Chapter 10 #2
I wasn’t surprised the doors had been reinforced, the masked man unable to shoulder the door into opening. Seconds later, the door was kicked in, the jamb splintered. Whoever it was certainly hadn’t expected what he’d find on the backside of the door.
Me.
A pissed-off woman with a big steel bat.
I prayed the little girls didn’t witness what I was about to do, but whatever the man’s intentions, I refused to allow them to discover where they were hiding.
As soon as he walked in, I swung the bat, catching him off guard, using all my strength to drive the bat against the side of his head.
He stumbled backward, hitting the wall, but came at me almost immediately, trying to snatch it from me. This time, he threw a punch, but I managed to duck, shifting back and forth from foot to foot.
For a second, I was certain he was going to reach for his gun.
I swung again, this time missing. He grinned like this was a game.
“Maybe you and I should have a little fun. What do you think about that?” He was quicker than I’d anticipated, jerking me forward and spinning me around.
When he crossed his arm around me, cupping my breast, I hissed. The last thing I wanted to do was to make much of a sound to draw the attention of the girls.
But this bullshit wasn’t going to stand. “I doubt you can handle it.” I slapped my hand on his crotch, squeezing just as he’d done, but putting a little more oomph into my actions.
His shock was enough for me to push him away, taking aim at his head as if it were a baseball.
Doubled over, I swung the bat only to have him catch it in midair, jerking his head up.
“I don’t want to hurt you, singing bitch. Just here for the girls,” he told me and every alarm bell in the world went off. This wasn’t some robbery gone bad.
“Over my dead body.” I jerked the bat away, once again pulling it off to the side. When he lunged for me, I shifted my aim, using every ounce of my upper body strength to swing with gusto.
The hard cracking sound forced a moan. I caught him on the neck, the angle such that the thickest part hit him in the cheek.
Blood flowed, the hit jarring, but I didn’t think it was enough.
Prepared to issue another one, I was shocked when his eyes suddenly rolled in the back of his head and he slumped to the floor.
Gasping, I was shaking all over, but knew the chances of the other two rushing up the stairs were strong. With the bat still in my hand, I returned to the bathroom.
Pop! Pop! The sound was muffled, but I knew exactly what I was hearing.
Gunshots.
Then screams.
What the hell was I supposed to do? I threw open the door before remembering what I’d accidently found two nights before.
The girls were shivering, yelping as soon as I yanked back the shower curtain. They threw themselves in my direction.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to play a little game. Okay?”
I constantly glanced over my shoulder, half expecting to see one of the others.
The little girls were braver than I would have been at their ages, both nodding.
“Close your eyes and come with me.” The last thing I wanted was for them to see the man’s body on the floor. Now wasn’t the time to question what I was doing or if Sasha would be angry with me.
With the bat under my arm, I took both their hands, leading them from the room. But not before noticing a pool of blood seeping from under the intruder’s head.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Taking careful steps and constantly watching the stairs, I led them into Sasha’s bedroom and to the closet. Now I completely understood the reason for the safe room. No matter what happened, I would keep the girls safe.
I only prayed to God everyone else survived.
Sasha
Pop! Pop! Pop!
“What the fuck?” While I muttered the words, I couldn’t care less if anyone was listening. My reaction was instant, just like I’d been trained for as a young man growing up in a household of Bratva members.
I ripped my gun free, immediately assessing the situation.
“Get the guests out of here!” I yelled to Jaxon, who’d already swung into soldier mode. He was the best at his reactionary skills, grabbing two of his men.
Guests were screaming, rushing toward the front of the house. The hard push made it almost impossible to see what was happening.
I noticed DiAngelo shoving my sister toward the safety of the house, his gun in his hand. We were all the same. Mafiosos first. On a day like today, I was thankful we had all the muscle together.
However, that perpetrators were allowed to get inside would be the focus of future conversations. We had a leak, a mole, or a significant weakness.
If my instincts were correct, the gunfire came from the side of the house. How the fuckers had gotten in when the front was gated and patrolled by my men was beyond me and something I’d figure out later.
“What the fuck is going on?” Alexsey yelled as he raced toward me.
Something caught my attention at the corner of my eye and I shoved Alexsey, pitching him to the ground a split second before I fired off two quick shots.
