Chapter Nineteen: Rurik
The Andreyev Mansion had been splattered with the blood of their own, as we tore through them like there was nothing they could do about it. They didn’t have the manpower to match this time around, and we were fighting back with everything we had. I wasn’t going to leave without Marianna, and after the first gunshot went off, everyone charged the front door, leaving me to track her down before something terrible happened. I fought off every guard that came at me, shooting them down before they had the chance to fire their guns, and I watched as some of them started to retreat. They knew they were outmatched, they knew that if they stuck around and tried to fight, that they would’ve laid down their lives for the very man that had ruined them. Some of them were smart, using the entire operation as a distraction to make their escape, and if I had been at any other place in my life, if I hadn’t known Marianna, I probably would’ve done the very same thing.
I heard the ruckus that was piercing through the silence as I got further into the house, and I knew exactly where it was coming from. I cocked my gun back, preparing for the worst, as I inched closer to Luka’s office expecting him to be in there, but what I saw nearly shattered me. There he was, the man that I’d once confined in, that I once trusted, with the very knife that Luka adored so much, driving it into Marianna’s leg. I heard her cry out, and I burst in, firing off my gun at him, until he fell to the floor. I shot him twice in the shoulder and once in the kneecap to make sure that he was down, but I wasn’t done with him yet. This fight was far from over, and Marianna needed immediate assistance. I rushed to her, taking her face into the palms of my hand, while I got her out of the bindings that were tied around her hands, glancing over at Larissa, rushing to help her as well.
“You came for me,” she said, and I pressed my lips firmly into hers, so that she would never have a doubt in her mind that I would ever leave her behind again.
“How could I not, Marianna? I’m the reason you got caught up in this mess in the first place, and now you’re hurt,” I said, taking her into my arms.
“You can’t possibly blame yourself, Rurik. I had this coming from the day I was born, from the day my mother gave birth to me and gave me away. Luka is out there somewhere, and he’s not going to stop until he’s taken everything away from us both. Please, find him. Please, finish this, Rurik. I’m going to be fine,” she said, and even though she was holding up pretty well, there was no way I’d ever leave her side again.
“If I leave you right now, you’re going to bleed out here. If I get you out of here, we can tend to your injuries before they get worse. I choose you, Marianna. I don’t care what Luka has put me through. I don’t care if I have to spend the rest of my life running from him. I only care about you, and I’m not going to leave you behind,” I said to her, making sure she was safely in my arms, as I glanced over my shoulder to see Aleksandr rush into the room, and I eyed Larissa to let him know to get to her.
“You can’t give up now,” said Marianna, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I’m not giving up, Marianna. I’m doing what I should’ve done the night at the warehouse. I should’ve never let you get so close to this, I should’ve never let you get anywhere near Luka, and I’m going to make sure that he never has the chance to lay a hand on you again,” I said, carrying her out of the study with Aleksandr safely behind me, while we retreated ourselves. I had no idea where Luka was, or what he was going to do about Anton barely hanging onto an inch of his life, but I made my choice. I wasn’t going to put Marianna’s life in the hands of anyone else but myself, no matter how things could’ve gone. I trusted my brothers, I trusted them with my life, but I would’ve never been able to live with myself if something happened to Marianna that even they couldn’t control.
I rushed out from the front door of the Andreyev Mansion, locking eyes with Viktor whose shirt was soaked completely in blood, and he simply nodded at me. He’d been through this before, and he knew that if we didn’t have Luka directly in our sights, then looking for him was only going to prolong the time that he would have to recuperate, and we knew that if we all wanted out of there alive, we’d have to make the choice to retreat. I had no doubt that the time would come where I finally took Luka out for good, but I only cared to make sure that Marianna was okay, because if she started to lose too much blood, while I rushed off to find her biological father, I would’ve never been able to forgive myself.
“Are you sure you want to go?” asked Viktor.
