Chapter 15 #2
Another explosion jarred the space but was farther away, likely eradicating one of the many guard stands.
With nothing to lose, I powered forward, a guard noticing me seconds later. He thought he had the shot.
I was quicker, blowing half his head off then running toward him. Now I had several weapons, swinging the long barrel of the rifle from right to left as I headed toward the opening. The moment I stepped outside, I grabbed a deep breath of fresh air before racing toward the perimeter.
Bad move.
The cocking sound of a weapon meant I was about to die.
Not today.
Spinning around, I was about to fire when I recognized a friendly face. Kirill was ready to level the playing field until a hint of recognition flashed in his eyes. His grin was exactly as I remembered.
There wasn’t any time for a reunion, my commander and friend required to fire several shots, spraying the area behind me with bullets.
Once the dust had cleared, he walked closer. “You’re out of practice,” he gritted out.
“Yeah, well, I have a decent excuse.”
Bullets continued to fly and he pushed me against the building. “We have fifteen men. We’ve taken out the communications system including satellites, every vehicle, and several of the buildings.”
“You’ve been busy,” I told him.
“And you were tough to find.”
“We’ll talk later. Which way is the formal exit?”
He shook his head, studying me as if he’d never seen me before. In truth, I was a shit sight. Long hair. A long scraggly beard. Twenty pounds gone. At least what weight I maintained was all muscle.
“To the right. If we can get through the minefield, we’re golden. Before we could stop them, they cut off our entrance.”
Laughing, I scanned the area. Landmines had been planted years before as yet another deterrent for any prisoner desiring to escape.
Most prisoners knew the drill, but not all the guards.
“Come on. I’ll guide the way.”
Kirill had never shied away from danger and I could tell he wasn’t interested in starting. We kept low as we headed directly for the restricted area just as another group of guards located our position.
“Follow my steps.” The location was just another training session that had been required by my grandfather.
While the man was still alive, he’d been living in a retirement home for years, recently moved into the dementia center.
I thought of his harsh tactics fondly as I tiptoed through the explosives.
It was interesting that my memory was spot on.
But it would seem the guards weren’t so lucky.
The first explosion nearly toppled us to the ground.
The second brought screams.
And by the third, we’d breached the outer perimeter, now racing toward the awaiting military-style trucks.
Another explosion rocketed us forward and onto the ground. I realized instantly it wasn’t a landmine, but an explosive’s charge meant to level a building. With my ears still ringing, I glanced over my shoulder. That’s exactly what had occurred.
“How many explosives did you fucking use?” I asked while scrambling to my feet.
“The recommended number as stated by the drone company.” Kirill was happy with his success, pushing me toward the truck.
“Plus, I didn’t want to make it seem as if you were the intended target.
The last one breached two buildings freeing a few hundred prisoners.
They have a riot on their hands and won’t miss you at all. ”
A real laugh erupted from my throat, the first in a long time. “Remind me to give you a raise.”
“Whatever you say, my Pakhan.”
We both jumped as the driver had already taken off. Before I slammed the door, I gathered one last look at what had been my home for over three fucking years. And I threw the burning facility the bird.
I was going home.
* * *
There was something crippling for a man’s ego when he didn’t recognize the members of his own staff. How many things had changed since I’d been gone?
“I thought you were dead. I really did.” Kirill exhaled, blowing out a huge swath of hot air.
“They wanted me alive. What about my brother? What happened after the ambush?”
“Mikhail lost a lot of blood, refusing to leave. I had to take him to a Sicilian hospital. He needed surgery. By that point, Stash was in charge while Mikhail was under the knife, sending a few more soldiers to Italy to look for you.”
“You had a discussion with Pollizi?”
He laughed. “I put the barrel of my weapon under his chin and told him in no uncertain terms if he had anything to do with your disappearance or murder, he would beg to die.”
“And?”
“He helped form a search party. The dead men were found, blood everywhere, but after that, the trail had gone cold. And don’t think I trusted the bastard.
Not a fucking chance. I hired some locals, talked to others.
