Now that the moment of reckoning is so close, I don't know how to feel about everything. I am especially wary about hoping to find Katya alive. Because she is, she might be just a shell of a human.
After we'd gotten Meester to cooperate, we'd put together a plan of attack, and both Enzo and Marcello had volunteered some of their best men. I'd given them a rundown of Miles' experiment, especially the tests he'd put us through as children. Anyone reared on those terms is bound to become a deadly motherfucker—if they are lucky enough to reach maturity. And so we'd chosen the men with the most experience in hand-to-hand combat and shooting.
The plan is rather simple.
Taking Meester's boat to reach the island, we've stashed some of the best soldiers on board. The minute we get to the island, the first task is to take out the coast guard and ensure that the port is clear. Then, a few other boats will come in to help with the evacuation.
From what I'd seen on the drone footage, the entire hospital is occupied, so we'll need enough space to take everyone to safety.
Then, after everyone's been evacuated from the premises, we'll raid the basement.
Sisi had brought up a good idea that the evacuation should be organic and not hostile, because the moment we start moving that many people out of the hospital and enforcements are sent from the basement, everyone will be caught in the crossfire.
Instead, she'd suggested that the two of us go inside disguised as hospital personnel and sound the fire alarm, guiding everyone towards an exit where Enzo's men will pick them up and lead them towards the port.
Then we'd have the freedom to move around as we tackle the basement situation.
"There's something eating at you," she shrewdly notes, leaning back to study me.
I take a deep breath. Nothing ever escapes her.
"After so many years, revenge is so close I can almost taste it. But what about after?"
In my original plans, I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't planned on living much longer after fulfilling my promises. It had all been a matter of keeping my word to my sisters and then...
I'd never had anything to look forward to, and with my lonely existence, there wasn't much to keep my attention.
Now, thinking of being free from my vow, and with everything behind me... I feel lost.
"We'll deal with it when the time comes," she replies, taking my face in her hands and urging me look her in the eyes. "But I'm here. I'll always be here. And together we'll get through everything."
"You're right," I bring her knuckles to my lips, laying a kiss on each one. "We'll take it a day at a time."
Her lips stretch into a blinding smile, the type that always has the power to leave me breathless. Especially as she's dressed in one of those black latex suits she'd had custom made, weapons sheathed all around her body.
I curl my fingers through the hoops that hold her belt in place, dragging her into me.
"Did you see the way Marcello's eyes were shooting daggers at me when he saw what you were wearing?"
"He thinks you've brainwashed me somehow," she chuckles, "he even took me aside to ask me if we're on any drugs."
"Damn Bianca and her big mouth," I groan. "Now I don't only seem like a dysfunctional killer. But a doped up dysfunctional killer. Just what I needed," I mutter under my breath..
"Don't worry," she smirks conspiratorially, "I told him that you've given me a strong cocktail of serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine. He shut up."
I blink twice and before I know it a smile spreads on my face.
"Hell girl," I drawl, pride swelling in my chest. "that's the best thing I've ever heard. I think I'm in love," I whistle, winking at her.
It seems that my sense of humor has been rubbing off her.
"He might have been on to something, though," she raises an eyebrow, "since we are getting high," she leans in to whisper, "on each other."
"Sisi," I place my hands on her shoulders, lifting her off the ground and firmly placing her away from me. "We're going to war, yet when you speak to me in that husky voice of yours all I can see is you, me, and a bed."
"I thought a bed wasn't necessary," she retorts, and I close my eyes.
My nostrils flared, I'm having the worst time controlling myself as I look at her enticing curves and the way every sinuous move is a fucking work of art. Even as she lifts a finger to tug a stray strand of hair back in her updo, I can't help the way my cock twitches.
Or the way my heart beats loudly in my chest, my veins throbbing with unreleased pressure.
Goddamn.
This woman is going to be the death of me.
The hidden smile on her face tells me that she knows exactly how she affects me, and she's capitalizing on it full force. If it weren't for the circumstances we currently find ourselves in, I wouldn't waste a second to show her that a bed isn't at all necessary—the deck would do just fine.
But as the island comes into view, the moment we've been waiting for fast approaching, she quickly sobers up.
Meeting with everyone on deck, we quickly go over the plan again, delegating tasks. Enzo and his wife are in charge of getting everyone off the island, while Bianca, Adrian and Marcello are our back-up for after we evacuate the hospital.
Their men are also on standby awaiting orders.
After we do another check of the equipment, making sure all communication devices are working, we are ready to go.
As the boat moors into the port, Enzo releases Meester from his restrains, going to talk to the coast guard.
We all wait in the back until we get the signal to proceed.
As soon as we are on solid ground, a small fight ensues. There are maybe five coast guards in total, and it takes me and another man just as many minutes to dispatch them before they can ring the alarm.
Phase one done.
A few men take the clothes off the coast guards and resume their spots at the control station, ready to receive the other boats coming to the island.
