Stepan #2
I don't even try to be quiet. With his men gone, it's five to one, and those are pretty good odds, even if he pulls his weapon. But he never gets a chance. My footsteps on the concrete alert him and he looks up just as I raise my gun on aim and point it at him.
“You,” he snarls. “What the hell are you doing here?"
I walk right up to him confidently, knowing my men have my back.
"We need to talk, Orlov." His eyes flick to the gun and then my face.
Then he turns and scans the darkness as if he could see my men if he tried.
They're nothing but shadows right now, and they'll stay that way unless I need them.
"I'm not alone if that’s what you're looking for. "
"What do you want?" he asks, returning to counting his money on the hood of the van like I don't exist. He's got balls turning his back on a man who holds a weapon on him.
"I'm here to talk about Marina." That gets his attention. He drops the money and his hands curl into fists as he turns toward me. A few bills flutter to the ground behind him as he takes a step closer.
Orlov’s expression twists into a sneer. “Don’t you fucking say her name."
I chuckle darkly and glance away for a split second, noticing movement to my right. Kazimir is there, watching patiently. "You know, you're right. I'd rather her say mine... Like she did while I was fucking her."
"You stupid motherfu—" Orlov goes for his gun and four faces emerge from the darkness around him, all with weapons raised at him. He freezes with the gun halfway drawn and a cold glare on his face. He knows he's done. There's no point in fighting.
"I can't believe you threatened to kill her, Maksim," I say, frowning in disapproval as I stalk closer. "Put the gun down." I flick my weapon a few times so he gets the pint, and he lays the gun on the hood of his van.
"She belongs to me. What I do with her is none of your concern, you dumb fucker." He spits at my feet, as if that’s going to help his cause.
I slide my gun into my waistband and cross my hands in front of me knowing he doesn’t have the balls to pick his weapon back up. With four other guns on him, his options are limited. "Marina is a human being. She doesn't belong to anyone."
Orlov glances at the guns still trained on him, then back at me. “So, what now? You going to shoot me like a coward or do you have the balls to do it up close?”
"Oh, I just wanted to make you sweat a little. I plan to strangle you with my bare hands, the way you threatened to kill her." I polish a canine while he glances around nervously.
"So you think killing me will stop the alliance and protect your future?
Is that what this is about? You tried to shame her first...
" He shakes his head. "Does she know that?
That you were going to openly defile her so I would refuse to marry her?
" His words hit too close to home, but no one will ever hear them.
"All she knows is that I am her savior now." I step closer again, and he acts like he wants to back up, but Radimir and Yegor are too close now. He has nowhere to go.
"Sergei won't stand for this." He's almost pleading now.
"Sergei will do what's best for his organization." I crack my knuckles, loosening up for the kill. "And when Marina pleads with him to go along with my plan, he'll fold like a cheap suit."
"You're wrong. He hates you all. You and the Radins." Orlov sniffles and rubs his hand along his nose, hand shaking. So he's a tweaker too, and he's wanting a fix. Well, I'll fix him good so he never has to feel that twitchy feeling again.
"Well, this little meeting isn't about the future of the Belova organization now, is it? You threatened the woman I love and I'm here to protect her."
Before he can react, I lunge forward and wrap my hands around his throat.
He grabs at my wrists instantly, trying to pry me off, but I have leverage and months of pent-up fury behind me.
I slam him back against the side of the van, pinning him there.
His eyes widen, surprise flashing into panic as my fingers dig in, cutting off his air.
He fights hard, kicking at my legs, clawing at my arms. His nails rake across my skin, drawing blood, but I don’t even consider loosening my grip.
I can feel his pulse hammering under my thumbs as he tries to speak, but all that comes out is a choked gurgle.
His face starts turning red, then a darker shade as I squeeze tighter, thumbs pressing deep into his windpipe.
“Can you imagine how she felt when you did this to her?” I say quietly so only he can hear me. I'm leaned in, mouth right by his ear. "You should pray, Maksim, to whatever god you serve, for mercy. Because I have a feeling a man who threatens to murder an innocent woman is going straight to hell."
His legs kick more weakly now. His eyes bulge, blood vessels breaking in the whites.
He scratches frantically at my hands, but his strength is fading fast. I keep the pressure constant, watching his face the whole time with such satisfaction, it almost scares me.
I've killed before, but nothing ever so personal as this.
Minutes stretch out. His movements slow, turn sluggish. His hands slip off my wrists and hang limply at his sides. His eyes lose focus, staring at nothing, and I hold on until his body goes completely slack, until there's no pulse under my fingers, until I am sure he's gone for good.
When it's over, I step back, and Orlov slides down the side of the van and crumples to the concrete in a heap.
The deed is done, and I feel a massive shift in my chest. It's like this one changed me somehow, made me harder or colder in a way.
But I did it for her, to make sure she has a future, and if I had to do it over again, I would. A million times.
I wipe my hands on my pants and turn to the guys. “Make it look like a rival hit. Plant whatever we need, and make sure you dip his hands in bleach so my DNA doesn't show up under his fingernails. Then we roll out."
Kazimir walks over to me and slaps my shoulder, then grips it. "You good?" he asks, and I grunt as I jerk my chin up, but I don't really say much. I just want to get back to her now. She's probably at my house waiting, wondering where the fuck she's at, and she's scared.
I don't know if I'm gonna tell her about Orlov or wait for her to hear it for herself. I have to wait and see how she acts and what she's thinking, and if I ask her to be with me again and she refuses, I don't know what I'll do.
Because I'm not letting any other man ever touch her again.
Not even her father.