“If you want to get him, we’d better get moving.” And with that, I walk past him to the car that goes with the keys in my hand.
As I get in, I see him standing up slowly and watching. Mikki’s half in and half out of the car in front of the door, also watching me with interest, as are the rest of Anton’s men.
I turn the car on and rev the engine, praying that at least Mikki comes and joins me. There’s no universe where I can take on my father alone. He and Anton exchange a glance, then Anton nods his head toward the car as he starts quickly limping toward me.
A second later, he’s in the passenger’s seat and Mikki’s opening my door. “You’d better let me do the driving.”
Mikki driveslike a bat out of hell. We screech down the street at breakneck speed. Anton asks him, “You know where he went?”
“No idea,” he says. “I know which direction, though.”
“He’s hurt. He’s probably gone somewhere underground where he can get patched up.” Anton glances back at me. “Any ideas, Natalya?”
I think for a few seconds as we reach the main road. Then it hits me. The nameMantis. I’ve heard it more than once when someone asks him to get something checked out. “There’s a guy that I think is a doctor,” I tell him. “All I know is that his name is Mantis.”
“Any idea where this Mantis is?”
I shake my head. He looks to Mikki, who’s rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“There’s a vet on Main Street named Mantis. Bet you anything he’s our guy. Can’t be too many Mantises in town.”
“Let’s go then.”
Mikki turns the corner and the car squeals loudly. I do my best to hold on as he burns through the streets on the way to the downtown area. We don’t get too far before Anton nudges him and points. “There.”
A car, a few lengths away from us. Even from here, I can see that it’s one of Father’s cars. The same sleek black luxury car designas all the others are. I’ll never get why my father decided to buy more than one of the same fucking car.
“Is that him?” Mikki asks.
“It’s him,” I say.
“You heard her,” Anton says, pulling his gun out. “Step on it.”
Mikki steps on the gas as Anton rolls down the window. “Natalya,” he says without looking at me, “Get down on the floor.”
I obey him, wedging myself down on the floor of the car. The car jerks to one side and I hear Anton yell, “Get right up on him.”
Gunshots ring out, Anton shooting at my father’s car. I feel the car lurch and swing hard to one side. “Stay on him!”
I lift my head up just enough to see through the front window. Mikki is swerving to keep up with the car as it speeds forward. Then it disappears, the headlights turning sharply to the left.
I hang on as the car banks hard, nearly tossing me to the other side of the backseat. “Fishtail ‘em,” Anton says.
I’m holding onto the seat as Mikki speeds up and the car hits my father’s bumper. The ass end of my father’s car swerves but regains its path. Mikki speeds up and hits it again. This time, the whole car shakes around us and my father’s car screeches and spins out in front of us.
Everything stops. Mikki gets out first, followed by Anton. I peer out from behind the seat just as Arseni gets out of the driver’s side of the car, his gun out. He sees Mikki and sweeps upward, a knife glinting in the moonlight.
And then I remember.Thatwhat was so familiar about Mikki’s attack. Arseni loved knives. Stole them from other family members, even. As long as he’s worked for my father, I’ve never seen him with a gun.
Mikki jumps out of the car as Arseni advances on him, swinging and tearing his shirt as he backs off. Mikki ducks another swing and brings his leg around, kicking him in his side and sending him crashing into the car. Arseni’s knife flies out of his hand.
Mikki wastes no time and shoots him twice in the chest. Arseni falls back and slides down the side of the car.
Anton is on the other side. He opens the passenger’s side and wrenches my father out. He falls onto the pavement like a blob of spit, rolling on the ground helplessly as Anton stands over him.
“Please!” my father pleads. Then in Russian, “Brother! Don’t do this! You win! You can have Natalya! I’ll leave you in peace! Please let me live!”
It’s almost comical. All that talk and posturing. All the yelling and threats to my life, and now that he’s staring down the business end of Anton’s gun, he crumbles like the coward that he is.
