27. Killian
Killian
I tighten the straps on the bulletproof vest I’ve acquired and rummage through the rest of the treasure trove tucked away in one of the hidden passages. “I’ll take whatever you’re offering.”
Apparently, Duke had stocked up on weaponry in preparation for the Bratva’s visit. He’s not as dumb as he looks.
“These’ll do nicely,” I add, pocketing a couple of beautifully balanced throwing knives to add to the collection I’m already carrying.
I’m just sorry there isn’t a missile launcher because I’m ready to burn the world for my Bratva princess, who more or less said she loved me. She definitely admitted she’d given me her heart.
Calder presses a finger to his earpiece. He doesn’t have a spare set of comms and I’m thirsty for information from the Moncriefs’ security teams. “What’s the latest?”
“Six men are at the door. One of them better be my fucking brother,” Calder complains. “Did you know he was being held hostage?”
I shrug. “Nothing to do with me.” I’m fighting enough battles. I don’t need to get dragged into another family feud.
“Come on, we need to get in place.”
Staying on the second floor, Calder leads me along a passageway that accesses the viewing gallery above the Great Hall. That’s where Rory and Duke are waiting to receive their guests. It’s all very medieval.
There are secret entry points we could use to climb onto the six-foot-wide gallery that runs along three sides of the hall, but we need to remain hidden.
We stop at the center point and take up positions close to each other, using spy holes in the oak paneling to watch the proceedings. These Moncriefs are sneaky bastards.
Calder’s brothers stand beneath sparkling chandeliers and they don’t look impressed when a Bratva soldier enters the hall alone. Without a word, he completes a slow circuit of the room then looks upwards.
His gaze skims over the spy holes Calder and I are using, and settles on the figure that’s just appeared on the west side of the viewing gallery. The soldier nods to his comrade then towards another guy who’s just taken up a similar position on the opposite side of the gallery.
“Overkill if you ask me,” whispers Calder. “Someone down there thinks a lot of themselves. Probably got a little dick.”
Calder Moncrief specializes in running nightclubs, and while he isn’t unused to violence, he’s not a veteran of turf wars. What we’re witnessing is more like a hostile takeover, and it doesn’t sit well with me.
The reason for my ill-ease appears a moment later. Fitz Moncrief is one of the three remaining men to enter the hall, but it’s the balding man in his sixties that grabs my attention. He’s wearing a tartan fucking scarf like he’s already part of the family. Vasili Barkov has a smug grin on his face.
He opens his arms wide to Rory and Duke. “Gentlemen! Thank you for your warm welcome!”
I stagger back a step. He’ll be the reason Danyl was summoning Katarina. She could be on her way to greet her uncle now and I don’t want her within ten feet of that bastard. “I need to get to Katarina. Now!” I shout-whisper to Calder.
He holds up a hand, his eye pressed to the timber panel as he watches the promised handover of his brother.
I can’t claim to have spent much time worrying about the missing Moncrief, but I’m glad he’s safe.
Katarina, however, is in imminent danger.
My heart beats like a jackhammer and I wrench Calder away from the heartwarming scene of his brother’s reunion.
“I don’t care who I have to kill to get to Katarina, but I will get to her.”
“Shit, Killian, breathe for a second. Let me speak to–”
“This isn’t up for debate. Show me how to get down to the foyer. I need to intercept her before she reaches Vasili.”
Calder’s about to object, but his mouth hangs open as Vasili’s voice echoes through the hall.
“Moya lyubimaya plemyannitsa!” My favorite niece.
“I’m your only niece, Uncle.”
Burning rage pumps through my veins and a jolt of pain hits me between the eyes when I smack my head against wood in my haste to look back through the spy hole. Bile rises in my stomach as I catch Vasili kissing Katarina’s cheeks.
“Still my favorite and looking as beautiful as ever,” Vasili says as he inspects her appearance. “Red always did suit you, but I would have preferred something more virginal for your wedding.”
“The wedding is tomorrow,” Katarina replies with a confidence that vanishes when her gaze flicks to a man dressed as a civilian rather than the black combats and leather jackets the soldiers wear. He holds a small leather-bound bible.
“There’s no need to wait.”
Katarina schools her expression perfectly, but I share the horror I know she feels. “Dyadya?” Uncle. “We have it all arranged. I have a beautiful dress. Ivory silk. I can show you.”
“There was never going to be a wedding tomorrow,” Vasili replies, sounding almost bored. “You’re in league with the Griffins.”
“I would nev–”
“Their helicopter has just landed less than a mile away. Is that my welcoming party? Or were the Griffins always planning to show up to steal what’s mine?”
Calder taps my shoulder, pulling me away from the conversation. “Rory has the Griffins on standby,” he says and I’m not surprised. He would have alerted them the moment he knew I was here. “They’ve landed their helicopter in a neighboring field. It’s time to call in reinforcements.”
“Agreed. You speak to Ash,” I say. I’m in no rush to face his wrath just now, or have him try to talk me out of what I still intend to do. “I’m going to get closer to one of the guards up here so we’re ready if things kick off. I might need you to take care of the other one.”
“I can do that,” Calder says, taking out his cell as we prepare to split up. “If you do need to get onto the gallery, you’ll find a latch in the third panel.”
We’re about to move when my ears prick to the warning Vasili is issuing to the Moncriefs. “I would hate to spoil tonight’s party. Bloodshed would be very bad for your branding, don’t you think?”
