I stared at it. “Where did you find it?” I remembered having it in my hands, and then it was gone—not where I had put it.
“On the kitchen table.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. “I guess I switched it out for the gun that was there.”
Daniil nodded, putting the bolt away in his pocket—probably for a souvenir—after eyeing it for a solid minute. “The gun was a better pick for where you were headed.”
I nodded. I knew this.
Ember stated, “You aren’t bothered about killing that man.” It was a statement of fact.
I shrugged even though Daniil’s gaze snapped to her. I stated bluntly, “And when we find that man and woman, I won’t have any issue killing them.” I paused, telling them what I hadn’t yet. “They want Daniil’s babies. The reason why they took me was to keep me until the babies were born. They were going to kill me afterward, and then take our children.”
Everyone in the car went silent.
I muttered, “So, no. I’m not bothered by that. No one is touching my fucking kids.”
Daniil was trembling under me, and he hissed into the silence, “I know who they are.”
Everyone’s gaze snapped to him, including mine.
I scoured his face, and asked instantly, “How?”
He was still quivering, and he held me tighter. “The song you sang. It was all she used to listen to. I saw the CD player outside where you were held, and checked the disk. It was, indeed, that song. I only asked them to look for fingerprints to verify there was no one else involved, even though I doubt anyone was ignorant enough to leave any behind.” His eyes darted all over my face, and slowly, he smiled. “We’re going to have a party, I think. One to celebrate your homecoming.” His smile grew. “And we’re going to invite them. They won’t be able to refuse.”
I watched him carefully. “Was she an old lover?” Wouldn’t that be special?
He shook his head. “Oh, no. But she was someone very near to me.”
Gradually, I nodded. “All right. Let’s have a party.” I yawned and didn’t care what anyone thought, letting my head rest against his shoulder as I stared out a window and watched the New York scenery slowly change as we got closer to home.
Twenty minutes away from my own bed and shower, I heard a very faint buzzing sound. I closed my eyes to the beautiful landscape of wild and uninhabited back roads, listening closer. My hearing’s excellent, but it was very faint. I couldn’t quite make it out.
All Daniil’s children were talking softly, a mundane topic about a drunk and disorderly night long ago, and I lifted my head and held up my covered hands. “Everyone quiet.”
They shut up. And I could hear it better. I nodded, knowing I was right. “Helicopter.”
Instantly, each person looked out a separate window.
“Nothing,” Grigori murmured.
“Nothing,” Artur stated.
A pause. “Something.” Ember jerked her head toward her window. “Fucking gunship.”
I felt my pulse race as Artur and Grigori both lunged at the window I was now glued to, squinting just over the tree line where a damn gunship flew dangerously low, stalking us at a safe distance. A masculine string of violent curses filled the air. Daniil was already hitting the button to lower the partition to the driver, growling, “Get us there as fast as possible.” He rolled up the window I had been staring through.
Grigori was on the phone. “Zane, it’s Grigori. Listen, we’ve got a gunship coming at us that must have been hidden in the damn woods somewhere. We’re less than twenty minutes out from the house. You need to get to us as soon as possible.” He hung up.
I thumped the window, stating as calmly as I could, “It’s not getting any closer. Why the hell not?” I paused, and it occurred to me just why it wasn’t advancing when it was already too late. Rounding a corner, we all saw why through the front window a hundred and fifty yards ahead. There was a damn blockade of at least fifteen trucks and SUVs in our path, men everywhere with assault rifles aimed at us.
And that’s when the gunship started rapidly advancing.
“Jesus Christ,” Roman choked, staring wide-eyed out the window.
Grigori flipped a panel down from the ceiling just as gunfire exploded at us.
Ember jerked as a hail of bullets hit the limo.
Grigori murmured under his breath, “Code. Code. What the fuck is the code?” His fingers hovered in front of a clear glass piece with numbers on it.
