Dmitri #2
The mansion loomed ahead, its doors all securely locked and linked to an intricate, hi-tech security system—one so complex that even Gisela, with her unmatched skills, couldn’t crack it.
But our focus wasn’t on doors; windows offered another way in.
Not all security systems were foolproof, and I mentally sent thanks to Gisela’s keen eye.
She had pinpointed a vulnerable entry on the upper floor through a narrow bathroom window.
Had Stepan and I been any larger, our mission might have ended then and there.
“Remind me to kill Gisela when we get back to the mansion,” Stepan muttered, squeezing his bulky frame through the window with a grunt.
I shot him a look that could melt steel, silently telling him to focus as I shifted my gaze to the bedroom visible through the bathroom door.
We advanced cautiously, guns raised, as our eyes swept the room. It was vacant, just a guest bedroom with untouched linens and a faint scent of lavender. Stepan eased the door open, and the sudden burst of gunfire from below shattered the stillness.
“Fuck,” I hissed, frustration boiling within me. Catching Ivan by surprise would have been ideal.
Descending to the bottom floor, the scene was grim. Two of our men lay on the ground, lifeless, while Andrei clutched his arm, blood oozing between his fingers from a fresh wound.
“Andrei, where is Ivan keeping Lara?” My voice was edged with urgency, my concern solely for Lara, not his injury.
“There’s a secret passage in the basement leading to an underground tunnel. It’s only accessible with a code,” he managed, gritting his teeth against the pain.
“What’s the code?”
“I don’t know,” he groaned, struggling to speak as he spat through clenched teeth. “It is a six-digit code.”
“Fuck. It could be anything.”
Andrei was right. The only barrier between us and Lara seemed insurmountable. We needed Gisela’s expertise, but the clock was ticking, and she was too far away to help us in time.
Time slipped through our fingers as we stood helplessly before the keypad. I never imagined I’d be forced to make such a request of my friends—the men who had always placed their trust in me. But desperation left me with no alternatives.
ME : It’s time. The only one I need is Nazar. I understand if you don’t want to help.
NAZAR : We are brothers. You would do the same for me.
ISAAK : We will all be there.
ME : Use my cell GPS to locate me.
Receiving their affirmative responses, I anxiously awaited the arrival of the four of them. I was confident they’d have a clear route since we had already subdued all the guards.
Minutes dragged on, each second a relentless reminder of the urgency— tick, tick, tick .
Finally, four men emerged from the shadows, their faces obscured by ominous red masks. Angelo and Stepan instinctively raised their weapons, poised to fire.
“Lower your weapons,” I commanded, extending my hand to prevent them from taking aim at the four masked figures.
“Red Knights, meet the guys. Guys, meet the Red Knights.” That was all the introduction I could afford at the moment.
“Nazar, we need to get past this door.” I gestured toward the pad, locking eyes with him.
We all took a step back, allowing Nazar the space to work his magic. He shrugged off his backpack and deftly retrieved a compact device, connecting it to the panel where the elusive code was required.
“We should have access in a few minutes,” Nazar murmured, his eyes focused intently on the device. He entered a sequence of numbers, then held it close to the code panel beside the imposing metal door.
One by one, the numbers materialized on his device—nine, six, three, one, seven, two. As soon as they were inputted, the door emitted a satisfying click, swinging open to grant us entry. We all filed through, ready to face whatever lay beyond.
The corridor we entered bore a striking resemblance to an underground military compound or missile silo, with its cold, utilitarian design and oppressive atmosphere.
The walls were made of reinforced concrete, their surfaces dotted with the occasional rusted pipe or flickering fluorescent light.
I knew there were still some abandoned missile sites scattered around this area, remnants of a bygone era of tension and secrecy, but I never imagined I’d find myself inside one.
Ivan, with his enigmatic mind, had clearly known what he was doing when he constructed his mansion atop this hidden fortress.
It always baffled me why he chose to dwell in such an isolated expanse of wilderness.
