10. Mikhail

Chapter 10

Mikhail

Carrying Katya's body has to be the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever done in my life. I can't believe I'm the one stuck with the dead bitch. Out of everyone in the room, fuckface had to pick me to haul her ass out of there. I had half a mind to laugh in his face and put a hole in his head right fucking there.

That would have been satisfying as hell.

Instead, I got to watch the ice queen choke on her own spit and face-plant on her dinner plate. What a fucking joke.

I grind my teeth as I haul her dead ass down the hall. She deserves worse than she got.

The other guards give me a wide berth as I walk by them, like they're scared to be near a body. It's not like she's gonna jump out and bite them. All these bitches are pansies. None of them would survive a week on our side of the Bratva if they're this green.

Still, I understand the aversion to this corpse in particular, one thousand percent. The bitch is nasty, with bloodshot eyes damn near popping out of their sockets and a stank red froth dribbling down her chin.

A wave of nausea rolls down my spine, and I have to swallow a gag. Bodies are disgusting. There's a reason I don't handle clean-up—I'm no good with decaying bits and stiff limbs. I pay others to do the dirty work for me. Always have, always will.

If this were my rescue mission, I'd toss the bitch onto someone else, run back to the dinner party, snatch Valentina's fine ass out of Liam's lap, and get the hell out of Dodge.

Valentina shouldn't be forced to stay in that room after witnessing her grandmother's death. Everyone talks about the murder weapon being the big bad thing that causes nightmares, but no one talks about the murder scene. The day I shot my dad, I walked out of that bedroom and never went back. To this day, I haven't stepped foot in that house. I wouldn't be surprised if Valentina took one look at the Baranova dining room back home and backpedaled the hell out of there.

It's hard to watch those we think we love die, and even harder to stay in the room once they've passed. The look on Valentina's face when Katya took her final breaths . . .

I run a hand down my face, but I can't get the image out of my head.

Her grandmother deserved worse, but Valentina deserved better.

That bastard is going to pay .

A growl rumbles in my throat as I turn the next corner. What the fuck am I supposed to do with Katya? "Hey," I call out, jerking my chin towards another guard. "Where do I put her?"

I'm already agitated as fuck, but the tone from this man—"The furnace is in the basement, dipshit. Fucking pay attention next time—" about sends me over the edge. I'm glad I can't see his face behind the mask because then I'd have to do something about it later.

I'm really fucking stab-happy right now, but I'm saving it for the blonde bastard who made our woman fucking cry.

She better have counted every single fucking tear over the past week, because Liam's getting a jab of the knife for each fucking one. If I have to stab the bastard ninety-nine times, so be it. Even better if Valentina's right there with me, hand in mine as we slide the knife through his flesh over and over and over again.

One hundred cuts or a thousand—it will never be enough. Not really. But I'll do what it takes to give our girl closure.

I glare at tone-boy as I walk past. If this house is a replica of our estate, then the basement is three doors down. I pick up the pace. Can't wait to send Katya on an express ticket to hell and wave as her paper-thin snakeskin burns to a fucking crisp.

As I jostle her body to pull open the basement door, gunfire echoes down the hall. I snap my head in its direction, but the other guards around me are quicker to react. They jump into action, barreling towards the sound, guns raised, as they move in one unit.

A small army is headed Andrei's direction, and I'm fucking here.

I take one last glance at Katya before tossing her body down the stairs. She's rail-thin, but she still causes a racket as she tumbles. I know I'm supposed to respect the dead and all, but fuck her.

"Ezra," I growl into my comms, "where's the fucking signal? Are we clear?" I run after the other guards, lifting my own gun as I mirror their movements. I can't take down six armed men on my own. I could try , but the armor will prove a problem on its own, and once they realize I'm shooting at them and not the ghost over their shoulder, they'll turn on me.

I'm not dying without ensuring Valentina's way the fuck out of here first.