“I’m sure, brother. He’s gone into hiding, and he’s going to try to fight back, because there’s nothing he hates more than watching his entire empire burn down around him, so let’s give him something to run from, and let’s get out of here,” I said, and Viktor nodded, remembering the single detail that we talked about, when I had told him about what I’d done to Luka’s farmhouse. I fastened Marianna safely into the backseat of the car, right next to Larissa before I reached into the trunk to pull out two cans of gas. Viktor and I each took one, tossing it all over the front of the house, and we threw both cans straight through the front door, before we lit the place on fire. The bodies that laid in piles around the property were all going to be gone soon, along with Luka’s precious mansion that housed all of his prized possessions.
I told you that you were going to lose everything before we put an end to you once and for all.We watched the flames rise quickly, engulfing the front of the building faster than even we expected, as all of my brothers, and the last remaining men piled into our vehicles and drove far away from there. I watched Marianna’s eyes follow the flames as they disappeared into the distance, knowing that there was the chance that Luka, Tanya, and Anton were going to burn alongside the rest of the things they were so desperately trying to protect, but there was always the chance that they made it out alive. Only time was going to tell, but I had to make sure that she was going to be okay, because we managed to put pressure on her wound, to stop the bleeding momentarily until we could get her injuries looked after. She was still conscious, still alert, and that was all I could ask for. I reached out for her hand, squeezing it tightly as I brought it to my lips, kissing it softly as she rested her head on my shoulder. I couldn’t imagine what was going to happen to her if I didn’t get there when I did, and I was just glad that she was okay, that we managed to rescue her friend along with her, because I knew just how much that meant to her, but it was right then that I realized how empty my life would’ve been if I’d lost her.
We arrived back at Viktor’s home, but as Aleksandr helped Larissa out of the backseat, and everyone made their way inside I took a moment to stay with Marianna while we waited for Viktor’s medical team to arrive. I had so many thoughts rushing through me at the time, but I wasn’t going to be able to move forward until I got some of them off of my chest.
I didn’t know if it was the right time, because there was still so much about each other that we had to explore, but I couldn’t help the way I felt. I needed to tell her, because this wasn’t the end of our troubles, and I still had no idea what the future held. We were safe for now, but it was quite clear that in this life, there was always the chance that things were going to get ugly, and I needed her to know that I cared about her, that she’d completely changed me from the moment she walked into my life, and I wanted to give her the world. I knew that we were going to be able to do it together, if that's what she wanted, but even if she decided to leave this all behind her, because it was just too much for her to handle, I still wanted her to know how I felt.
“I couldn’t leave you back there, Marianna. You have to know, that I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I’d never been torn to pieces over the thought of losing someone, and while I may not be perfect, while I may not have everything figured out, you need to hear this from me.”
“What is it?” she whispered.
“I love you, Marianna. I love you, and I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to you. I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through. I’d understand when this is all over, you’d want to leave it all behind, leave me behind, but I need you to know the truth,” I confessed.
“There was a part of me that was secretly hoping that you would come to my rescue, Rurik. I know that we still have a lot to figure out, but from the very first day we met, you laid down your life to protect me, and I’ve been eternally grateful ever since. I never in my life thought that we would’ve fallen in love, but I knew ages ago, I knew the moment that I gave myself over to Luka willingly. I love you too,” she said, tears rolling down her face as I brought her in close, kissing her hard, as I tucked her hair behind her ear.
That kiss erupted through me like nothing I’d ever felt before, like the relief of knowing that we were going to be okay, that we had support, and that we could truly look towards the future. I took her into my arms, leading her into the house the moment I saw the two cars pull up which I assumed had been the medics, and I wanted nothing more than to enjoy the moment of calm with Marianna, because we truly weren't sure how long it was going to last. We both still weren’t sure what became of Luka, but we didn’t care. We wanted to be present, to enjoy our time together, and there was a part of me that wanted to bask in the feeling of knowing everything he had was finally burning to the ground.I will find you, and I will finish you off the moment that you realize that you have no one, that you have nothing, and that you will never touch anyone I love ever again.
