Chapter 14
Volodya
Everything about this feels wrong. We’ve had eyes on Scott and we know that he knows we’re watching him, but that doesn’t ever stop the stupid fucker from trying some really lame moves to sneak off. I swear he thinks of himself as some badass spy in a movie, but his attempts at being sneaky are so pathetic that it’s almost hard to laugh at. You just sort of end up feeling sorry for the guy when he does a quick zip around the block, thinking he’s lost us.
Tonight, though, he makes no attempt to hide where he’s going. He drives slow, takes his time, and even I can see the big grin on his face. He’s obviously up to something. Valeri sighs from the passenger seat.
“What the hell is he up to? Why would he try to get us to follow him to meet his supplier?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Scott has no idea that Adam isn’t even planning on showing up tonight, but it’s obvious that Scott has something planned, and not knowing what it is sets me on edge.
“Call Vasya and tell him something’s not right.”
Valeri pulls his phone out and makes the call. Vasily and several other men are coming in from the opposite direction so we’ll have Scott surrounded when he gets there. We have enough men and weapons to handle whatever trap he’s planning, but I don’t like not knowing what it is.
When we get closer, I turn off my headlights and park on a side street near the docks. It’s a rundown part of the city, not where the expensive yachts are berthed with security cameras watching every damn thing you do. No, this is the part of the city that everyone likes to forget about, the part that sane people don’t enter after dark. Hell, they don’t even enter it before the sun sets. A few men are leaning against a brick building, and when Valeri and I get out and start checking weapons, they quickly run off to mind their own fucking business somewhere else.
Several of our men show up and join us as we walk down the narrow alley. A peek around the corner reveals Scott with five other men. They’re standing by the water, trying like hell to look at ease, but I can see the stiff way they’re holding themselves, the way their heads keep looking around. I watch Scott. He keeps looking up at the top of the building that we’re leaning against, and I curse the stupid fucker as I look back at my brother.
“Shooters on the roof. Let everyone know.” I smack his shoulder before running back around the building to find a way inside. I hear footsteps behind me and smile. He never could stay out of a fight.
We take the stairs, racing to the top, pausing before the door to the roof. Both of our guns have silencers, but if whoever’s waiting on the roof sees us first, it’s going to get loud fast. Pushing the door open, I keep my gun aimed in front of me and take the lead, stepping in front of Valeri, even though he hates it when I do that. If anyone’s going to get shot, it’s not going to be my baby brother. There are enough lights at the dock to reveal two shadowy figures at the edge of the roof. They’re lying on their stomachs, looking through the scopes of their rifles that are aimed at where Scott and his men are waiting.
I look back at Valeri and point to the man further away, letting him know I’ll take that one and then point to my knife. He rolls his eyes at me but nods his head. No shooting unless absolutely necessary. Scott can’t know he’s lost his leverage just yet. Valeri silently creeps towards the other man while I do the same. They’re so focused on what’s going on below them that they don’t realize my brother and I are here until it’s too late.
Pressing the barrel of my gun against the back of his head, I say in a low voice, “Don’t fucking move,” while Valeri does the same to his companion. “Finger off the trigger,” I tell him.
He slowly moves his hand, keeping it open and raised to show me he’s listening.
“Why are you here and how many are there?”
“Scott hired us. There’s four. Two up here and two hidden in the building to the left.”
“What were you hired to do?”
“Fuck,” he sighs, because he knows how this is going to end for him. “Scott wanted us to shoot anyone who shows up tonight, but not the guy with the shaved head. I don’t suppose that’s you, is it?”
The hopeful tone of his voice almost makes me feel sorry for him. “I’m afraid not. I’m one of the ones you were hired to kill.”
He’s barely gotten the “goddamn it” out before I’m severing his carotid. I take the rifle because it’s a nice one and sling it over my shoulder while he bleeds out. Texting Vasya, I tell him about the two in the other building, and I’m not surprised when his response isalready got themwith a thumbs up.
Valeri meets me at the door with his dimple showing as he holds the rifle he took. “Nice fucking gun, right?”
“It is. What’d he tell you?”
“Hired by Scott. Two shooters in the next building.”
I nod, confirming that it’s what my guy said as well, and when we reach the alley again, we drop our new guns in the car and meet up with Vasya and the others.
“Let’s end this. I’m ready to be done with this fucker,” Vasily groans.
“You and me both, brother,” I tell him.
We walk towards Scott, making no attempt to hide our presence, and when he sees us, his eyes widen in surprise, but then he squares his shoulders and darts a quick look at the roof.
“They’re not going to help you.” I stop a few feet away from him. “We’ve already killed them.”