Ezra's voice is clear enough that I glance behind me to make sure he's not standing there brooding. "We are not clear," he grunts, more gunfire popping through my earpiece as his team accelerates their plans. We no longer have the element of surprise. Time is of the essence. "Where are Andrei and Thanatos?"

"With Valentina." Both men can hear our conversation, but the fact that neither of them are responding makes my stomach churn.

"I will secure exit. You will bring lisichka out back door."

"On it." Reaching into a pack attached to my belt, I pull out a flashbang. I hate the fucking things, but it beats stepping over a dismembered arm or bloodied leg to get to our girl. This way, I can run through the fuckers and get to her first.

I lob the thing right in the middle of the six guards and turn away as it goes off. The men who notice it incoming either drop to the ground or jump out of the way in the nick of time. The explosion rattles the walls and breaks a vase, knocking a few men senseless enough that they crumple to the ground.

Brute force isn't my strength, but agility is. I run over the motherfuckers and put a pair of bullets in each of their chests. The good news is that whoever bought this gear is a fucking idiot, because they didn't get the good stuff. It's not bulletproof in the slightest and only meant to ward off stray bricks and bottles lobbed by angry protesters and the like. The other good news is that these guards aren't all trained for close-quarters combat, so it's easy to kick their guns away and put a bullet in their guts.

Huh. I guess there is no bad news.

"Andrei, what's going on?" I catch the mayor of Harlin Heights running towards me, and I swing out my arm to clothesline the bastard. He chokes, such a pretty sound , and gives me an outraged look, eyes wide as he cradles a purpling nose.

Andrei sure does have a thing for breaking noses.

"Do you know who I am—" He spits blood on my mask— gross —so I kick him into the wall and tear the thing off. Fresh air is a godsend, catching on the sweat dripping down the side of my face. "Mr. Mayor," I greet with a sharp grin, "you never told me you had a hard-on for the mafia. We could have inducted you years ago. Given you a proper—" I slam the heel of my boot into his knee—"welcome."

He screams and folds to the floor like folded paper, dramatic and useless.

"But I think you've got a one-way ticket to hell. Send Katya my regards." I bury my pistol in his forehead and enjoy the flash of fear in his eyes as he realizes he chose the wrong side.

Too little, too late.

The bang barely registers over the chaos erupting around me. Thankfully, I don't have to clean up that mess, so I keep moving, using the downed guards as cushy stepping stones to put a little bounce in my step. I reload before hitting the next hallway.

The dining room is empty, but there's blood on the walls. If Andrei's with Valentina, he might be busy, but Thanatos should prioritize answering over anything else.

"Hey, Than, where's the party?" I duck as someone shoots at me and cup my ear to hear his reply.

Outside.

Ah, so they've been moving quicker than I thought. Valentina must already be on her way past the gates to freedom.

Well, freedom in the form of an armored Hummer waiting for us at the street.

Most guards don't realize I'm not part of their outfit, so I snag an AK from a body and empty a magazine in the unsuspecting fuckers. Normally, I wouldn't kill so indiscriminately, but we're on a time crunch, and I find that after seven long, anxiety-ridden days of stress and zero sleep, the fucks I have to give are infinitesimal.

I run into a handful of Ezra's men on the way out back, and we pick off the stragglers. Within ten minutes, our part of the house is littered with bodies and not much else. A few of our men get shot, but unlike our enemies, they have bulletproof vests underneath their gear.

We don't waste lives by going cheap.

Andrei's voice clips through the comms, but he's not talking to me, or Ezra, or Thanatos. He's talking to Valentina, and getting louder by the second. No, wait —he grunts like he's balls deep inside her sticky sweet heat, and then he growls out a you're mine , and I roll my eyes.

Yeah, they're fucking.

"You son of a bitch—" I hiss, slamming my fist against a wall. "She's supposed to be mine next?—"

"Now is not time," Ezra barks, and I hear a distinct click, which means that one of them has cut off their comms.

