ANDREI
“Gun down,” Igor commands, narrowing his eyes at me in a warning. I notice how the other man’s grip tightens on Vera as his boss speaks.
My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might burst out of my chest as I stare at Vera being held by a man with a knife to her throat. One move and he can cut her open, ending her life before I can so much as make it within ten feet of her.
The blood trickling down her neck makes me mad with rage. Seeing anyone else touch her makes me insane, let alone, hurt her.
For the first time since we met, she’s scared. I can detect it in her beautiful emerald eyes, and the way her nostrils are flaring. It’s her expression that makes my decision easy.
I kneel and set my gun on the floor, holding my hands out in universal surrender. “Let her go, Igor.” I hold my hands up. “This is between you and me, not her.”
“Give her to me,” he commands, grabbing Vera from his man and passing the gun into his hand. I wince as he brings the knife back to her throat, digging it in ever more. A rivulet of blood trickles down her neck and onto her chest. The uncontrollable beast inside of me roars. I never let go of my control, but this man is hurting the woman I love.
“This has everything to do with her,” he snarls. “She was supposed to kill you for me. Instead, she’s turned into your fucking whore.”
I grit my teeth, hating that he is disrespecting the woman I love. This man is the lowest of the low. A man who killed his own flesh and blood. He won’t hesitate repeating that again, and I know the severity of the situation we’re in right now.
The only thing up my sleeve is a knife. I’ve always been good at knife throwing-the best in North America. However, the pressure of the situation is different to anything I’ve encountered before. The risk of getting it wrong, too great. “What do you want?” I ask, attempting to stall. Even though I know what he wants.
“I’m here for blood, Andrei.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What have I done to you?”
He loosens his grip on Vera. “Nothing, I just want to expand and take control here in America. You hold the most power here and have done for a long while.” He shrugs. “It’s not personal.”
“Why would you want to kill your own niece?”
He tightens his grip on her again, digging the serrated blade into her skin. I wince at the sight of more blood dripping down her pale neck. “She’s no longer needed and didn’t even do as she was supposed to.” He shakes his head. “All the years of training and planning, and she fucked it all up,” he spits.
“If you let her go, I’ll come willingly.”
HE BARKS OUT A LAUGH. “Bullshit. If I let her go, you will fight me until I’m dead.” He shakes his head. “I’m not stupid Andrei. You’ve got age on your side.”
I realize at this point there is no reasoning with him. “What are you going to do then?”
He flicks his eyes between Vera and me. “I want you to come forward and kneel with your hands behind your back. Then, my man will tie your hands.”
I glare at him for a moment, before switching my attention to Vera. Her eyes are wide and begging. I know she doesn’t want me to do as he says, but I can’t stand by while he kills her. With a nod, I step forward toward them.
“Turn around,” he barks, setting my teeth on edge. I follow no one’s commands, but I’ve got no fucking choice right now. It goes against my nature to turn around.
“Fillip, tie him up with this,” he says, chucking him a rope.
A flutter of hope ignites in my chest as I slip the knife up my sleeve closer to my wrist. If I can take out this man and get his gun, then we’ve got a chance.
His rough hands grab at my shoulders hard and with a flick of my wrist, I let the knife drop into my hand. It takes him by surprise as I push the knife deep into his heart, killing him with one blow.
“Fuck,” Igor shouts, as I grab the gun and aim at his head.
His eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t risk hitting her, would you?” He gets Vera even further in front of him.
“I’ve never missed before,” I say, staring him out.
He is right. It’s too fucking close and although I’m a great shot, I don’t want to risk him moving her at the last second.
“She will be dead before the bullet makes it to me,” Igor says.
He can slice her open quicker than the bullet will meet its mark. We stand in a deadlock. It feels like hours tick by as I wait. “What now?” I ask, breaking the silence.
“I’m not giving her up,” he growls.
“You let her go and we fight man to man, fist to fist.”
He laughs. “Andrei, you can be beat me in a fist fight. I’m not stupid.”