I was staring, shocked, out the front window as bullets hit the limo, nothing piercing its armor, thank fuck.
“Move,” Daniil ordered harshly and moved Grigori to the side.
Daniil typed in the code. The clear screen lit green.
Grigori shook his head, still staring at the screen. “Papa, you are one sick bastard.”
“I know,” Daniil growled. He pressed in another set of numbers.
The screen turned red.
“What do you want me to do?” the driver called back, sounding too damn calm for the situation.
“Speed the fuck up and keep going,” Grigori shouted.
Something under my ass clicked. Ember and I stilled, staring down at the seat under us.
“Get up,” Grigori ordered over the racketing gunshots. We moved, and he lunged at the seat, pulling the connected bottom cushions forward, and then up.
Daniil ordered the driver, “You’re clear to fire on them.”
The driver hit buttons on his own panels, our car jerking hard. Three SUVs exploded from the blockade, and a machine gun lifted from a hidden compartment in the limo’s hood, rapidly firing in an arching motion in front of us. I fell into Daniil’s arms as my body started to tremble, and Grigori bent over and started pulling out an arsenal from the hidden compartment under the seat, tossing weapons at everyone as we crouched on the floor. He pulled two large duffels from its depths before slamming the seat back into place.
I glanced down at the weapons I had been given, one lone knife to hold between my bandaged hands, and actually felt a little jealous seeing that Ember had been given a—very illegal—machine gun. Grigori threw himself back into his seat while Ember and Roman started digging through the duffels. Daniil held my body close against him, crawling us back to our seat in preparation for us ramming through the SUVs that were on fire, not fifty yards away.
And then we both saw it through the back window.
I blinked.
Daniil shouted, “Incoming!”
Everyone’s gazes darted where we were staring before they all exploded into action.
A fucking missile blasted from the gunship that flew right over the road behind us.
The driver yanked the wheel hard to the right.
Daniil slammed us down onto the floor.
Grigori grabbed Ember and Eva, throwing their bodies down right next to us.
Roman and Artur threw themselves on top of Grigori.
The car rocked hard from the driver’s actions, just as the missile made contact from somewhere behind us on the right. My ears rang from the loudest explosion I had ever heard, and the limo shot through the air, tilting up on its front left side. I went airborne, Daniil’s body wrapped around me as we tumbled through the limo, smacking into everyone else, the hood, the seats, the driver at one point, as the limo tumbled over and over again. The limo held together, but the pressure of the blast tossed us like a toy car.
There was no point trying to figure out everything that hurt on my body as the limo stopped rolling. My whole fucking body hurt. I groaned, tugging my hand out from under Daniil as he shook his dark head against my shoulder. I managed to grab a handful of his hair, yanking his head back so I could look him in the eye, asking, “You all right?”
His cheek was bleeding, but otherwise, his face appeared fine. “I’m fine. You?” His hands started roving over me, yanking his head out of my grasp. “Is anything broken? Are you bleeding?” He stared at my stomach.
“No.” I slapped his hands away, s
itting up…on the roof of the limo. The couches were above us. The limo had landed upside down. Artur’s body was lying cock-eyed over my legs, and I poked him hard. “Artur! Wake up!” No one was kidnapping me again. No one.
He stirred, shaking his head, and I heard the driver cursing from where he hung upside down. Apparently, he had been wearing his seatbelt. Artur pushed up on his hands and knees just as the driver fell from his perch, holding a knife in his hands after cutting himself free—my knife. I was now weaponless.
I glanced toward the back of the limo, even as more gunfire erupted around us. Grigori was hovering over Ember, checking her pulse and breathing, then her wounds. She was out.
I crawled to a window and peered out, seeing men starting a slow trek through the woods where our limo had eventually landed between two old oak trees. “They’re coming.” My adrenaline started pumping again, and my aches and pains lovingly went away. I started yanking the bandages off my hands. I needed to be able to use a damn gun.