A man dressed in black with a mask covering his face fell to the ground.
“Shit,” Alexsey huffed, jumping to his feet.
I spun around in another circle, glancing up at the windows of Nina’s bedroom and playroom. There was nothing. Maybe they hadn’t been disturbed.
“I’ll get the women inside. Where’s Lainey and the kids?” Alexsey continued to scan the outside.
Alexsey was as unnerved as I was. His Emily was missing.
“Upstairs.”
“My baby. My baby!” Halle flew toward us, Alexsey grabbing her.
“Breathe, baby. Emily is upstairs with Lainey. Go inside. Don’t argue with me. Stay low.” Alexsey pushed her gently, kissing the top of her head.
“I need my little girl. I’m not stopping,” Halle insisted.
“No, Halle. Do as Alexsey says,” I threw out. Just then, another round of gunfire shattered the air.
“Go!” Alexsey snarled, pushing her away. “I’ll get our baby back.”
“Come on. Come on!” Jaxon was shouting, trying to round up the women. I even noticed my father had a weapon in his hand.
No one dared challenge the Dmitriyev Bratva.
At least and live.
The melee continued, but I was able to lose focus on everything that didn’t matter. The only thing I cared about was whether my family, including the woman who’d jarred me awake, was safe.
I noticed Mikhail and Vissarian to the left and I took off running. Another assassin popped up. Mikhail must have seen the look on my face. He dropped and rolled, firing off three rounds.
There was still more gunfire and we made a human shield while the women were being rushed to the house.
One assailant came out of nowhere, clocking me on the side of the head. Pain exploded, the taste of blood forming in my mouth.
My reactions were swift. Ignoring the anguish, I threw a brutal punch, but he’d been prepared, the blow minimal.
Now my rage was kicking in. With no ability to get a clean shot, I slammed my weapon against the side of his head. He went down.
That’s when I pulled the trigger, catching him right between the eyes.
Caterers were running away from the house on the other side from where our women had been taken. Oh, fuck me. There was one inside.
DiAngelo was suddenly right beside me, managing to grab one of the perpetrators before he could fire off a shot.
From what little I’d been able to decipher about the assailants, they were highly trained and organized.
The fact they were dressed in all black meant they were trying to hide their identities.
A number of organizations could have sent them.
The other Russian group we’d faced.
The Irish who were our constant irritation.
Or members of our own family still in Moscow. That was my bet since word on the street provided a more comprehensive picture on what the war with Ukraine was doing to criminal elements inside Russia.
As if I gave a shit they wanted a better life. They couldn’t have ours.
“Come with me!” I yelled, bounding in through a door in the middle of the two. There was no time to waste. Rage tore through me as I continually scanned the area, doing nothing more than concentrating on my breathing and focusing on the sights and sounds in front of me.
There was an eerie quiet in the house and as soon as I cleared the room into the hallway, I slipped next to the wall.
And I waited.
It didn’t take long before three assailants appeared, all dressed in black. All carrying assault rifles.
Three against one. I’d had worse odds.
I had the element of surprise. Right?
What I hadn’t realized was that both Mikhail and Kazimir had followed me inside, now flanking me.
Together, we fired off a series of shots, blowing through their cover.
More shots, finally diminishing. I spun around, scanning the area. There were very few people left outside, but the scattered remnants of the horrific event remained.
A few seconds later, we lowered our weapons together. A phrase came to mind that I’d never given much credence to.
The silence was deafening.
I turned toward the house, glancing up at Nina’s bedroom window. There was no reflection, no sign of them.
“What the goddamn fuck?” Kazimir hissed. “How did this happen?”
“Don’t you have extra men on the gate?” Mikhail asked, trying to keep his emotions in check. Thank God he hadn’t brought his baby boy with him to the party.
“Four. Two others walking the exterior of the grounds. Since the security system wasn’t tripped, that meant they likely came in as approved guests or… the caterers.” That was the only possible answer. No one else would have been allowed in without permission.
“Fuck,” Kazimir growled. “I’ll round them up. They will fucking talk.”
“Go easy,” Mikhail instructed.
“Fuck easy.” Kazimir stomped off, both hands still on his weapon.
