29. Von
T he three of us returned to the main room after leaving specific orders that no one, not even cleaning staff, was allowed to enter room ten for the foreseeable future. The twins would have to reach out to one of the cleaners we used for situations like this so as not to tarnish the club's reputation. All that was left to do was deal with Tony and Ruby then we could head back to the house. I didn’t want to linger because I didn’t trust my father to stay locked in the panic room.
“Matty, Laz, Red, follow me,” I ordered, striding past them and making a bee-line for Ruby.
I grabbed the bitch by her hair and dragged her through the curtains into the backstage area. Tossing the tramp to the floor, I freed a blade and planted my knee in her chest so she couldn’t get up.
“Vonnie, what the fuck are you doing?” Lazzaro demanded.
Ignoring my brother’s outrage, I placed the tip of my blade next to Ruby’s eye. “Do you want to tell them or should I? Keep in mind if I have to explain, you’ll be missing an eyeball.”
Ruby shook like a scared chihuahua. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If one of the girls went after your men, I’m sorry, but I did warn them.”
“Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, don’t play dumb, it’s not a good look for you, and lean into the lie all women are stupid,” I scolded.
The sweet, sultry Ruby I’d seen all night vanished and the assassin was revealed. “You’re right, it was far too easy to manipulate your brothers. A little wink, a peek of tits, and an amazing blow job, if I do say so myself, is all it took to have them wrapped around my finger.”
“What was the plan, send them home with tainted drugs and cross your fingers they’d use it tonight?” I pressed.
Ruby scoffed. “I would never leave it up to chance. No, my Lazi-poo always takes me to a hotel after nights like this where we get high and fuck all night long. Only this time, he’d snort more than he could handle and OD leaving me a sobbing mess for the cops to find.”
“Too bad for you whoever reported I was dead lied. Now you have to face the consequences for attempting to kill my brother.” Before she could offer up any sort of protest, I stabbed her through the eye and into her brain.
A stunned Lazzaro dropped to his knees beside us, vacant eyes staring at the woman who planned on killing him. “How…” he whispered. “How did I let this happen?”
I gripped his arm, offering my support the best I knew how to show it. “We’re not done yet, Silvio needs to be found and killed. He was tasked with taking out Mom, Dad, and Katarina.”
“You’re just telling us this now?” Matteo blurted. “We need to leave now.”
Twisting to look up at him, I scowled. “Really, you think I’d find something out like that and not say anything simply because I’m pissed at Dad? Well fuck you, Matty. I was going to deal with this matter as a family, but on second thoughts, you should stay here and take care of Tony. Ruby turned him against you two so my suggestion would be to kill him sooner than later, but it’s your call.”
Erik pulled me to my feet, and I smoothed out my dress before heading back out into the main area. Leading the way, bloody dagger still in hand, we left the club and headed for home. Before we pulled into the driveway, I had the limo driver pull off to the side and pop the trunk. I kicked off my shoes and walked barefoot to the rear of the vehicle.
“What are you up to, little siren?” Erik asked as he watched me type in a code on a hidden keypad.
I didn’t answer right away as the secure compartment clicked open allowing me to lift the lid and reveal the guns hidden inside. Plucking two handguns out of their spot, I held them up. “I think we’re gonna need these, unless you think my two knives are enough for this fight?”
Erik grabbed a sniper rifle and put the strap over his head so the gun hung on his back. Then he selected a handgun and checked it over to ensure it was loaded. Apollo chose the mini machine gun and Bear ended up with a shotgun. Each of us who could carry extra ammo did so just in case. I didn’t think this fight would be all that challenging, but I wasn’t going to be a step behind on this.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yes, but for one little thing, who are we killing?” Apollo questioned.
In a twist I didn’t see coming, Bear held up his phone, showing a picture of a pretty average-looking man. What made him noticeable wasn’t his features but the tattoo on his forehead, just under the hairline. The phrase he had tattooed was, They call me Vengeance.
“Subtle, I like it,” Erik commented.
“At least this makes it easy to know if we’re shooting at the right person,” Apollo added.
“Where did you get the picture from?” I asked Bear.
He smirked and tucked his phone away. “Don’t you worry about it, my goddess, as your shadow it’s my job to work behind the scenes. ”
I flipped him off and climbed back into the limo, we didn’t want to give any hint we knew what was going down tonight. Of course, the guns would give it away the moment we got out, but we’d be right by the front door. Honestly, I was probably overreacting, this was one assassin, not an army trying to storm the castle. But when had I ever done anything half-assed?