Before we leave though, I make sure I give Meester his due. One cut across his stomach and I order everyone to let him bleed out before dumping him in the water. It's what traitors deserve after all. And I don't think Meester has ever been loyal to anyone in his life.
Live as a traitor, die as a traitor.
Besides, he's outlived his use. And while he does deserve a more drawn-out death for everything he's tried against me and Sisi, there's no time to dwell on particularities at the moment.
I have one purpose.
Get to Miles.
The way clear, Sisi and I head to the hospital, the others following quietly behind and waiting for further instructions.
"From afar this looks abandoned." Sisi mentions as we reach the service entrance. Avoiding any security camera, I take out some tools from my pocket, working on the lock.
"It's the smartest location to do this unbothered," I tell her, placing the tension wrench inside the lock, "no civilians would trespass, and no one would think anything amiss is taking place because it's federal ground."
The door gives way with a click, and Sisi gives me a dreamy smile, walking inside with me following after her.
We enter the laundry area, and turning to me, Sisi assures me she's got this. A smile playing on my lips, I nod to her, urging her to go on.
Although there isn't a moment that I don't worry about her safety, I also trust her skills and know she can take care of herself. And I know that by smothering her with my overprotectiveness, I would just be stifling her potential. I'd meant what I told her before. I want her to be strong on her own and not depend on anyone. Because I fear there may come a time when she'll have to be strong for me too.
While I wait in one of the rooms, she goes out, catching the eye of one of the nurses.
"What are you doing here? You're not allowed to be here." The woman calls out to Sisi, her foreign accent unmistakable.
One loud noise and the door opens with Sisi dragging the woman inside.
"You're getting awful
ly good at knocking people out." I note, amused, while she's taking the nurse's clothes and putting them on.
"It's fun." She shrugs, winking at me.
Once her outfit is in place, she goes out again, this time luring one of the doctors to the laundry room.
In no time, I'm dressed as a doctor and we are both out in the hallways of the hospital.
There are multiple levels to the building, but as we pass by open rooms, all full of people, the picture starts to become grimmer.
"Dear Lord," Sisi whispers as she stops in the doorway of one room. Turning my head to see what she's looking at, I realize the room can't be more than a hundred square feet but it has around six children, crowded in bunk beds, all hooked to IVs.
"How are we going to evacuate them?" she asks, pointing to their conditions, "I don't think they are fit to walk, let alone run if there's a fire alarm."
My lips stretch in a thin line as I consider the possibilities. Raising a finger to my comm, I contact Enzo, letting him know the plan might not go as smoothly.
"We'll send people in to get the ones who can't move freely," he replies, and we hash out a new plan.
Instead of ringing the alarm right away, Sisi and I do some rounds on all levels, cataloguing who might need assistance and who can move on their own.
What we're seeing is dire, though, and Sisi is getting increasingly more affected as she sees more and more children on their little beds, barely able to move because they might bust their stitches.
"God, Vlad," she whispers, "that could have been me. That could have been any of us."
My hand on her shoulder, I give her a quick squeeze.
"There's nothing we can do now except get them away from here," I tell her.
"I know," she sighs, writing down the last of the room numbers that might need assistance.
With that done, we ring the fire alarm, watching as people start running around, a chaotic mess quickly forming in the hospital.
"We can't linger," I tug her to me as she continues to look at the sick children with sadness in her eyes.
"I know," she eventually acquiesces, but I can see the change in her demeanor.
"I wish I could make them suffer so bad," her voice is barely above a whisper, her hands balled into fists. There's a new conviction in her eyes, and the fact that this upset her has me seeing red.
"Oh, but I will, hell girl," I take her hand, unfurling her fist and massaging it slowly, "I'll make sure they rue the day they were born. And you," I lift her fingers to my lips, "will have a front row to witness their agony."
Chapter Thirty-Four
"Everyone should be out by now." I mention as I kick open a door leading to the basement.
As we'd looked through the building, I'd also found an old blueprint of it. While I can assume that the underground level's been built much later than the building plan, I'd found a door that leads directly there.
"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" She asks as she takes off her nurse outfit, dumping it on the ground. I do the same with my white doctor's coat, the extra clothing only impeding our movements. And we'll need all the freedom to move.
"They'll come. Eventually." I add drily.
There's this anxiousness building inside of me, every step I take making me imagine the moment I'll finally confront Miles for everything he's done to us.
Vanya.
Not for the first time, I wish she were still here. I wish she could see me making Miles pay for what he did to her, and for all the suffering he put us both through.
More than anything, I wish she could see me keep my promise.
I won't fail you, V.
Decades of preparation, and it was all for this moment.
Holding tightly on to Sisi, I lead us down a windy path to a cellar-like space. Cobwebs everywhere, it's clear this particular entrance has not been used in a long time.
"The others are in the building." Sisi nods at me just as we reach a long corridor.
"Stay close to me," I tell her, my eyes already scouting the area.
Taking a deep breath, I let myself scan my surroundings, all my senses ready to pick up any signal.
There's an eerie silence, the only noise our steps as we carefully move forward.
