Status Quo_The Last Ones Standing

by Monique Chanae

  Alexei and Jason climbed into the backseat of Kumar's car. Alexei immediately took notice of the tension in the car. He saw that Kumar was busy typing away on his laptop, while Stepan sat in the passenger seat with a facial expression that matched his. He could see the anger within his brother's eyes the moment he turned around to face him.

  "What did you guys find over at that construction site?" Stepan asked as he looked between Jason and Alexei.

  "The construction site looked as if it has been closed down for a minute now. When we entered and looked around we came across some photos I think you need to take a look at." Alexei handed the pictures to his brother.

  As Stepan glanced through the pictures, Jason braced himself to watch his reaction. After what Alexei had done at the butcher shop without even blinking an eye, he knew right then that some of those rumors he had heard about this family were true.

  "Are you telling me that these Motherfuckers have been plotting to kill MY FUCKING daughter?" Stepan shouted as he scanned the pictures again. The one with Cori's face axed out pissed him off more.

  "I want them all dead! Everyone involved will pay for what they have done to my daughter!" He spat in Russian.

  Alexei looked at him with a weird facial expression for a few seconds. He said that as if he didn't already know that everyone involved would die a painful death.

  "That doesn't even need to be spoken brother. Cori is my niece and I would lay my life on the line for her... and you as well; that goes without saying." Alexei stated as he passed him the last photo in his hand.

  Stepan took the photo and looked it over. He then glanced back at his brother. When their eyes connected he nodded his head.

  "So, the Marino family wants me and Cori dead, huh?"

  "It seems that way." Jason said, speaking for the first time since he entered the car.

  Stepan turned back around in his seat. He stared out the window before he spoke again. "When I first heard the name Marino mentioned, I thought that maybe Cori did a job that involved one of their people and that's why they came after her. Now that I know they want me dead as well, I realized that Cori was just a causality."

  Alexei wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean, brother?"

  "I was their main target and they went after my daughter to get to me." He replied.

  "Why would..." Alexei started, but then stopped when it finally hit them.

  When Stepan didn't hear him speak again he knew that he had put two and two together. "I need to call Maxim and let him know to stay on alert and keep Naya safe." He opened the door and stepped out.

  Alexei climbed out of the car as well and followed close behind his brother. When they were a little distance away he waited until Stepan was done with his phone call to address him.

  "Something isn't adding up here. Why after all these years would the Marino family come after you for the death of Joseph? You would think they would have done it years ago after he died." Alexei said.

  "That's because they didn't know who killed him. They actually still don't know who killed him if they think I did it." Stepan replied.

  Alexei looked at his brother and shook his head. He was trying to figure out the missing piece to the puzzle. "I'm still not understanding..."

  "This was an inside job, Alexei." Stepan stated in a bland and even tone.

  Alexei eyes snapped to his brother's. "Who would dare betray our family?"

  "Our dear ole sister, Elise." He replied with so much hatred in his voice that Alexei could sense it.

  "Why would she..."

  "Elise still blames me for her lover Joseph's death. Kumar found emails between her and Vincenzo dating back months. She's the only one who could have gotten close enough to take some of those photos of my home."

  "That disgraceful bitch!" Alexei spat in Russian.

  Stepan stepped closer to his brother. "Alexei, I know that Elise is our only sister, but..."

  Alexei cut him off. "She will die like the rest of the Marino family. I'll go prepare the men. You go check on my niece." Alexei said before he stormed away.

  Alexei never thought he would see the day were a Romanov would have to spill the blood of one of their own. It had never been done before because they were raised to be loyal to the family. In his eyes Elise committed the ultimate act of betrayal. She had gone against the family... her own flesh and blood. She signed her death wish the day she decided to work with Vincenzo Marino to bring down her own brother and niece. That betrayal was only punishable by death.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  While Jason and Kumar sat inside the car watching the Romanov brothers from the window, Jason looked over at Kumar and spoke.