Cold dread slices through me, as I try to move closer out of sheer desperation. “Not another fucking step.”
Vera whimpers, as he tightens the knife to her skin, cutting her even deeper.
I hold my free hand up. “Okay, don’t hurt her.”
“Why would you do this to me, uncle?” She asks.
He grabs hold of her throat and turns her to face him, keeping the knife pressed to her chest.
“My brother always had the perfect fucking family and was always the perfect fucking son. When he became pakhan of the brotherhood after our father died, I hated him.” Vera keeps her hands behind her back, twisting something in her palm. “I hated all of you. Ivan and his perfect little family. I knew you were the weakest and would help me end Andrei.” He shakes his head. “Looks like I was wrong about that because you can’t keep your fucking clothes on.”
“MY FATHER LOVED you and so did my mother.” She shakes her head. “You’re pathetic.”
I watch as Vera’s hand swipes across him and realize at that point she has the razor from the bathroom in her hand. She cuts him across the face, forcing him to let go of her long enough for her to make a break from him.
Igor staggers back in shock. “Bitch,” he spits, grabbing the knife he had been holding from the floor and rushing after her.
She dashes away from him, as he slashes the large serrated knife through the air. I cock the gun and shoot, aiming at him. To my horror, the gun isn’t even fucking loaded.
Vera dashes toward an exit, as Igor trails behind her with crazed eyes, wielding his blade.
She’s only got a razor and there’s a nutcase chasing after her. I follow them in a sprint, desperate to save her from him.
I need to get her to her, before he catches her. Vera is agile, but Igor is stronger than her. He can overpower her. As I dash out of the dining hall and into the main entrance, a scream sends my heart into my throat.
Vera.
I could lose everything in a matter of seconds. The fear of losing her makes me crazy. The moment I rush into the main hall, my body tenses. Igor is looming over her with his knife pressed to her throat.
I dash toward him, too far away to stop the inevitable. Igor notices me and smirks. It ignites a fury inside of me so great, as I speed up toward him.
While I distract him, Vera kicks him in the gut, forcing him backward into the wall. He falls over and I know we’ve got him now.
The pride flooding me at her strength hits me in the chest, warming me. I grab hold of Igor’s shirt and pull him to his feet. Rage has grabbed hold of me and is in the driving seat now. Everything this man has done to me hitting me all at once.
I slam my fist into his face so hard I hear his nose crack. A river of blood flooding from it onto his lip. I punch him again, bloodying his face.
With a huge amount of force, I smash him into the ground, placing my foot on his throat and choking him. “I have one question before you die,” I growl.
“What?” he spits a mouthful of blood out.
“Did you blow my father up?” I ask, holding a breath as I wait for a reply.
He smirks at me, making me sick to my stomach. “Yes, this plan has been in place for three years. We didn’t expect a thirty-year-old man to step up to the plate and take charge.” He tries to break from my grip, but I hold fast. “We expected you to be dead within a year, but you stepped up and took charge.”
I’ve had enough of this bastard. He opens his mouth to speak, again. My vision blurs red, as I slam my boot into his jaw, cracking it in two. Igor’s face goes limp and eyes blur with pain.
Blood paints my fists as I grab his collar again and bring my hand back to hit him. The need to make him hurt as much as he hurt me and Vera driving me.
My father was all I had in this world and he took him from me. When I saw him hurt my Vera, it was the last fucking straw.
A small, soft hand closes around mine and my reaction is to bring my fist back to punch. Vera doesn’t flinch, staring at me with a steely gaze. “Let me finish him,” she says.
I shake my head, knowing what it would do to her if she takes the plunge today and kills a man. Despite the rage she feels that he killed her family, it would rip her apart to kill a man. “You’ve never killed before, don’t start now.”
Her jaw clenches and the fire in her eyes only deepens. “I need this, Andrei.”