“Dad said he was going to put the house on lockdown, so I need you guys to cover me while I get the door unlocked,” I explained. “Once we’re in the house, I’ll reset the door and we’ll head to my parents' wing of the house. Lockdown protocol means all access to the lower levels where the escape tunnels are has been cut off. All windows will be sealed and are equipped with sensors that will go off if the glass is broken. This means if the bastard got in the house, he’ll be trapped in the main three levels. I know it doesn’t seem much of a help, but trust me, it is.”
The limo pulled up to the house, but the driver didn’t get out to open the door per my instructions. I gave the guys a look and each signaled they were ready. Bear exited the limo first with Erik right on his heels scanning the area before whistling the all-clear. Thankfully, in the trunk there’d been a thigh holster so I could have a free hand to deal with the security.
Crouched low, I scurried to the front door and peered at what looked like a peep hole, it was actually a retina scanner. A little green light appeared, and the door knocker slid down to reveal a pad for me to place my palm. With the final verification completed, I heard the steel rods retracting so I could open the door. Father had modeled the front door much like that of a safe, so it could withstand a vehicle being driven into it. Something which happened shortly after Grandpa left and Father took over the family.
We slipped into the house, and I closed the door as quietly as possible, then reset the lock. Unfortunately, the sound of metal rods falling into place wasn’t subtle, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. A moment later, the sound of a gun going off and a vase shattering next to Apollo’s head had us moving.
Racing for the sitting room to the left and away from the shooter, I slid behind the couch and laid flat on my back. A man leaned around the doorway to the dining room, and I took my shot, hitting him right between the eyes. No one moved for a few heartbeats, and I strained my ears trying to decide if the coast was clear.
“What the fuck was that?” Erik whispered. “Did you know there would be a group attack?”
I shook my head. “No, all I was told was Silvio was charged with killing my parents and it was happening tonight.”
“Seems like he gave you a rather broad answer,” Erik muttered, then waved off his irritation. “Whatever, none of that matters, we simply have to deal with the here and now. I suggest we split into two groups, one going right while the other sticks to the left. We cover one whole floor before moving to the next. The last thing we need is someone sneaking up on our asses when we least expect it. Is everyone on board with the plan?”
“This is your area of expertise, Big Red,” I reminded him. “I’ll take Apollo with me over to the right since I know you and Bear work well together.”
“Perfect, once you’ve cleared your side of the floor, meet back here and we’ll head up the stairs together,” Erik instructed.
With our orders clear, we split and began our sweep of the first floor. It appeared only one guy had been placed to watch the front door, which seemed odd to me, but there was no time to dwell on the matter. Together we moved up the stairs, each of us watching a different direction so as not to be caught off-guard out in the open. The second floor held the library, father’s study, a few sitting rooms, and the room of the live-in nurse.
“I’m going straight ahead, there’s someone I have to deal with personally,” I signed to the others.
Erik gave a thumbs up and took off with Bear in the opposite direction. Apollo and I fell into a rhythm as we checked each room and even the closets. He would open the door while I was crouched low ready to shoot. As we reached the final room, Apollo tried to turn the handle but it was locked.
“Kick it down?” I suggested.
Apollo shook his head, plucked two pins from my hair, and gently moved me to the side. I knew how to pick a lock, but I was using this opportunity to see what skills Apollo had. Admittedly he was faster at picking the lock than I would have been, but I kept that tidbit to myself. The door swung open on silent hinges to reveal a room which seemed to be empty. We stood and worked our way around the room checking all hiding spots before we tried the en-suite bathroom.
I paused in the doorway when I heard a sniffle as if someone was trying not to make a sound while crying. Grabbing a fist full of the shower curtain, I ripped it open exposing the woman huddled in the corner of the bathtub. The second she saw me her hands flew up in surrender.
“Please don’t, I’m just the madam's nurse. I did everything your boss told me to do, now it’s their turn to keep their end of the deal and let me live,” she explained rapidly.
“So you openly admit to switching the drugs and poisoning my mother?” I demanded.
The nurse’s eyes went so wide I thought they might pop out of her head. “Oh God, what have I done?”
“I’m not God but I can still answer your question,” I said, my voice cold and detached. “You fucked with the wrong family and now you’re going to die here in this bathtub, all alone.”
One shot took out her ability to speak, the second shot pierced her lung, and the last two landed right in her knee caps so she couldn’t run. The woman slid further into the tub, blood trickling out of her mouth as she fought to take her next breath.
“Now you have a glimpse of the struggle my mother faces every goddamn day,” I seethed. “I hope the devil keeps you trapped in your body just the way you are, but never letting you die.”
Finished with the woman, I closed the shower curtain and left the spineless piece of trash to suffer until her last breath. Apollo wisely didn’t say a word as he followed me back into the hall. He’d known about this so I’m sure he wasn’t at all surprised I killed the bitch.