  “Every time we think we’ve got shit all figured out we get thrown another curve ball. This shit is ridiculous.”

  “You guys live lives straight out of the movies.”

  “You’re a part of this life now too whether you’ve realized it or not. You crunch numbers and deal with all the technology shit and we make the most important moves. This ship runs smoothly because we’re a team.”

  “Yeah I guess you’re right.” Kumar let out a small chuckle… “Well, are you ready to deal with another curve ball?” Kumar asked as his laptop pinged and his eyes grew big as saucers looking at the screen. Turning the screen towards Jason and showing him what had just popped up, Jason’s eyes grew in size as he yelled for Kumar to go get Stepan.

  “Go get him!”

  Kumar jumped out of the front seat and whistled to get Stepan’s attention, waving him over to the car. Stepan hopped back into the front seat and raised a brow in Kumar’s direction.

  “She’s here.” Kumar stated.

  “What do you mean she’s here?”

  “If these flight plans are correct, your sister’s flight just landed here in Chicago a little while ago.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “That’s the thing, she used her own passport at the airport but after that, she fades into obscurity. She could be anywhere.”

  “She’ll show her face soon and when she does, it’ll be the last thing she does.”

  Chapter 39

  A few days later

  Elise Romanov followed the turn-by-turn directions given by the GPS until it stopped her in front of a mini-mansion in Naperville. As she drove up the circular driveway she was greeted by rubber plants and bronze lawn statues but none of that distracted her from what she had come here for. She had come for blood and she was not leaving Illinois until it was shed.

  "Elise, you get more and more beautiful every time I see you." Brando Marino greeted her as she walked up the front steps. A pair of dark sunglasses concealed her eyes while her long blonde hair was hidden beneath a brunette colored wig that stopped just below her earlobe.

  "Do not sweet talk me, Brando. You fucked up." She seethed as she walked past him and made her way down the front foyer. Brando closed the door behind him and followed Elise as she sauntered straight to his kitchen. Brando stood back against the doorway and watched as she poured herself a glass of Scotch straight before downing the concoction and filling her glass up for round two.

  "You said the guys you hired would ensure that Cori would be no more."

  “The entire building is dust and debris now. No one could've survived that kind of blow." He tried to assure her but Elise was no fool and she needed Brando to know that he had failed.

  "Well apparently you don't know my niece because she's still got breath in her body." Brando held up a finger and made a phone call that lasted all of two seconds. He spoke in Italian to whomever was on the other end and disconnected their call as soon as it began.

  "Stepan has not left the hospital since he arrived. Maybe it's time I take him out myself. I've been waiting to do that for a long time now. He has to pay for what he did to my brother all those years ago." Brando said blood thirsty for the death of Stepan Romanov.

  "I left Cori up to you and you couldn't even do that correctly. I think I o
ught to pay my niece a little visit... Oh how I think we're in dire need of an aunty-niece bonding moment she'll never forget." While Elise stood at the counter and seethed, Brando watched her from afar wondering what her next move would be. Before he could ask her, his twin brother Marlo entered the house and began calling out his name to find out where he was.

  “Kitchen, brother.”

  “Hey, who’s car is that parked out front? I could barely pull in all the way.” Marlo Marino asked as he made his way into the kitchen and noticed Elise standing there.

  “Hello Marlo.” Elise spoke dryly as she raised the glass of Scotch to her lips and took another few sips.

  “Elise, it’s a pleasure to see you. What brings you to the States?” he asked moving through the kitchen and retrieving his own beverage from the refrigerator.

  “Well it is Illinois, Marlo - the supposed land of some of the world’s greatest hustlers, thieves and killers. I’m just trying to figure out what all the hype is about because clearly I was misled.”

  “What do you mean, Elise?” Marlo asked with a scrunched-up face as he popped the top on his beer bottle and placed it to his lips.

  “I’m talking about that botch hit on my niece!” Elise shouted slamming the glass back down on the marble countertop.