As we pressed further down the seemingly endless hallway, the sound of voices and the rhythmic thud of footsteps echoed ominously around the corner.
More guards. Their presence was an insurmountable obstacle, a wall of danger we couldn’t breach without risking lives.
The hallway offered no refuge, no alcoves or shadows to conceal us.
We stopped our advance at the end of the hallway, pausing to evaluate our dire situation.
I cautiously peeked around the corner, my heart pounding in my chest, to gauge the threat before us.
Six guards were strategically positioned along the length of the hallway, each gripping their weapons with a readiness to unleash lethal force. Shit. This was far from ideal.
I pressed my back against the cold, unyielding wall, my mind racing through possible strategies. “There are six guards, all armed and ready to kill. Any suggestions?” I asked, my voice a tense whisper.
“One,” Isaak responded with a calm confidence that belied the perilous situation.
With swift, practiced movements, he swung his bag from his shoulder, crouched down, and extracted a couple of canisters.
He handed each of us a small, compact version of what appeared to be a gas mask.
“Put these on. You’re going to need them,” he instructed.
I couldn’t fathom how Isaak had acquired incapacitating gas, especially given its highly illegal status. But if it meant rescuing Lara, I wasn’t about to question our lifeline.
Isaak deftly dislodged the canisters’ protective clips and hurled them toward the guards with practiced precision.
The gas spread quickly, a silent predator, and though it wouldn’t keep them unconscious for long, it provided us a crucial window of opportunity.
We swiftly secured their hands and legs with zip ties, confiscating their weapons.
The decision to spare their lives lingered heavily; hopefully, it wasn’t a mistake.
The hallway was lined with eight imposing metal doors, each equipped with a coded keypad. Yet, as we frantically searched, it became painfully clear that not one of them concealed Lara. Where the hell was she?
Frustration and fear coiled within me as I turned to Andrei, grabbing him by the neck in a grip of desperation.
“You set us up,” I accused, my voice a low, dangerous growl. The cold metal of a gun pressed against his temple, my finger hovering over the trigger, ready to demand answers.
“I swear I didn’t,” he winced, his face twisted with a mix of pain and frustration. “I was certain he’d bring her here. This is where he brought all the girls.”
The urge to kill Andrei surged within me, a violent storm of anger and frustration, but I held back, knowing that if I acted on it, Lara would never forgive me.
I paced back and forth, feeling more helpless than I ever had.
A caged beast with no escape. I turned abruptly toward Andrei, my voice low and dangerous. “Call him. You better hope he answers.”
With shaky hands, Andrei fumbled to pull his phone from the depths of his pocket, his fingers trembling as he found Ivan’s number. He pressed the device to his ear, and my eyes bored into him, unblinking and relentless.
“Ivan, I assume you have Lara,” Andrei said, his tone deceptively casual, as if playing along with the plan he and Ivan had concocted.
“Yes. My beautiful wife is finally safe with me,” Ivan’s voice crackled through the speaker, dripping with smug satisfaction.
Wife. The word hit me like a cold slap. What did he mean, wife?
“So, I’ve paid my debt,” Andrei continued, his voice a thin veneer of calm while his hands betrayed him, shaking slightly as he tried to prolong the conversation, giving Nazar time to trace Ivan’s location.
“Not so fast.” Ivan’s voice was laced with arrogance, the kind that made my skin crawl, echoing through Andrei’s phone. “There’s one more thing I need you to do.”
“What’s that? I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me,” Andrei asked, his voice taut with tension.
“Kill Dmitri.”
The line went dead, leaving a chilling silence in its wake.
“I got a location.” Nazar’s voice broke through the tension, his eyes alight with determination as he held up his phone, the screen displaying Ivan’s pinpointed location.
“I’m coming for you, Lara. Hold on, kukolka ,” I murmured, the promise of retribution burning in my chest. Once Ivan was in my sights, he would pay the ultimate price.