When we reached the stairs, Bear and Erik were already there waiting. Bear spotted us first and took a moment to scan my body to be sure I was unharmed.
“ We took out one other man who was digging through papers in your father’s study ,” Bear shared. “I pulled his ID and found out he’s one of the five new bloods who were missing tonight. Could it be possible that all five of them are working together?”
I took a second to ponder his idea and found no logical reason to ignore the possibility. “Let’s move forward with that in mind. There were five missing, we took out two, and we know Silvio is one of them. This only leaves two more somewhere in the house.”
“Easy enough to manage, none of these men are all that skilled,” Erik pointed out.
“Once we’re on the third floor, take a right and follow the short hall until it ends at a T. Go left, and we’ll enter my parents’ wing which was modified with an elevator for my mother to use. The elevator won’t be working during lockdown so you don’t need to worry about anyone popping out,” I explained, trying to be as detailed as possible. “The safe room is in my mother’s bedroom, it’s the door next to the elevator. Inside the safe room there are monitors for them to watch the house cameras so my father will already know we’re here.”
We all double-checked our weapons, then headed up the final flight of stairs. We quickly scanned every room before heading to the opposite side of the house. Erik had been right, one of the remaining three men was standing watch near the elevator so he could see down the hall. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked at Erick.
“Let me take this shot,” he requested.
It was the right call, a handgun didn’t have reliable accuracy at farther distances. Plus, with his scope, Erik could be a hundred percent certain he hit the target right where he wanted to. The rifle was far quieter than I expected, hardly drawing any attention. Then I noticed the silencer screwed onto the barrel. Having never used a sniper rifle, I didn’t know you could put a silencer on them, but damn if it didn’t come in handy.
Crouched low, we hurried down the hall to the square-shaped common space with two doors on either wall, but for the side my mother’s rooms were on. I pointed to the opposite side which were Katarina’s rooms and signaled we should start there. With the four of us we cleared Kat’s rooms and Father’s rooms in no time. Now all that remained were Mother’s rooms and the only logical place the last two men would be hiding.
I was done playing cat and mouse games, The Wolf didn’t skulk around her own home. So I stood tall, walked to the door, tossed it open, and fired off two shots killing the fourth man who tried to use Katarina as a shield.
“Stop right there or I’ll blow out his brains,” Silvio warned, a gun pressed to my father’s temple.
I halted but didn’t lower my gun as I studied the man. Whatever mask he’d been wearing to keep the crazy from showing was gone now. His body vibrated, breath coming in quick pants, and his eyes were pinpointed confirming what I suspected. Silvio was high, but whatever he’d taken had made him paranoid and jumpy. I spotted blood from a gash on his arm which was wrapped around my father’s neck. Now I knew not to dick around with warning shots since the bastard couldn’t feel pain and go right for the kill.
“Why haven’t you already?” I asked. “The whole reason you’re here is to kill him, right?”
“Yeees,” Silvio hissed. “But I also need the woman locked in the small room. They hid her from me, I had her, but that bitch stabbed me, and the door closed.”
So Mom was safe in the panic room, thank fuck. I glanced at Katarina and noticed she had a black eye along with a split lip. She’d put up one hell of a fight to keep my mom safe and I wouldn’t ever forget it.
“Once they’re dead, what will you do then?” I questioned.
Silvio gave me a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you came to kill them, right? When you finish killing them do you need to show proof? Are you supposed to return to whoever sent you? Or do you just walk out the door and vanish?” I explained.
Silvio frowned and actually scratched his head with his own gun. The second his gun was removed from my father’s head, a shot went off and a bullet buried itself between his eyes. As if in slow motion, Silvio fell back with a thud once he hit the floor.
Father scrambled to his feet, rushed over to Katarina, pulled her into his arms, and soothed her. On the other hand, I went over to the wall of bookshelves and entered the information to open the safe room. The bookcase swung open and there was my mother, lying in a hospital bed covered in all kinds of tubes, with machines whirring and beeping.
I checked the monitor and saw her heart rate was elevated so I went to her bedside and picked up her hand. “Hi, Mommy, it’s Vee.”
The instant my mother saw me, tears spilled down her cheeks and her hand tightened ever so slightly. She couldn’t speak, thanks to the tube helping her to breath, but we didn’t need words to understand each other.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to come see you, but I’m here now and I’ll keep you safe,” I whispered, stroking her hair. “I know it's late and a lot just happened, but we need to get you to the hospital ASAP. Someone has been poisoning you which is why your symptoms have become so much worse. Hopefully, the doctors will be able to do something and we can take this damn tube out.”
Mom smiled with her eyes and gave a slight nod agreeing with me. I kissed her hand and pressed it to my cheek before slipping out of the safe room to call an ambulance.