Pulling out my phone, I contacted the man I’d placed in charge of approving entrance and watching the activity around the house during the event. While I didn’t keep men on patrol on a daily basis, the extra precaution had been necessary.
When the call immediately went to voicemail, I realized every foolproof plan had its weaknesses.
“Lainey.” I made the comment as a moment of suffocation hit me, taking long strides toward where Jaxon had taken Halle, Fallon, and the other women.
He saw the frantic look on my face and took long strides meeting me at the door. “One of the fuckers tried to get in. He failed.”
Nodding, I glanced at the group. “Have you seen Lainey or my daughter?”
The way he shook his head and the look on his eyes was unnerving. “Find out what happened at the gate. Make sure no one leaves without every vehicle being checked.”
“A few already did.”
“Stop the rest,” I hissed. If Lainey and the children were taken, I’d rip apart the city to find them. Hell, I’d burn it down if necessary. No one fucked with the people I cared about.
That’s the moment I tore through the house, going from room to room. Pitching open doors. Several guests had found refuge inside the house. Seeing a crazed man with a weapon in his hand brought back another moment of intense fear.
Sadly, I didn’t give a shit. I had one objective. Find the girls.
I raced up the stairs and suddenly Mikhail was behind me.
“We’ll find them,” he said as I stormed toward Nina’s room and playroom. Seeing the trashed door sent an icy chill down my spine.
“No. No!” I rushed inside.
We both saw the asshole in dark clothing at the same time.
I dropped down, first yanking off his mask then checking his pulse and noticing the gash in his face and forehead.
He was no one I recognized, but that wasn’t saying much with how many people we saw on any given day.
His features didn’t appear distinguishable other than his hair color.
What did hair stylists call it? Strawberry blond? A fancy way of saying he had some natural red tones in his hair. Often a classic sign of an Irish heritage. I checked his pockets and as expected, found no identification. We’d encountered that before. Think. Breathe and think. Where were my girls?
“Anything?” Mikhail rushed into the bathroom, hissing almost immediately.
“Not a fucking thing. He’s not dead, but he soon will be.” I grabbed the weapon only a couple of feet away, hissing as I pocketed it. A Sig Sauer. Used by FBI agents, assassins, and almost anyone in the mafia circuit.
Maybe finding one of them alive would allow us to obtain some important information. He would talk. I’d make sure of it.
“What the hell? The side of his face looks like someone used it as target practice. Not one of ours,” Mikhail muttered. “What caused his injuries?”
“Maybe a gun,” I said, scanning the room.
“No. A baseball bat. It’s missing from the corner.
Lainey.” Oh, my fucking God. She’d attacked him before he could hurt her or the girls.
With no signs of blood and little disturbance in the room, either she’d managed to protect the children or someone had taken them.
I bolted into the bathroom, yanking back the shower curtain. Something caught my eye on the tub’s bottom. A hair clip. Nina’s. The kids had been shuttled into the tub for safety. What the fuck had happened?
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Where the hell is she? What the fuck happened?” I was close to panicking, rage hitting me hard.
“Calm down. I don’t think there’s a chance these monsters managed to take her from the property.”
While Mikhail’s voice as always was the one of reason, I couldn’t give a shit. I was in his face in a second, barely able to remember he was my Pakhan and I owed him respect under every circumstance. As soon as I pointed a finger in his face, I managed to restrain myself, backing away.
But not before enduring his initial harsh glare. However, that was quickly followed by his expression of concern. “We’ll find her, Sasha. You have my fucking word.”
I fisted my forehead, trying to process what had occurred. “How did they get into the house?” Even if they’d gotten out, there was no way the perpetrators could have escaped with two young girls and a woman without being challenged.
“We’re going to find out. Lainey is a smart girl and she obviously did everything in her power to protect the children. Think. Where would she go and hide?”
As soon as he asked the question, my eyes flew open. “Oh, my fucking God.”
“What is it?”
I ignored his question, racing toward my bedroom, almost ripping the closet door off the hinges so I could get inside. I was shaking from anger as I pressed the hidden button for the panic room.
The chest shifted to the side, the door popping open and even before I crouched down, I gathered a scent of Lainey’s incredible perfume.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
My girls were alive and safe.
All thanks to my beautiful musician.
Even so, I made a pledge at that very moment. There were no other words for what would occur.
The person responsible would die.