Sisi scrunches her nose in disgust when we reach a particular area where the stench of old cellar is too much.
I tighten my hand on hers, letting her know she should be on guard. According to the plans we'd looked at, this tunnel should lead somewhere. But the destination hadn't been recorded on the blueprint, likely because it was built much later. I could wager a guess, though, as to where this leads.
I still, placing my hand up for Sisi to stop too. Raising a finger to my lips I motion for her to be silent and listen to the noise.
It's very faint, but as I close my eyes and hone in on it, I can almost make out the sound of footsteps.
One. Two. Five.
My hand up, I use my fingers to indicate how many people are heading our way. She nods at me, a grim expression on her face that slowly gives way to excitement.
I should know, since it emulates my own very well.
I guess that until our reinforcements arrive we'll have time for one tiny play.
Stretching my arm out to her as if I'm inviting her to waltz, I wink at her, and she knows exactly what to do.
She fakes a curtsey as she lowers her hands to her feet, getting her shoes ready for fight. Her entire outfit's been custom made for one purpose: to suit our style.
And we'd had enough time practicing to develop a very particular style. Especially as my stretched out hand tightens over hers, tugging her into me with a whirl.
"Ready for the showdown, hell girl?" I ask, amused.
I don't know how prepared the men coming our way are going to be, but I have no doubt that they are no match for us together.
Her lips curl around the corners as she bats her lashes at me, her arm coming to rest around my shoulder.
"You don't have to ask twice," she purrs slowly.
I may have taught her how to fight and hold her own, but we'd also trained so we could complement each other in a fight. Inspired by the first time we'd faced those men in the restaurant, we'd practiced for hours until our bodies became in sync—not that they weren't already.
There's something about the way we communicate. Half the time words are obsolete as one glance says everything.
The sounds of boots hitting the floor becomes louder and louder until the five men I'd counted appear in sight, weapons raised and aiming at us.
"You know it might hurt, right?" I drawl as I trail my hand down her back, where her latex suit is covering bulletproof equipment.
"You can kiss it better later," she murmurs.
My lips are already on hers, the corner of my eye studying the movements of the men as they charge and...
I spin her around to a silent tune, the only noise the bullets whizzing past us as we move in synch, avoiding most incoming shots while closing the distance between us and the men.
It's a waltz of death as Sisi and I glide on the floor, every step taking us closer to our targets.
And just as I see that we're in the right spot, I spread my hands over her waist, raising her up in the air.
The men seem completely baffled by our display, and they're not even trying to aim at us any more, bullets flying haphazardly in all directions as one barks some orders at the others to focus.
It's in vain, though, as their eyes are stuck on Sisi's sinful shape as she twirls in the air. Almost mesmerized, they don't even see the knives as they shoot out of her hands and land in their chests.
The leader of the unit screams some commands as two men go down, the others immediately entering a different formation as they surround us.
"Ready?" I ask, smirking.
"Let's do this," she says, her hands firmly on my shoulders as I swoop her in the air, her legs stretched out, the blades at the tip of her shoes extended out. Spinning her around, I giv
e her enough momentum to coordinate the attack, her blades nipping two men right at their jugulars, blood immediately gushing out.
"One more behind me, hell girl," I whisper, lifting her high before lowering her to the ground and pushing her backwards. She glides on the ground between my legs, and bracing herself on her elbows, she sends her foot right in the last man's face, the blade making contact with the area under his chin.
Finger on the trigger, he manages one last shot before he drops dead.
"Well," I dust my suit, opening up my shirt to remove the bullet stuck in my bulletproof vest. "I'd say that went well."
She's smiling widely at me.
"That was rather easy," she replies when I help her up.
"And sexy as fuck." I whistle, my eyes roving appreciatively over her figure.
Even if the men hadn't aimed their guns at us or meant to kill us, they would have still ended up dead because they'd been a little too generous with their gazes.
Taking back our weapons from the fallen men, we're ready to move on.
"I have to say, those were not what I expected," she notes as we continue walking, "we didn't even have to try. And I'm a beginner," she adds, almost outraged by their performance.
"I'm guessing someone's simply playing with us," I say as I narrow my eyes at the exit of the tunnel.
And so it seems, because as soon as we're out of the old tunnels, we find ourselves in the middle of some weird intermediary chamber, two men and one woman waiting at the exit.
"What is this, the hunger games?" I groan as I realize it's just a game. Likely Miles is watching us even now, having fun at our expense.
"I'll get the girl, you get the guys," Sisi nods at me, her fight stance in place as her attention is focused on the girl.
Wielding a long chain, Sisi's opponent doesn't look to be older than eighteen. But what immediately strikes me is her gaze—it's blank.
"Sisi," I call out, my voice tense. "Please be careful. She's not normal."
I quickly scan my own opponents, noting the same glazed eyes—emotionless.
I need to finish with them as quickly as possible, because if these are part of the experiment, then chances are that they are anything but ordinary.
Morally Ambiguous: A Dark Mafia Romance (Morally Questionable Book 4) Page 70
