Turning back to Valeri, I say, “You’re one to talk. Your ass is going to be speed dialing one of your booty calls before you’ve even put your damn gun away.”
He laughs and elbows Ilya. “Who do you think Volodya’s going to run to?”
“Careful, little brother,” I warn him, which only makes him laugh again and smack Vasily’s shoulder.
“Did you hear that, Vasya? He’s getting touchy.”
Vasily laughs and shoots me a look that’s just as smug as Valeri’s. Fucking bastards. I hate it when they team up on me.
“If I were to walk into your house right now, where would I find your pretty new housekeeper? In her bed or yours?”
“Valeri, I’m about to kick your little ass,” I warn him.
He laughs. “That means she’s in his bed.”
“Wow, you mean someone’s actually been invited to sleep in his bed?”
I turn back to look at Ilya. “Don’t you fucking start.”
Andrei laughs but doesn’t add anything.
“The Pope’s seen more action than that damn mattress has,” Vasily jokes.
“You can all go fuck off,” I tell them. “And you,” I say, turning to my older brother, “can’t say a goddamn thing. Nina’s the first woman you spent more than just a few hours with.”
“True enough,” he admits. “I did marry her within the first hour of meeting her, though, so I’ve still got you beat there.”
“Just because you’re the oldest doesn’t mean you have to win at every goddamn thing,” I remind him.
He laughs. “Oh yes it does.”
They continue to tease me until we’re only a few minutes away, then everything turns serious. All joking stops as we check our weapons and keep our eyes on the dilapidated building at the end of the street—Marcus’s known hangout. Sunrise is still about an hour away, so still dark enough to offer cover to his men. We park several streets away and wait until everyone arrives. I text my men, letting them know where I want them while Vasily and Valeri do the same. Soon we’ve circled the building, extending out to cover the side streets surrounding it, blocking in Marcus and any man of his who happens to be with him.
Valeri steps up next to me and grins. “I bet I get more than you.”
I laugh and finish screwing the silencer onto my gun. “You’re on, little brother.”
He’s yet to beat me in a body count, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. The men near us are doing a final weapons check and cracking jokes to ease the tension. The air is thick with anticipation, and when the sun begins to rise, we fan out and start the hunt. This area of the city is mostly abandoned, and the few people who are around and not associated with Marcus aren’t going to be calling the cops anytime soon.
We have a large group of men checking out the other buildings while a core group of us heads straight toward Marcus’s hideout. I run my eyes over the rundown place. Every window has been busted out, and the weeds that grow around the place are up to my thighs. The place is an absolute shithole. Broken bottles litter the ground, crunching under my black boots as we creep closer.
I keep my gun drawn, slipping through the open doorway on the bottom level. We fan out, and I know the silence isn’t going to last too much longer. Searching the building room by room, it doesn’t take long for Marcus’s men to start scampering out like rats during a flood. Guns go off, ours softer thanks to the silencers. The others are loud and obnoxious because their equipment isn’t as good as ours.
After taking out three guys with quick head shots, I put my gun away and switch to my knife. Separating from the group, I slip into the stairwell and quickly find myself on the second floor. The place reeks of piss, mold, and cigarette smoke. It’s fucking disgusting, and I’ll probably burn everything I’m wearing after I leave here.
Gunshots ring out from below, and when I take a quick look behind me, I’m not at all surprised to see Valeri and a couple other guys. He really wants to beat me. He holds up two fingers, and rolls his eyes when I hold up three. I give him a smirk because I can’t laugh right now. Stepping close to an open doorway, I peek around and then hold up four fingers to let the others know how many are in the room.
The man close to the doorway has his back turned to me. I don’t waste any time. Grabbing him, I plunge my knife into his neck while the guys behind me shoot the others. In seconds, the threat is gone, but we’re far from done here. Movement catches my eye. I jerk my head just in time to see a man passing across the doorway of another room. I take off after him, yelling for Valeri to keep checking the other rooms.
Chasing this guy isn’t nearly as much fun as chasing my girl, but it still gives me a nice adrenaline rush. When I catch him and spin him around, slicing his throat, I can’t lie and say it doesn’t give me a thrill, just not the same kind that Maddie gives me. I put an end to anyone else I find, but the last guy puts up a fight. He goes down when I slice across his upper thigh, cutting into the femoral artery and bringing him to his knees.
By the time I meet the others, I’m covered in blood and buzzing with the high that only killing and a good fuck can bring. When Vasily hollers for me, I race up the stairs to the last floor and find him standing over a very dead Marcus.
He grins at me and gives the body a nudge with his foot. “Let’s take his head.”
“That will definitely send a message.” I fist Marcus’s dirty hair and get to work. Even with my blades as sharp as I keep them, it still takes some effort to get through bone and muscle. I’m no quitter, though, so I keep sawing away until Marcus is now in two pieces.
Vasily slaps me on the back and takes the head I offer him. We walk down together, and when we’re back outside, Vasily sees a metal stake poking up from the ground that used to be a part of a fence and shoves the head down onto it.