Daniil hit a button above me near the armrest of the couch. The window slowly rolled down. My one good eye widened as he pulled the pin on a grenade and chucked it as hard as he could, then rolled the window back up just as it fell between four men.
Boom!
Dirt and leaves and their bodies flew back, bits and pieces of their persons flying out from their bodies in different directions, hopefully killing the bastards instantly. I stared out the window as everyone conscious paused, grabbing their weapons to see what he had done. I muttered, “Four down.”
“Shitloads more to go,” Roman grumbled, lifting his weapons.
Grigori was ordering the driver to keep watch over Ember and keep checking her vitals as he started digging through a duffle. The driver pulled out two handguns he had on him, crawling, and placing himself protectively in front of Ember.
Daniil didn’t look at me, but he asked, “Are you coming with us, Beth?” He had moved from the bag, bending over typing onto the screen that had remained intact with our bodies slamming into it time and again when the limo went rolling as gunfire erupted on the hood, a sure sign that the gunship was still in action.
“Yes.” Fuck, yes, I was going. I’d had about enough of this shit.
“Just stay alive, my sweet.” I nodded once, and then he barked, “Everyone, move to the side.” He pressed a few more buttons.
We all crawled to the windows as the middle of the roof below us started sliding open, a hidden area within it now visible. I stared down at two handheld rocket launchers and another arsenal of machine guns I knew I wouldn’t be able to lift. Grigori started unlatching the straps around one of the rocket launchers as Roman did the same to another one. My brows lifted as Eva easily picked up one of the machine guns and moved to a window, rolling it down enough to get the barrel down as hordes of men started backing into the woods. Daniil had stalled them with the grenade, but they were moving again.
I covered my ears right before Eva opened fire on them. I watched through my window as five more were mowed down before the others ducked behind trees or retreated from the gunfire. It was so damn loud I couldn’t hear after that, even though I could tell Daniil and Grigori were yelling at one another, opening a door on the other side of the limo that wasn’t facing the group slowly trying to make their way to us.
With my hands now not bandaged, Daniil threw me a smaller machine gun and another handgun that I tucked under my expanded waistline. I put a hand up on the floor of the limo since I couldn’t hear, and when I felt the vibrations stop from the gunship firing, I rolled from the vehicle following Grigori and Daniil, as Roman provided a distraction for us to exit.
I landed behind a tree and stayed low, peering around it, watching in stunned shock as Daniil hopped on top (bottom) of the limo, in plain view of everyone, lifted the rocket launcher to his shoulder, got down on one knee—and he fired.
The rocket launched at an angle up through the air. I almost screamed from the explosion in the air that was loud enough to penetrate my ringing ears as it hit its mark. Grigori tossed Daniil the other one before leaning over the limo and lifting his machine gun and opening fire, providing protection for Daniil, who fired this one just as expertly and quickly. Another explosion from above and a whistling sounded as the gunship started to go down.
Daniil jumped off the car, pulling two grenades from his stash and tossing them at a group getting too close. He turned and yelled at me over the explosion that rocked the ground beneath me. I couldn’t hear him, but he twirled his fingers and jabbed a finger toward where the helicopter had gone down as he crouched behind the limo. He pulled two small handguns out of his waistline.
I nodded. He wanted me to make sure the assholes were dead in the copter. It was a safe job since they were more than likely dead. He was protecting me in his own way. I stayed low since I couldn’t hear if anyone was near, slowly making my way through the brush, rolling, and crouching behind trees where I could. It felt like it took forever, but I made my way toward where the copter had gone down, smelling burning metal the closer I got, my ears only barely recovering.
I stopped when the smell became overwhelming and tried to listen, but the only sound I could lightly make out was gunfire and grenade explosions in the distance where the firefight was happening. I breathed deeply, ready to start again when a man stumbled out from behind the tree I was hiding behind. He was bleeding from the head, and he looked dazed as he walked, his mouth moving as he said something over his shoulder that I could only barely hear but not make out.
