The other accomplices moved back, and I saw the desperation in their eyes to escape, though their hands weretied. All that was left in me at this point in time was rage and the burning urge of madness.
I interrogated them, one after the other, and each time I demanded where she was, they remained silent. This made me wonder if they truly knew where she was or if it was all an act of allegiance to their master.
Already, I felt the blood on my hands. I didn't like the stickiness on my skin. Mikhail and Dimitri stood immovable without trying to hold me back.
One of the soldiers finally broke down. He sobbed, swearing that he knew nothing. He begged for mercy and revealed that he was only following orders. He didn't want to die, and I believed him.
Nonetheless, I plunged the dagger into his chest. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened in shock. I saw his very life drain out of him. I was very disappointed by his answer.
“You should never have touched her. But you did more than that. You took her away from me, and you all will feel my wrath,” I said.
They weren't of any interest to me again, so I killed them all. When I slit the neck of the last soldier, I was assaulted by the sudden silence in the hall. Mikhail smiled as though he was pleased. I understood my assignment, and I wasn't going to stop until I fulfilled it.
That was when Dimitri burst through the door. His face was filled with concern.
“We found them,” he said. “She’s there.”
The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Emilia's smile was plastered in my mind. I was finally going to see her again. But Dimitri’s voice dropped low.
“It’s a trap, Viktor. They’re expecting you to come, so they'll surround you in an ambush.”
I didn’t care. I was more willing to walk into their ambush with blood on my hands. And I would tear through all of the rivals until Emilia was free. And none of them had enough power to stop me.
********************
We split ourselves into groups. Mikhail walked with his team. I kept three men with me and sent others to stay on guard, just in case we needed backup.
I walked toward a nearby church as if I were going for a casual stroll. Dimitri walked beside me, and I observed that he glanced at me as though in hope for a better approach. I ignored him. All I wanted was to stick to the plan.
Then, I heard the shot of a gun not so far from us. I looked back and noticed that the bullet had hit one of Mikhail’s men in the shoulder.
“Let's go,” I said to Dimitri while we moved left.
We stayed low while I held the dagger in my fist, and listened for the cacophony from the passers-by.
The warehouse was in plain sight now. We crawled in with our stomachs on the floor while we took positions. The rivals didn't hear a sound, because if they did, they'd be alarmed.
The moment we revealed ourselves, blood spilled to the ground. Funny how I thought about mercy before we arrived. None of them showed us mercy before they took my precious Emilia. It was too late to show mercy. And in place of mercy, I ensured that I slit the throat of one before I snapped the neck of the other.
One of the soldiers tried to run, yet I caught up with him and choked him until he was out of breath.
I heard a squeak behind me, and I turned. My heart leaped for joy when I saw Emilia’s face in the distance.
“My Emilia,” I said. One view of her strengthened me to kill without remorse. So I cut through the men regardless of thegunshots that were aimed at me. I looked to the left, and two of the men I’d come with bled from their torsos.
By the time we reached the row of carton boxes, the air thickened. I kicked the corner of a nearby container until the lock opened. I saw her. My dear Emilia, bound by ropes and chains as though she were a criminal.
I saw the relief at her first glance. She smiled, and her smile heaved up the joy that was once lost in me.
“Viktor,” she called out.
“Emilia.”
I walked and stood beside her right before I started to cut the ropes. Her hands were cold, and she shivered in fear. She leaned into me, and I felt her weakness.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She kept silent for a while before she opened her mouth.