The bastard's fucking tuning us out while he rails our girl.

"Fucking bastard ," I growl, pulling out my phone. We installed trackers on each other's phones years ago, and I ping Andrei's location with a few quick taps. He's not outside , the fucker; he's distracted by the promise of pussy, hidden way the fuck inside the house. He's probably balls deep inside her right this second. "Motherfucker."

But if he's fucking Valentina, that means they must be celebrating Liam's demise. Good riddance. The world's already a better place without him.

I follow Andrei's location deeper into the house and come across a random set of doors. The ping isn't exact, and it takes me a few tries to find a locked room. I bang my fist against it when the handle won't turn. "Hey! We don't have time for this?—"

Something scrapes across the floor inside the room, and the door suddenly opens. Valentina's bright green eyes widen once she sees me, and then she's lunging straight for me. "Mikhail!" She wraps her arms tight around my waist before I can hold her off, and one millisecond later, she's smushing her face against my bloodied chest plate, completely oblivious to the sticky, wet smudge on her cheek or insane for not caring in the slightest.

All at once, my ribs are on the verge of collapsing. It takes effort to draw in breath, so once I have one, I hold it. Valentina squeezes me as tight as she can, but the bulletproof vest absorbs most of her strength. This weight in my lungs, the painful flicker in my heart—it isn't because she's hurting me. It's because she's finally safe.

I exhale heavily over the top of her head and meet Andrei's eyes, giving him the dirtiest fucking glare. He should not have prioritized a quickie over safely extracting her from this godforsaken place.

But now she's here, in my arms. I'll keep her fucking safe.

A wave of warmth washes over me, and I shutter in a breath. "I've got you, malyshka. I'm never letting you out of my sight again." I cup her face in my hands and gently wipe away the blood staining her cheek. Her huge, doe eyes glitter like ripples of sunlight across an emerald lake, stealing whatever's left of my heart that doesn't already belong to her. I lift her on her tiptoes to kiss her deep, groaning as every scattered piece of my heart slots into place now that she's where she belongs.

Valentina tastes like the last ray of sunlight before night falls—a gift from today, and a promise for tomorrow. I swipe my tongue into her mouth, eager for more of her warmth.

It doesn't matter that Andrei got the first taste tonight—this moment, wrapped in each other's arms, is all for me. She ran to me . After years of keeping women at arm's length, that's not a welcome I'm used to.

It's not one I'll ever forget.

"I'm so proud of you," I murmur against her lips, drawing one between my teeth. "Such a good girl, coming back to us." I'd feared she might flee the city and make a run for her old life, but the hickey staining her neck and the distinct swelling to her very-kissed lips begs otherwise.

She's just as addicted to us as we are to her.

"We need to leave," Andrei interrupts rudely , snagging Valentina around the waist and pulling her from me. I scowl at my pakhan , but then Valentina reaches out and holds my hand.

It's not holding the woman of my dreams naked in my arms, but it's oddly . . . sweet. Especially when she holds on tight. I bring her hand to my lips and flick my tongue between her fingers, enjoying the way her cheeks flush a pretty pink, just for me.

I'm going to devour this woman the first chance I get.

Andrei turns his comms back on while I enjoy the flicker of desire in our woman's eyes. "Ezra, you ready?"

It's Thanatos who answers, the words heavy on his tongue. If I didn't know better, I'd say he just woke up from one hell of a catnap. His words slur, making him hard to read. All I can make out is Liam and problem.

Andrei's mask shifts back into place as he neutralizes his expression. "Where is he?"

"The bastard's not dead yet?" I crowd closer to Valentina, caging her between Andrei and me. Lifting my gun, I keep it at the ready and swivel my head to take in our surroundings.

A hallway isn't exactly what I'd call safe .

Valentina peers up at me, and I have to fight not to meet her gaze. "I stabbed him, just like you taught me."