There was no sign of you. When Mikhail’s condition was stable, we returned to Moscow. ”
Nodding, I knew there wasn’t a chance of putting the pieces together yet. Not without having a long discussion with Demarco. “What else?”
“We continued looking, even picking a fight with the Petrovs, who were more than eager to move into our territory. It was ugly for a while, but they finally backed off.”
The Petrovs. A Neanderthal Bratva that had much to gain.
Still seething, I rubbed my fingers through my beard, furious so much time had been lost.
“You don’t look half bad for a dead man,” he said. “But don’t worry. I brought toiletries and some new clothes. You stink.”
At least I could laugh even though I was eager to exact revenge. “Where are we headed?” I knew him well enough to realize we weren’t going straight to Moscow. There was something to be said for being a dead man.
“Kolomna. My guess is you’d prefer to be debriefed. What the hell happened after you came to?”
“Let’s just say I was kept in Sicily. Does the name Demarco Marichetti ring a bell?”
“A retired enforcer. For Giovanni.”
I laughed. “As I thought.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“That’s what we need to find out. I assume the alliance is intact?”
“Yeah, although Mikhail pulled back, the relationship strained. But your brother has been suffering.”
He was already keeping his voice low, explaining where we were going. It was an excellent choice, the location allowing us to keep an eye on things in Moscow while also allowing me time to return to Italy. My way.
Kolomna was a smaller, historic city about an hour and a half from Moscow. However, it was a significant distance from where we were located. Apparently, Kirill had already made arrangements, securing a rental house that could easily be guarded.
By the very men who’d helped with the escape.
As we rolled along, I asked minimal questions while studying the men who were sitting on the bench-style seating in the massive truck. From their uniforms, I gathered Kirill had hired mercenaries. We’d done so before. However, the realization kept my hackles raised.
Given the trip by vehicle would take eighteen hours, he’d secured a private plane, its location only forty-five minutes away.
Danger surrounded us. I could feel it in the air, the drivers of the trucks not taking any chances. I waited until we were pulling through the gates of the small and what appeared to be abandoned airstrip to ask any additional questions.
“How is Mikhail now?”
As he took a deep breath, Kirill studied me while the drivers pulled close to the plane. “He almost lost his arm and it still has minimal use, but he’s alive. How did you end up in a Russian prison?”
“A long story involving a woman.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I were.” What fucking game was being played?
I noticed immediately the plane wasn’t owned by the family. Instead he’d rented one, the plane large enough to carry the small team. That told me a number of things including he was worried the prison break would be stopped.
Just about everything regarding what he’d said and how he was sharing the information bothered me.
I’d known Kirill most of my life and I respected his caution. He was concerned about saying too much in front of the others. Even though they were hired to do a job, that didn’t mean whatever information they learned couldn’t be used against the regime at a later time.
At least learning my brother was alive brought some sense of relief. “How did you find me? Obviously, you suspected I was dead.”
Now he laughed freely. “Yeah, although I continued to keep an eye on social media and our various contacts throughout the world. Ultimately, the eight-point star on your shoulder was the reason you were found. There were rumors of a young thieves-in-law that surfaced about two months ago.”
The other men jumped out, racing toward the plane with their weapons still drawn, leaving the two of us alone in the cargo hold. “What aren’t you telling me? Why hire professionals and not use our own men?”
“Because Mikhail almost had a nervous breakdown not long after surgery. Then he regrouped, contacting everyone we knew to check for any sightings. The alliance with the Italians was almost destroyed. Business was crumbling, the wolves moving in quickly.”
“Interesting.” I preferred learning everything before I provided more information. Plus, with several other pairs of ears, I had no desire to share my concerns.
Kirill kept his voice low. “He seemed fine for a couple months until there was no sign of you and even the damn attorney was encouraging him to consider you dead. After that, he started spiraling. Mood swings. Drinking. Hell, he nearly destroyed a room before I stopped him. He made several bad business decisions, his anger constantly getting the better of him.”
I bristled visibly, my anger already on a heightened level.