Barron

by KJ Dahlen

  Red and his men walked over to the man who’d been shot down. He was still alive for now, but was bleeding badly.

  Red knelt down and stared at him for a moment before he asked, “What the hell were you shooting at, you bastard?”

  The other man frowned as stared at Red for the longest time. “Barron ...Barron Valerian? Is that you?”

  Red frowned as he stared back at the man lying in the dirt. “Boya, what the fuck are you doing here of all places?”

  “Vitya finally found the man who killed his brother.” Shaking his head he said, “After twenty five years, he finally found the man who killed Ilya.” Boya winced as he spoke and blood was pooled around him.

  Red shook his head and asked again, “Who were you shooting at?”

  “You might have be better off not to ask.” The downed man growled as the blood filled his throat. “He will kill you all now.”

  Red and Kolya snorted at the same time.

  It was Red who stated, “He can fucking try.”

  “Fuck you,” the other man snarled. His teeth were stained with his own blood as his lungs were probably filling up.

  Red’s bullet must have torn into his lungs. He knew the other man was close to death.

  He coughed and blood flew into the air. Even Boya, as he laid there, knew he wasn’t long for this world. “I guess I’ll see you all in hell when you get there. It won’t be long before you join me. ” The man started coughing again and when he stopped his time had run out. His eyes were frozen open while staring at the evening sky.

  Red got up and walked away. He couldn’t do anything for the man he shot and it wasn’t in his best interest to stick around. He motioned for his men to get out of there. Anton had pulled up in his truck and Red walked over and got in. He looked at Anton and told him, “Let’s get the fuck out of here for now.”

  Anton didn’t question his order he just put the truck in gear and drove away.

  Grace could barely see the road as she drove the bike over the Red Wing Bridge that crossed over the Mississippi River into the state of Wisconsin. She pulled over into the nearest layby and took a moment to wipe the tears from her face.

  She knew the last of her family was dead and there was nothing she could do about it. She thought back to the meeting between her father and the man from the limo. Both men had talked about an event twenty five years ago, something she hadn’t known about.

  She could feel herself weakening and she didn’t want to fall apart yet, she had a way’s to go before she could stop and she needed to get there. She figured she had a small window to get away before they came looking for her. If they found here before she could blend into the shadows, they would kill her and walk away. Her life didn’t matter to them. She knew too many people like them but she wanted to live and find out what happened twenty five years ago and why that bastard had killed her father.

  Wiping her eyes again, she merged back into traffic and made her way south. Her father had a cabin an hour south of the city where they lived in. He always told her it would be their secret so she never told anyone about the cabin. Now she was glad she hadn’t. The cabin might be the one place she would be safe in. At least, she hoped it would.

  Going down the Wisconsin side, she knew she would hit a lot of small towns and have to slow her speed but she also knew she couldn’t attract attention to herself or the bike she was on. She drove for an hour before she hit the small town around Bison City.

  She turned left instead of right at the first marker and the road took her up to the top of the bluff. Next, she took a county road and traveled further back into the woods. She turned left again and followed the dirt road to the small cabin.

  She stopped the bike and flipped the kickstand down. She got off the beast of a bike and for a moment, she couldn’t feel her legs. She stumbled toward the cabin. Digging around the front porch, she found the key to the front door and unlocked it. Pushing the door open, she used the moonlight to find the lanterns. Using a match, she lit it so she could see how to turn on one of the lanterns that soon glowed, allowing her to see the interior of the cabin.

  It was a simple place. The small kitchen and dining area opened to a living room area. The bedrooms were off the living room and there was a wraparound loft on top. The living area had vaulted ceiling open all the way to the roof. There were two or three bedrooms up there depending on the need. But they hadn’t needed to use them as such because it was only Grace and her dad that would have known he owned it.

  She went through the mudroom and out to the shed. Starting up the generator, she knew she would need the power of electricity if she were going to stay here. And for now she had to stay here, at least until she knew what was happening and who this man, Vitya Konovic was. What her father had done that had been so wrong that Vitya had looked for her father for twenty five years.

  She went back inside the cabin and after turning off the lantern, she found herself laying down on her father’s bed. Drawing the blanket over her shoulders, she stared into the darkness surrounding her.

  Grace was now alone in the world and finally, the tears started as she thought about not ever seeing her father’s face again.

  Long into the night, she wept for her loss, the pain in her shoulder gone from thought, the fear for herself was gone too. All she felt was a hole in her soul that she knew would probably never heal.

  Chapter Two

  Barron brought up an app on his phone and directed Anton to drive across the bridge into Wisconsin. He had tagged his bike and now he was glad he did. Actually, he had all the bikes tagged for this purpose. They had all been in this country for the last fifteen years but they had all left behind enemies in Russia.

  When the nine of them first came over here, they left behind family and friends and had become fugitives of a kind. Each of the original nine were running from something. Red-Barron had been running from a prison sentence he never should have had. He’d taken on the road name of Red. But if not for the Konovic family, he would be considered a free man.

