City Culprits (Book 1)

by Brittany Nicole Allen

  “You like to play rough.” The man laughed.

  “I like to play assassin.” Katya turned around to face the man with her golden gun and silencer attached.

  “Hey! What are you doing?!” The man shouted trying to get his hands free from the bed.

  “Somebody wants you dead.” Katya told him.

  “Who are you?” The man wondered.

  “I am Katya Petrov.”

  The man instantly knew who she was.

  “You are Vladimir’s sister? You lying bitch!”

  “Sorry Mr. B. but my brother thinks you are in the way of his organization. It’s time for you to die.” She told him.

  “You won’t get away with this!” The man yelled.

  “I already have.” Katya replied before shooting him in the head.

  “Fat bastard.” Katya said to herself after killing him.

  Katya quickly gathered all of her things together. She cleaned up all evidence of herself leaving nothing behind. She put on her black leather trench coat and her leather boots and gloves.

  Katya’s phone rang from her purse. It was her brother. They spoke in Russian.

  “The deed is done.” She answered to him.

  “Good. I have other news.”

  “What is it?” She asked him.

  “We found the girl. She is in New York. We are going back to America.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Hurry back sister. We have important business. We may be in the states for a long time.”

  “I could use a long vacation.” Katya said before hanging up.

  Nikkya had gone to visit her brother this time instead of him going to see her. He lived in an apartment building on the 10th floor.

  “It’s nice to have you here for once. At least you took the bus. I’m surprised though that Carlos let you come alone.” JT said handing his sister something to drink.

  “Well I don’t want bodyguards.”

  “Even after what happened the last time? You were kidnapped.”

  “Yeah and I had bodyguards then. They didn’t really do any good did they?” Nikkya said annoyed.

  “I guess you’re right. I just want you to be careful that’s all. I really hate that you’re in the middle of this.”

  “Well I am and I’m not leaving Zamora’s side.”

  “But Zamora is a part of her father’s cartel now. It worries me more that you could be in more danger.”

  “I’m not going to live my life in fear. I can’t do that. What’s going to happen is going to happen. I’m finishing school online so I don’t have to go back to the college and I’m actually living with the Rivera’s. I think I’m fine.” Nikkya tried to reassure him.

  “I know you can take care of yourself. I just worry about you that’s all.”

  “You’re supposed to. You’re my big brother.” She laughed.

  “Don’t remind me.” JT hit her arm and laughed.

  JT and Nikkya enjoyed their alone time together. Something they haven’t been able to do in a long time. They talked and played their favorite video games and listened to music while looking at old pictures.

  “Well I should probably be getting back before they start freaking out and sends the whole army after me.” Nikkya joked.

  “Yeah they probably would. Zamora would for sure.” JT agreed.

  “I would give you a ride but the car is broke down. How are you getting back? The bus doesn’t run this late.”

  “I know. I’ll walk. It looks like a nice night anyway. I use to love going for night walks with Zamora.”

  “But Zamora isn’t with you. I’ll walk you back.” JT told her.

  “No it’s fine. You have to work in the morning and it’s a long walk. I will be okay.”

  “Why don’t you call one of them to come and get you?” Her brother suggested.

  “No that’s okay. I don’t really want to do that. I can take care of myself. I’ll be fine.”

  “If they find out you walked back, you’re in some trouble.” JT laughed.

  “I’m a big girl.” Nikkya laughed back.

  “All right. Just please make sure to let me know when you are back so I don’t have to worry about you.”

  “I promise I will.” Nikkya said putting on her shoes.

  “You better.”

  Nikkya put her black hoodie over her head.

  “I’ll walk you to the elevator.” JT said.

  “Okay.”

  JT walked Nikkya out to the elevator door. JT pressed the button. They hugged while waiting for the elevator.

  “All right. I guess I’ll see ya soon.”

  “Yeah. This was nice. Hope we can do it more often. It was good to see you without everyone else around.”

  “No kidding.” He agreed.