A heated shiver rolls down my spine, and I have to shut my eyes. It's the worst fucking time, in the worst fucking place, but if I look at Valentina right now, if I see any shred of satisfaction in her eyes about digging that blade into her piece of shit ex-boyfriend, I'm going to fucking lose it. I'll pin her against Andrei and shove my swollen cock so deep inside her pussy that she'll taste me on her tongue. I'll fuck her hard. Because that's what she deserves.

Such a good fucking girl, stabbing him for me—for herself. Fuck , that's hot as hell.

I open my eyes just in time to see her shove her tongue into the pocket of her cheek, fuck me , as a little crease forms between her eyebrows. "But I didn't get to finish the job."

I flex my arms, but it's no use. I'm rock fucking hard now. "Where'd you get him?"

"The thigh." She props her chin on my chest and kisses the hollow of my throat. "Just like you showed me."

My eyes roll back in my head, and I have to stifle a groan. Andrei will kill me —literally, with the next bullet from the fucking gun in his hands—if I so much as touch Valentina in the middle of a war zone. It's hypocritical as fuck after how he just screwed her fucking brains out, but he's the pakhan. He can break his own rules.

I swallow, and she kisses my Adam's apple. Fuck me. Dragging in a breath, I stare into her eyes. At her swollen lips. The two perfect curls stuck to her forehead. The tempting slip of tongue as she swipes her bottom lip.

If I kiss her now, I won't stop. I'll consume every ounce of air in her lungs until she passes out. I'll keep going, tearing into her for the first time, finally making her mine.

Exhaling slowly, I try to reign in my instincts. I tell myself that I can't have her now, but I will have her soon. The fucking moment we get out of this hellhole.

I press a chaste kiss to her forehead. Not only am I horny, but I'm so fucking proud of her. "You did amazing, love, I promise."

Her smile makes the wait worth it.

The next few seconds are silent as we wait for more info, but our comms remain completely silent. Andrei and I share a glance. I know what he's going to say before he can say it, and I don't agree with it. Ezra can handle himself.

"Take her, Mikhail. Get her out of here."

I clench my jaw. This situation sucks. We're not usually on protection duty. It's much easier to blow the enemy's brains out when you've got nothing to lose.

This time, we have everything to lose.

I refuse to let anything happen to Valentina again. "We'd cover her better together. I need you with me."

Andrei's sapphire eyes harden. He can't stay with Valentina and go after his best man. It puts them both in more danger. "I can't leave Ezra behind."

I know he can't.

That doesn't mean I won't try to dissuade him, though. "Ezra has Than and an entire assault team at his back. He'll be fine. He's the toughest bastard I know." If anyone can muscle through an untrained army of traitors to the Bratva, it's Ezra. With Than by his side, he should be damn near unstoppable.

"Something's not right," Andrei grits out, teeth clenched. "You heard Thanatos."

Valentina's body stiffens between us. "What's going on? Is Ezra hurt?"

I meet her eyes, and damn , do I hate seeing a ripple of worry. "Maybe, love. We're not sure."

She purses her lips, then narrows her eyes at me. "Then what are we standing here for? Let's go get him."

"It's not that simple?—"

She pops the snap on my spare holster and claims my Glock for herself. "It is that simple. Let's go."

Valentina doesn't have armor. Or a vest. Or panties , if the slip of bare thigh beneath my palm is anything to go by. She's not safe here. No one will be aiming for her, but a person's aim only has to be off by a few inches for the damage to be done.

"I'm not losing you." I grab her arm to keep her from slipping free and running into danger. I love the fire in her heart, but it's going to get her killed. " We're not losing you."

She glares up at me and juts her chin out, defiant as hell. "We're not losing Ezra, either. You said it yourself: you need Andrei to cover your back, and he's gonna need you to cover his. All three of you need each other. End of discussion."

Andrei wraps his palm around Valentina's throat and curves his spine to rumble in her ear. Fuck , it's kind of hot. That pretty pink flush from before darkens, burning scarlet across her cheeks, as a soft whimper catches in her throat. Andrei's other hand grabs her hip, and then their bodies move together in a slow, painful grind.