I swallow hard and glance back at the bloodied excuse of a man in front of me. He killed my father too. It’s only fair that we end him together. “Together?” I ask.
She gives me a weak smile and nods. “Together.”
I watch her as she kneels to grab Igor’s blade from the floor and holds it up above his heart.
His eyes are wide and fearful but he can’t beg for his life because I’ve broken his jaw. He tries to move it but can’t. I kneel beside her and wrap my hand around hers. “On three. One, two, three.” We both thrust together, driving the knife deep into our tormentor’s heart.
Blood bubbles up into his mouth, spilling down the side of his chin as he falls into a crumbled heap on the floor.
A gunshot rings out and in a split second, I see it traveling toward Vera. I block her with my body, wrapping my arms around her as the bullet hits me square in the back.
We fall to the floor, coated in Igor’s and my own blood. Vera cries my name, “Andrei.” She remains above me, gripping my face in her hands.
“Stay with me.”
I can’t register what she’s saying. All I know she is stunning. Another shot has me tensing, bringing me back to the present.
To my relief, Lyov has shot dead the man who shot me. I relax. as Roman comes rushing into the room behind him. It’s about time some of my men helped us out. Alexi comes dashing down behind him with a gun in his hand too. They’re all bloodied and bruised, no doubt ambushed by Igor’s men.
Vera is safe, and that’s all that matters. I return my gaze to her tear-stained face. “Don’t cry. Everything is okay.”
She swallows hard. “You’re not okay.”
“Don’t worry, Printsessa, I will be fine.”
She shakes her head. “You’ve been shot,” she says, holding her hand over the wound tightly.
“Roman will get me up and running in no time.”
Alexi approaches us and kneels the other side of me, smiling at Vera. “He will be fine. Roman is the best doctor I know.”
“He’s the only doctor you know, Alexi,” Lyov says
“Touche.”
Lyov approaches. “Let’s try to get him to his feet.”
Alexi gets one side of me and Lyov on the other, helping me up. My head swims, but I can walk. Vera slides to my side, wrapping an arm around me and trying to help.
“Thanks, Lyov. If it wasn’t for you, we’d both be dead.”
He gives me a nod. “It was nothing, sir.”
“Vera, this is Lyov, one of my spies,” I say, introducing them.
“Nice to meet you,” she says.
He grunts and nods, eyes narrow.
“Vera is the daughter of Ivan Popov, and I’m not comfortable keeping her as a slave anymore. She will be a guest of mine for now,” I announce.
Vera glances up at me with wide eyes. “Why would you release me when you paid so much?”
Alexi steps forward, placing a hand on my back. “Because he has a heart of gold that he doesn’t want anyone to know about, that’s why.”
I glance at Lyov who is lingering. “Don’t worry, boss. I’ve known it for years,” he says.
Roman approaches. “Sir, we need to get you back and into the operating theater as soon as possible.”
Vera reluctantly let’s go of me, as Lyov gets on one side and Alexi on my other. “Roman, walk with Vera,” I instruct.
“Sir,” he bows his head, and we make our way out of the building.
The police will have been called, but they won’t stop us. They eye us as we step out onto the pavement and walk toward the SUV. It will be put down to a random shooting and nothing of the truth will be revealed in the press.
They will register the infiltrators as Igor and his men, which at least is the truth for once. I wince as my men help me into the back of the SUV. Vera slides in on the other side and sits closer to me, pressing a hand against my forehead. “You’re burning up,” she murmurs.
“It may have something to do with your hands on me,” I mutter.
She shakes her head, a whisper of a smile playing at her lips. She doesn’t smile often, but when she does, it lights up my day and thaws out my heart.
I hope to make her smile every single day from now on. I slip my right hand behind her neck and pull her lips to mine, kissing her. “My Vera,” I breathe against her lips.
She moans against my mouth, “Yours.”
Hearing her tell me she’s mine reaffirms everything. We made for each other. Two broken people finding each other in the weirdest of ways. It’s laughable how fate has a way of screwing with you.