  Now he had a feeling they were here and he would have to run again, or die laying in the dirt like he just left Boya. First, he had to find his bike and the kid who stole it. Maybe when he did, he would find out what was going on and why Vitya Konovic was here in the United States, here in Red Wing, Minnesota.

  Anton drove his truck across the bridge between the two states and then followed the beacon south. Red glanced out the window and saw four other bikes behind him. He wasn’t sure who was riding them, but Leonid and Kolya were with him at the bar, and two other brothers must have joined them.

  They drove south for over an hour in the darkness. His bike hadn’t moved in a while so Anton turned on his navigation system. His system showed the streets and roads and they found a path to the spot where the bike was sitting. Following the road, they stopped about a half mile away from where they saw a cabin.

  Barron emerged from the truck and motioned for the bikes to be shut off.

  Leonid, Kolya, Alexi, Sasha and Anton joined him. They all stared at the cabin. When they walked toward it, they could see lights in the windows but no movement from inside.

  As they didn’t know who was waiting for them, Barron motioned for two of his men to go around the back.

  Then he, Anton, Leonid and Sasha went to the front door. They all drew their weapons and as they approached, they couldn’t hear any sounds coming from inside the cabin.

  Barron and Sasha peeked in the windows but it appeared the cabin was empty.

  Barron then tried the door and much to his surprise the handled turned and he pushed it open. Moving carefully and quietly, he and the others made their way inside. They spread out and searched the cabin, which was bigger than it looked.

  When Barron went upstairs, he came to the main bedroom and found what he was looking for.

  Someone was laying on the bed with their back toward the door. It looked like the kid was passed out but Barron didn’t care. He just knew this perso
n stole his bike and he wanted to know why. He also wanted to know why two of Vitya Konovic’s men were chasing the kid.

  Barron walked over to the bed and frowned. There was a long braid hanging down her back and blood marked her shoulder. Had this girl been shot on her way out of the parking lot?

  He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her from the bed. A scream greeted him as he attempted to turn her around to face him.

  She fought him like a wildcat and it took all his strength to hold on to her but he did. He brought her close to his own body wrapping his strong arms around her and held her until she quit fighting him. When all her reserve fell from her fight, she had nothing left and half collapsed in his arms.

  Tiredly the woman looked up at his face and frowned as if his wasn’t the face she had expected. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” she whispered.

  Barron was stunned. The figure on the bed was most certainly a woman. Her heart shaped face was beautiful and as he let his eyes travel down her body he took note that she was all woman. Her breasts were full, round and bigger than he’d thought previously, her hips flared out from a tiny waist and her legs were longer than he’d realized.

  Yes, she was indeed a woman and right now, her green eyes were flared with anger. “I asked you a question you bastard, who are you and what are you doing here?”

  Barron glared back at her. “I might ask you the same. It was my bike you took tonight.”

  Letting out a huge sigh, she hung her head. “I’m sorry but I didn’t want to die. You found your precious bike now, so just get the fuck out of here.”

  Barron heard a cough from one of his men behind him. He turned and found the other three men standing in the doorway. Tuning back, he went and sat at the edge of the bed still holding her in his arms snugly. “What the fuck do you know about a man named Vitya Konovic?”

  The woman couldn’t seem to help it, as tears rolled down her face, helpless to stop them. Barron simply held her as she put her head against his chest. “Nothing. I don’t know anything about that bastard except he shot my dad.”

  Barron frowned staring first at his men then at the slip of a girl as she cried even more. When her weeping and expression didn’t change, he lifted her up. They descended down the stairs and out to the living room where the other two men were waiting. He set her down on a chair and began pacing back and forth in front of her. He paused then glared at her. “Why would a man such as him come all this way just to shoot your father?”

  The woman didn’t even answer his question, she said nothing. She just sat there letting her tears flow.

  A few minutes later one of the men walked over to her and yanked at the braid, pulling her head back. He snarled at her, “You were asked a question, suka...bitch.”

  Barron growled and glared at Kolya. “Let her go.”

  Koyla snapped his head up and stared at his president but after a moment, he let her hair go. Stepping away, he scowled at her.

  Barron stopped pacing then going to the girl, he crouched in front of her. He took hold of her hands but she shied away from him but still didn’t say anything. Barron spoke softly while looking her in her beautiful green eyes, “I really need to know what happened tonight and why. A man like Vitya Konovic doesn’t travel all this way for no reason.”

  She shrugged. “I really don’t know why he came there. When he drove down the driveway of my dad’s garage, my dad told me to run.” Shaking her head, she whispered, “I couldn’t just leave him there. I hid instead of running like Dad told me to do.” She closed her eyes and shuddered.

  “What happened next?” Barron urged her to remember.

  “A big man shot my dad. He said it was for something that happened twenty five years ago. He accused my dad of killing his brother in cold blood.” She shook her head. “My dad wouldn’t do that, not in cold blood. Dad said the man’s brother raped and strangled his younger sister and that’s why he killed the man.” She paused and looked at Barron. “The big guy yelled he didn’t care what his brother had done, that he didn’t deserve to be shot down like a dog. He raised his gun and shot my dad. I ran but they came after me. I had to get out of there. When I broke free from the woods...I checked for a car in that lot but they all were locked then I found your bike and just took off. I’m sorry I stole your bike, but I really didn’t want to die.”