"Our queen wants us to work together." He licks the shell of her ear. "If she promises to follow orders, to run when we tell her to run, then we'll go save Ezra together."

The whole notion of saving Ezra is ludicrous. The man is a tank. I've never seen him taken down.

But the way Valentina's pupils blow wide and her breath catches— fuck , my cock's never going soft at this rate.

Saving Ezra together, all three of us, doesn't sound so bad, after all. Seeing my girl with a gun is hot as hell, and she's got a fire in her eyes that I can't wait to sink my teeth into. Yeah. Let's save the bastard. We can fuck our frustrations out when we get to him. Sit Valentina down on his face as punishment for making her worry.

Valentina whimpers as Andrei's hand travels up her thigh and beneath her dress. "Y-yes. I will. I'll run. I'll listen."

I slide my palm up the inside of Valentina's arm, enjoying the feel of her soft skin, until I reach her gun hand and readjust her grip. Even though we gave her lessons, her fundamentals are shaky. Experience like tonight will help with that. Fuck , I love seeing her hold a deadly weapon. Licking my lips, I savor the flush trailing down her neck and the way her dress rucks higher up her thighs with each rotation of their hips.

Let's save the bastard, then fuck the girl.

Wrapping my palm around hers, I lift her gun to my chest and press the barrel over my heart. Its beat is strong and steady, now that we have our woman back. Her eyes widen as I kiss the cool metal for good luck, then press another to the back of her palm. "Aim straight for the heart, and you'll never miss."

She stumbles at first when we release her but quickly catches herself, staying in stride with us as we cut to the back of the house. All three of us know the layout like the back of our hands, ironically, so it's quick work to make it outside.

The minute we step outside and I recognize what the fuck is going on, ice floods my veins and damn near stops my heart.

Thanatos is lying comatose against a concrete garden statue—some half-naked Greek god, go figure—but it's Ezra on his knees that makes my chest seize. One of Liam's men has Ezra's arms locked behind him and a knee planted on Ezra's spine, the position eerily similar to the one we forced Liam into a few weeks ago, when Ezra beat the shit out of him and we left him to bleed out on the pavement behind our club.

We've walked into a fucking trap, and it's not looking too good for us.

"Hello, boys." Liam's not smiling. I take it he doesn't enjoy violence as much as we do. It's yet another reason why he's not fit for the role of pakhan . You have to have a stomach for bloodshed, and Liam's all about letting his little poisons do the dirty work for him.

I spare a glance at Thanatos, hiding my wince. It would have taken a hell of a dose to knock him out, something potent that works fast. His arm spasms violently, and I breathe a sigh of relief that he's not dead , just incapacitated.

Much like our man Ezra Reinoff.

"Let's play a game." Liam holds a pistol to Ezra's temple. "After all, I know how much you love games." Even as he addresses all of us, he only has eyes for Valentina. Watching her. Memorizing her. Breaking her. He licks his lips as she pales to deathly white.

This is what she was afraid of. That night, in the limo, when she froze up on the way to lure out her stalker. She was scared we would get hurt. That we would die if Liam caught us.

My heart hammers in my chest as leaden dread pumps hard through my veins. This is Valentina's worst nightmare come to life.

At the time, Ezra said that he was hard to kill, that he moves first before his opponent gets the opportunity. But right now, with that glazed look in his eye and a trail of blood down the side of his face, it looks like he underestimated his opponent.

He looks like he's finally about to meet the Reaper he's spent his entire life evading.

Liam digs the gun harder into Ezra's temple. "This one's called Russian roulette. I'm sure you've heard of it." He cocks the gun, slotting a bullet into place. Or not, if the chamber is empty. Fuck. There's no way to know if he's bluffing or not.

He pulls the trigger.

All I hear is Valentina's scream.