  JT gave his sister a kiss on her forehead as the elevator doors opened. A woman who lived on the floor walked out smiling at them.

  “Bye bro. See ya later.” Nikkya said stepping into the elevator.

  They waved goodbye to each other as the doors closed.

  Zamora finished tucking her nephew in to bed for the night. She softly kissed his forehead and shut off the light before leaving his room. Zamora went back into her room and took out some night clothes and then went into the bathroom to start the shower.

  Carlos, Pito, and Alex were finishing up some last minute business at the warehouse. Axel had stayed home to look after his sister because their mother was working late again. Annabeth had fallen asleep on his bed while watching a movie with her brother. Axel gently picked her up to bring her back in her own room. He tucked her in with her toy monkey and kissed her goodnight.

  Minnie was already asleep in her bed. She didn’t like to wait up for her husband on most nights. Although Carlos usually made sure that he was home in bed before she had awakened the next morning. But Minnie liked the nights when she would awaken as he crept into bed so they could cuddle up together.

  Magnum was trying to do whatever it took to get back his territory. No matter what it took. He had to bring up prices on his own stuff so that he could manage. Magnum went home finding an old photo of him and Zamora together. Their favorite picture of them. He stared at it for a long time before hiding it someplace that Paco would never be able to find it. Magnum didn’t want to get rid of it.

  JT put in a movie so he could stay awake until his sister let him know that she was back home but he started to drift off to sleep.

  “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” Nikkya said as she started to feel rain drops. She put her hoodie over her head to keep from getting wet. There weren’t that many people out as it was sort of late. She decided to take a short cut to avoid crossing all the streets.

  Unknowingly to Nikkya, someone had been watching and following her ever since she had left the Rivera’s to get on the bus. Following her in an unknown black car. Several people were watching her.

  Zamora let the hot water flow over her body. She had a lot of things on her mind. Especially her sister Angel who crossed her mind quite often. She had flashes of her sister’s death again. And then her parents when she found out they were killed. She remembered throwing a red rose over their coffins as they entered the ground. Zamora didn’t sob this time. Instead she tried to figure out if her father Carlos was right about Que. She remembered everything he had said to her.

  The rain started to pick up harder as Nikkya got closer to home.

  “Oh come on.” She said to herself looking up at the sky for a moment.

  She checked her phone in her purse for the time. Her battery was low so she turned off her phone to avoid wasting it. She put the phone back in her purse so it wouldn’t get wet from the rain. Nikkya took another short cut, cutting into an old parking lot that was behind a closed down building.

  The four men that were watching Nikkya exited the vehicle when they found the perfect opportunity when no one would notice them. They dressed in all black including their gloves. They wore black hoodies which they pulled over
their heads and plain black masks. Nothing was visible.

  Nikkya was only about 15 minutes away from the Rivera home. She wanted to get home before it started to down pour. She walked faster. The four men unknowingly were catching up to her.

  Nikkya felt someone grab her from behind and shove her into the hard brick wall making her drop her purse onto the ground. It took her breath away. The same man punched her in the face almost knocking her over. She tried to fight back. She was punched in the face again shattering her cheek bone. She fell to the ground as the pouring rain washed away the blood. They began kicking her while on the ground. So many times that blood came out from her mouth. Someone hit her with a metal pipe several times over and over as she tried to pick herself back up. Her bones shattered and her lung punctured. The same person hit her face with a metal pipe hitting the side of her eye. Her face and body were hit over and over again. When they stopped, she tried to find the strength to lift herself back up. That’s when she was struck in the head hard with the metal pipe which almost knocked her unconscious. It cracked her skull open. The pipe dropped to the ground quickly rolling away. Her eye was swollen shut. As they quickly ran away, one of the guys hoodie lifted up revealing his tattoo. Nikkya tried to make it out but it was hard to see from the pouring rain and she was losing consciousness fast. They had left her body beaten and her face barely recognizable. They had left Nikkya for dead.