I nod to Calder to hurry up and make the call to the Griffins, but he turns his phone’s screen to face me. There’s no network.
“Is that a threat?” Duke asks from downstairs, his tone icy.
“Of course it is,” the pakhan replies.
I’m about to check my cell when Vasili confirms what I’m already dreading.
“Oh, and if you were hoping to send a distress signal to the Griffins, we’ve blocked your network. No one else can see or hear what’s about to happen.”
“My earpiece is dead too,” Calder tells me.
My head spins as I go through our ever-decreasing options. Below us, there’s a whispered exchange in Russian that I don’t much like, but stress always did help me focus.
“There were flares in one the crates,” I tell Calder, having taken inventory of the Moncriefs’ mini arsenal. “Can you get to the roof?” He nods. “Then fucking move. I’ll deal with the guards on my own.”
I hurry towards the west side of the gallery. I’m careful not to make a sound but my pace quickens when I hear Katarina’s plea.
“Please, Uncle,” she says, voice quaking with fear. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. “She’s not–”
“Shush!” he snaps.
I halt next to another spy hole to see what’s happening. Shit. Andrey appears from the terrace holding a gun to Grace’s head.
“No one move,” Vasili orders when Duke goes to reach for his weapon. “We haven’t finished talking.”
“I’ve finished talking,” Duke replies with impressive control, but I doubt it’ll last for long.
I check where the guard on my side of the gallery is standing, then continue towards the hidden door while Vasili sets out his plan to force Duke to marry Katarina tonight.
My fingers tighten on the latch to open the hidden panel when Vasili addresses Katarina. “You’re such a disappointment. Men are supposed to want to marry you. I shouldn’t need to threaten them.”
I open the secret access just a crack and Vasili’s voice is more distinct as he continues.
“Let me be clear. If the shooting starts, it won’t be contained to this room. Can you imagine what would happen to the Moncrief market value if every last person you’ve invited here were slaughtered? And rest assured that’s exactly what will happen. No one will be showing up to stop us.”
I have to swallow a laugh as the crack of a flare exploding above our heads ruins Vasili’s fine speech.
“This is so tiring,” he complains. “Let’s speed things up, shall we?”
I couldn’t agree more. I’m done staying in the shadows. If this is turning into a shit show, I want to be front and center.
With my rifle strapped to my back, I select a throwing knife and open the oak panel wide enough to see the back of the guard who’s blocking my view. His weapon is aimed at the enemy below, as is that of his counterpart opposite. Neither notice me.
“Marmaduke, you have two choices,” Vasili is saying. “You either marry my niece or I take her back, and I’m starting to think that might be preferable. It’s time to break that wild streak of hers once and for all.” There’s a pause. “I do believe I promised you the task.”
I open the door fully to get a glimpse of the man Vasili has turned to. Danyl.
“She’ll break for me,” he says.
My focus immediately sharpens with lethal intent.
Every move I make is meticulous, and in two steps, I’m behind the nearest guard.
I slice his throat before he can register my presence and with a hard shove, he topples over the oak balustrade.
His body hits the floor below, sending a shockwave through the hall that’s accompanied by a series of clicks as weapons are drawn.
The guard opposite is swinging his rifle in my direction when I flick my wrist to hold my bloodied knife by the blade. “There’s just one problem with your cunning plan, Vasili,” I call out as the knife flies through the air.
The guy opposite shouts something in Russian, but his words get cut off as my knife embeds in his throat. He fires off a shot that hits the ceiling before dropping dead on the platform.
Vasili has recognized my voice. “You reject us, but count the McConkeys as your friends?” he asks with genuine shock.
“It’s a bit of a sore point at the moment,” Rory replies, and I’m impressed by his light tone given the circumstances. All the Moncriefs have weapons drawn, and Andrey still has a gun to Grace’s head. “Friendship might be stretching it, but I do believe Killian owes me a favor.”
While Vasili’s men create a protective barrier around their pakhan, I take out a small remote that’s linked to a device I planted in Katarina’s cake. The Russians haven’t jammed all the frequencies and it’s time to create a little chaos.
“As I was saying,” I continue. “Unlike the Moncriefs, I come from a family that isn’t concerned about public image. In fact, I’d say our image will be improved if we take you down.” Assuming Dad doesn’t disown me, but Vasili doesn’t need to know that.
“You can try, durak.” Idiot.
“Oh, I intend to.”
The only way I can stop Vasili from taking Katarina back to Russia now is by lethal force.
I use the remote to activate a low-level explosion of butter cream inside the marquee.
Distant screams erupt as I’m detaching a smoke bomb from my utility belt.
If the Moncriefs’ security do their job, guests will be evacuated away from danger.
I was originally going to use the exploding cake as misdirection so I could escape with Katarina, but escape with her I will. It’s time to get my woman back.
“This could be the start of something special, Kitty,” I call out as I roll the primed smoke bomb towards the edge of the viewing gallery.
I don’t see the canister detonate, but I hear the gunfire erupting below as I race along the viewing gallery towards the exit. I don’t use the hidden passageways. I’m done hiding.
As I leave, I’m relieved to hear Katarina yelling, thwarting the Bratva’s attempt to drag her out of the hall.
I don’t hear Grace. I just have to hope Duke got to her in time because my priority is and always will be Katarina.
I need to get to the foyer before Vasili and what’s left of his men escape with the woman I’d die for.