  “What botched hit? I know you’re not talking about that office downtown because in case you hadn’t checked the news lately, that entire structure is no more.”

  “And in case you hadn’t checked my family’s history of being resilient and hard to get rid of, Cori Romanov is still alive contrary to popular belief.”

  “I don’t fucking believe you.” Marlo spat with a scowl and turned his attention to his brother. “Have you spoken to Nico and his guys?”

  “I just did and it’s true. No bodies were recovered from the blast, just rubble. She made it out of there alive.”

  “Just because she made it out doesn’t mean she’s still breathing; she could’ve succumbed to her injuries later.” Marlo said still trying to make sense of how this could be.

  “Nico has a contact at the hospital. A woman fitting Cori’s description was rushed in a few days ago but then she went ghost.”

  “What do you mean she went ghost?”

  “Her file was erased. I’m thinking she was moved to a more secure location.” Brando replied stroking the fine hairs on his chin. No one spoke for a moment while they each entertained their own thoughts. Suddenly, a light went off in Elise’s head and she spoke up.

  “She’s still there.” She blurted out.

  “How do you figure that? If she were still there her file would still be on the computer.”

  “No that’s what they want you to think. My family is smart. The best way to ‘hide’ Cori is to do so in plain sight. I’m willing to bet my life she’s still there. Besides, if they moved her, Stepan would’ve had her airlifted back to Russia and he hasn’t left the States.”

  “You’re right!” Brando agreed.

  “Then if Stepan’s still here and so is Cori, why don’t we just kill two birds with one stone. End them both while they’re unsuspecting and at the hospital.”

  “Because if you two walk into the hospital you’ll be spotted and dead before you even see Stepan. My brother is no rookie but you two seem to keep forgetting that. We need a decoy. Someone who could pass as a Romanov.”

  “Who do you have in mind?”

  “The closest person to Cori is my other niece, Alexei’s daughter Alyona and their group of friends. Why not find a girl around their age and get her to infiltrate.” Elise suggested. Both brothers looked at Elise and smirked.

  “This could actually work. Are you sure you want to go after your niece and brother for a second time though?” Brando asked in all seriousness.

  “Blood isn’t always thicker than water – and sometimes bonds are made to be broken. Stepan is the reason Joseph is no longer here and since he took away my happiness, I’m ripping away his!” she declared.

  Chapter 40

  While Elise and Brando plotted their plan of attack, Marlo scoped out their decoy. He had met her a little over a month ago when he had gone to the club to distract himself from his personal life. She was the perfect distraction and she didn’t require much. Just a couple extra dollars and he’d get everything he wanted. Until her dancing for him at the club turned into her giving him private one-on-one sessions off the clock. During their tryst, Marlo found out that Chelsea had once aspired to train at Julliard School of the Arts and that’s when he knew she would be perfect for the task at hand. Once he brought her on board, the Marinos and Elise spent the next week training her to walk, talk and act like a Romanov. She was given simple instructions that should’ve gone off without a hitch as long as she didn’t run into Stepan. Today was judgement day and the Marinos were anxious to see how well their training had paid off.

  The latest pop song playing on the radio was the only audio that could be heard as Marlo drove Chelsea to the street corner where the hospital was.

  “Do you remember what you’re supposed to do?” He asked slowly turning to face Chelsea who was sitting in the seat beside him staring out of the window.

  “Yes, I remember.” She said before shutting her eyes tight for a second and then jumping in to character. “Oh, my Goodness, my friend was brought in a few days ago. They said she was in some sort of building explosion. Is she alright? What room is Cori Romanov in?” the way the tears began to fall from her eyes Marlo almost forgot she was lying her ass off.