  Barron looked up at his brothers and shook his head. Looking back at her he asked, “What was your dad’s name?”

  “Gene Daniels.”

  He shook his head taking a deep breath. “Not the name he used here but the name he had in Russia?”

  She lifted her head. “I didn’t know he was from Russia until tonight. I didn’t know he was running from a killing he did twenty five years ago.” She began to shake. “I didn’t even know my own father.”

  “Why should we believe a word you say?” Koyla asked with a growl.

  She glanced over at the man and frowned. “I don’t care if you believe me.” She turned to Barron and angrily said, “You came here for your bike, now you have it. So get the fuck out of my house.”

  Barron studied her face for a moment then shook his head. “We can’t leave you here alone. Vitya knows you are alive now and he won’t stop looking for you. You are his target now.”

  “I don’t care!” she yelled out at him. “He took the only family I had left.” She was still weeping but she continued her rant. “I-I did not want to die but now...:” She sniffled. “...He might as well kill me as well.”

  Barron and a few of the others snorted.

  Sasha spoke now, “Don’t worry dorogusha... if he finds you, he won’t shoot you first. He’ll use and abuse you before he puts a bullet in your head. Vitya is a prince that way. You’ll beg him for death, but I won’t let that happen.”

  She shuddered as she swiped at her tears. “Why? I haven’t done anything to him. Why would he hurt me that way?”

  “Because the man is a svin'ya, a pig,” Kolya stated without a doubt. “He thinks his family is better than everyone else.

  The woman shrugged then winced in pain as the movement reminded her she had been wounded in her dash for freedom. Her hand went to her shoulder and when she brought it back, it was covered in blood. She stared at the blood on her hand then looked up at him. “Well shit,” she swore.

  Barron frowned. “You took a bullet?” He moved toward her.

  She backed up in the chair as far as she could. “Don’t touch me.” Holding out her hand, she grumbled, “Just get out. I don’t need you any of you.” Fearful, she looked around at all the men staring at her. "You all talk like he did in Russian or whatever it is. You are from the same place as that killer!"

  “Whether you know it or not, you do need us.” Barron growled, as he got closer. "We are not like this man. Believe me, we are not." He picked her up and turned her around. He could see that her entire shoulder was drenched in blood, some of it drying but there was some fresh red on her shoulder.

  He turned to look at his men and nodded at Alexi.

  Alexi came forward and looked at her shoulder but couldn’t see much other than the blood washing her shoulder. He took hold of her shirt and split the material.

  She gasped. “What the hell? Asshole.” She grabbed the torn material as she glared at the pair of them.

  “Bezmolvnaya zhenshchina...Hush woman,” Barron ordered. “Alexi is our medic, he’s only here to help you.”

  “Yeah well, I’d rather not be undressed in front of a group of strange men thank you very much.”

  “We aren’t here for that,” Barron told her.

  She scoffed at this and kept hold of her shirt while trying to keep some form of decency. Turning her head, she glared at him. “You wouldn’t get it anyway.” Then she hissed out in pain as Alexi probed her wound. “Fucking hell!” she called out as he poked at the hole in her shoulder.

  Alexi ignored her swearing as he looked up at his president. “She did take a bullet and I may have to
dig it out of her shoulder. It’s not too far in, but I have to take it out.”

  Barron nodded. Looking at her, he said, “He’s going to have to dig out the bullet.”

  “Like hell he will!” She gritted her teeth as the fresh pain washed over her. “Just leave it alone.”

  “It’s coming out or do you want to die in agony as the bullet taints your blood?” he asked her. “It would take a couple of days and you’ll die in severe pain.” Then he shook his head. “I’m not going to let that happen.” He looked over at Alexi and asked, “What do you need to get the bullet out?”

  Alexi shrugged. “A knife, tweezers, needle and thread to close the wound afterward... Oh and something to block the pain she’ll be in.”

  Barron nodded and began searching the cabin for what he needed. He found a knife and a bottle of vodka. He went back to her and matched her glare for glare.

  Koyla had found a clean cloth and a first aid kit. Leonid found a couple of towels from the bathroom, then Alexi got the water boiling.

  Barron then motioned for her to sit down but she refused. He growled as he walked into the kitchen area and brought back a kitchen chair. He pushed her down, making her sit backward on the chair and then he captured her hands and held them while Alexi tore the rest of her shirt off her.

  She fought to get away from his hold but she couldn’t break it. She screamed as the hot cloth was pressed against her skin to clean the dried and fresh blood away. Then as the vodka was poured over her wound, the pain intensified and she almost passed out from it. Then she screamed again, as Alexi probed the wound with the knife and the tweezers.

  She passed out when he dug into her shoulder and removed the bullet. It hadn’t been in her shoulder very far but it was far enough. After the initial scream, she didn’t cry out again. Then she came to again but Barron held her tight and wouldn’t allow her to move away from him.