace – then the impact.
My head slams against the metal container with brutal force, pain slicing through me before my body slumps to a heap on the ground, finally giving in to the darkness that’s caught up to the race in my head.
I don't know how long I've been out for, but the concrete floor I’m stuck to is freezing and my limbs feel like they weigh a ton. I don’t dare risk a move as I take inventory of myself.
My hands are still tied in front of me. Rookie error.
I don’t feel secured to anything, but I'm also too weak for my liking.
The thought of allowing myself to be vulnerable sends a shrill streak of terror through my cracked body.
I can't be defenseless. My body jerks as a loud voice booms against the walls and I slowly peel open my good eye to identify my surroundings. I’m still on the warehouse floor, and it still feels dark outside.
“I don’t give a shit Graves. The deal is off.
You don't try to kill me and think you can bark on about loyalty. There is none! If you want the girl, you can pay for her at the auction tomorrow night.”