My body froze, my heart stopping and then pounded against my chest as he stumbled over a limb, not watching where he was going, talking to the other man behind him that walked with a limp and a bloody arm that came around the tree. I lifted my weapon immediately, the second man seeing the movement and falling to the ground lifting his own gun.
And I froze. Completely froze.
My light machine gun hung limply down by my side, my one decent arm not lifting it to fire. I was tempted to lift my arm in the cast in front of my eyes.
I was such a coward. To talk about killing was one thing.
To do it was a whole other ballgame.
Roman was suddenly next to me. He peered down the sight of his gun and fired.
He shot the guy aiming at us first before changing course and killing the stunned and dazed man next right before he was able to get his gun from his holster.
I scooted behind a tree, my breathing ragged. I hadn’t seen anyone else, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone. My thoughts raced as I checked the terrain. No other movement. I kicked a rock far ahead of us. Nothing.
I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief, though. I kept my head in the moment, scoping out every angle as Roman and I jogged to the helicopter. It was still burning from the tail and stunk to high heaven, lying on its side, the ground tore up all around it. My ears finally picked up the crunching of grass and the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees. I ignored the heat of the flames coming at the gunship from behind.
Roman slowly climbed up its belly, staying in place there. Gradually, he peered up and over, into the open door after hearing no sounds. He shook his head, and stated, “There are only three seats inside, and one of them has a dead body in it still. I got the other two.”
I cleared my throat. “Thank you, Roman.”
He dropped to the ground. And winked. “You can say you got them.”
I instantly shook my head. “Nope.”
His gaze scanned my face, and then he nodded. “Your choice.”
We slowly made our way back to where the gunfire was dying down. I seriously hoped that was a good sign. Less gunfire could mean a greater amount of the opposition dead, or vice versa, a greater number of our numbers dead since we were completely outnumbered.
I stalled when I saw seven men creeping up behind where I had left the limo. It wasn’t in viewing distance yet, but we were very close. I tapped Roman’s shoulder and pointed silently.
H
e grinned. It was the smile of a killer.
Roman gently pushed me behind a tree for protection. He lay down on the grass, crawling on his belly into the closest brush. Daniil’s son made his way silently and pulled all of his guns out that he had on him, laying them on either side on his body. He first pointed the machine gun at them, following their movements. He waited until they were in a clear opening with no trees too close, and started from the right and opened fire, going left, aiming at crotch level just in case they decided to drop.
The three at the end did try that, and it didn’t work out so well for them. Four out of the seven were dead instantly—I knew that, but the first three were screaming where they lay on the ground. They started firing blindly at him. Roman picked up his handgun and aimed accurately, and fired three more shots right to the head, ending their agony and lives.
I felt no remorse for their loss of life, but I still didn’t think I could do that.
I had no clue how long we had been gone, but gripped my gun—the gun I hadn’t used.
We trekked back to the limo just as quietly and slowly as we had before. When we got there, diving behind the limo, there were only periodic shots being fired. I couldn’t see because gray smoke filled the air. No one was alive outside the limo, and I was grateful that none of the men were my group.
I called from right outside of one of the limos doors, staying out of gunshot path, thumping it with a quick fist, “It’s Elizabeth! Anybody in there?” The driver and Ember should have been inside still. The window rolled down just as the barrel of a gun poked out. I leaned back instantly, but the driver was smart enough not to fire. I asked in a hurry, “You two still all right?”
He responded just as quickly, “We’re fine. Ms. Lerrus is still unconscious.”
I nodded. “Roll the window back up.” He did, and I pivoted, pulling my shirt up over my nose and mouth, peering around the back end of the limo to where I heard the periodic shots. The smoke made my eyes burn, and I coughed, but it was slowly starting to rise away in the increasing breeze, giving me a view of the carnage littering the ground.
Obsidian Music (Lion Security Book 3) Page 5