  “Perfect. You go in there just like that and don’t forget to take pictures. You’ve got an hour tops so spend that time wisely.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Chelsea walked into the hospital donning a large floppy hat tilted low over her eyes and a leather bomber jacket lined with a fur hood pulled over her straightened hair. She boarded the elevator and waited as it rose to the floor level she needed to be on. Though she had prepared for this for the last couple of days, she was still wrought with nervousness and a bit of anxiety.

  The elevator doors opened on the correct floor and taking one last deep breath, she exited and marched right up to the nurse’s station. There was a man speaking with the nurse behind the counter and there was no other hospital personnel walking around, so she waited her turn. A few seconds later, the gentleman turned around sizing her up with his eyes before stepping to the side.

  Repeating the same line she had gone over in the car with Marlo, she relayed it to the nurse and waited for her to answer. The nurse looked the strange woman over before punching on keys on her computer.

  “There’s a doctor checking in on her at the moment. I’m not sure if she’s allowed to have visitors just yet, let me go and check for you and you can have a seat right here. I’ll be right back.” The nurse ushered her over to a seat in the waiting area before turning on her heels and disappearing down the hall. Once she was out of eyesight, she slid into a utility closet and pulled out her cell phone and made a phone call.

  “Tari, are you with the guys?” Fallon asked as soon as Nefertari answered the phone on the first ring.

  “Yeah we’re actually pulling in to the parking lot right now. Hang on I’m putting you on speaker… Go ahead, Fallon.”

  “A woman claiming to be Cori’s friend came in asking about her. I don’t think she’s who she says she is. Everybody that’s closest to Cori has already been here more than once.”

  “Where is she now?” Stepan asked beginning to see red.

  “She’s down in the waiting room, Skip has eyes on her out there.”

  “We enter through the staircase. That empty room we’ve been holding court in, send her in there in fifteen minutes.” Jason instructed. Fallon agreed and just like that their plan was put in motion.

  Chelsea removed the hat from her head and for the first time, Skip was able to steal a real glance at her. She didn’t look like any of the Romanovs he knew, and he knew she wasn’t one of Cori’s clique. Her circle was skin
tight and while she might’ve looked the part, he smelled the stench of foul play a mile away. Skip looked up to the hallway and noticed Fallon walking in their direction. Slouching down in his seat, he acted as if he were napping as Fallon walked straight up to the woman and began speaking.

  “Hi, the doctor said he’s just wrapping up with her now. Give it a few more minutes and you can go right in and see her.” Chelsea placed the hat back onto her head and smiled at Fallon. Fallon revealed to her the number of the room and watched from the nurse’s station as she made her way down the hall.

  Once Chelsea rounded the corner, she searched the walls for the room’s number. A guard was standing outside of her door just as the Marino’s had predicted. Swallowing the breath, she didn’t realize she was holding, Chelsea simply stated her fake name and waited for the guard to let her in. Jason looked down at the woman and simply nodded his head as he opened the door for her and let her walk into her demise. All of the lights in the room were out and the curtains had all been shut closed. The only image she could fully make out was the silhouette of a body in the bed. Slowly walking towards the body, her knee trembled but she continued her stride anyways.

  Gripping the edges of the bedsheets slowly, she pulled them back and came face to face with a pistol.

  “Scream and you die.” Nefertari said pointing the gun directly at her temple as she slowly removed herself from the bed. Before Chelsea could turn around and make a run for it, Jason slid into the room and put a gloved hand over her mouth. Jason's glove was coated in a chloroform mixture and within a matter of several minutes, Chelsea's body slumped to the floor as she was rendered unconscious.

  "How long will she stay down for?" Nefertari asked as Jason began to pick her body up off the floor, instructing Nefertari to help with her feet.

  "Long enough to set the stage. Move quickly." Stepan stepped from the bathroom placing a pair of gloves on his hands and pulling a chair out to set her up in.

  "Nefertari, I think it's best you leave now. It's going to get a little hectic in here once she comes to." Alexei offered giving her a fair warning. Nefertari had never been one to shy away from battle but she knew if one was recommending her to get ghost, she was out.