"She showed me how to be better than you."
Marat's eyes flash with anger and his grip on the gun tightens, but before he can respond, Noemi moves. She drives her elbow backward and up, catching Marat square in the groin, and he doubles over with a strangled gasp. In the same motion she throws herself toward Sasha, tackling him off the chair and pulling him down behind the bed where they curl into a ball together.
I don't waste the opening. The man behind me hesitates for just a second, when his attention is drawn by the sudden movement, and that's all I need. I spin and drive my fist into his face with everything I've got, feeling bone crunch under my knuckles as his nose explodes in a spray of blood. And as I do, I grip his weapon and pull it from his grasp.
Then a gun goes off somewhere and I hear glass shattering and realize Lazar is coming through the window in a shower of broken shards with his weapon up. He must've circled around to the outside of the building while I was waiting for this moment to strike, and now he's here and all hell is breaking loose.
The man I punched staggers back and tries to raise my weapon against me, but I grab his wrist and twist, forcing the weapon away from my body. We struggle for control, slamming into the dresser and knocking over the remnants of last night's candles.
Marat is recovering from Noemi's hit, pushing himself upright with murder in his eyes, and his gun slowly rises up to aim behind the bed where Noemi and Sasha are hiding. Lazar sees it and fires, catching Marat in the shoulder and spinning him around, but it doesn't take him out. The sick bastard can still raise his weapon.
I wrench my gun out of my opponent's hand and shove him away, then turn and put two rounds into Marat's chest before he can get a shot off. He jerks with each impact, his eyes going wide with surprise, and then he crumples to the floor in a bloody heap. I turn back to his buddy, but he doesn't stick around to find out what's going to happen next.
He scrambles for the door, blood pouring from his broken nose, and he's gone before I can stop him. I let him go because there are more important things to worry about right now. I spin around and see my family struggling off the ground with Lazar's help and emotion wells up in my chest.
"Noemi! Sasha!"
"We're okay!" Noemi's voice is shaky. "We're okay, don't shoot!"
Lazar doesn't lower his gun when the room goes quiet. He steps past me and checks Marat where he fell, fingers at his neck, attention fixed on the body until he's satisfied.
“He’s dead,” he says. “We got him, Boss." Then he straightens and reaches for his phone.
That is all I need to hear.
I crouch in front of Sasha first and pull him against me, holding him there while his body shakes. He clutches my jacket tightly,and I keep my arms around him until his breathing steadies enough that I know he is no longer on the edge of panic.
“It’s done,” I tell him over and over. “You’re safe now.” I'm a foolish man for bringing them out here for this. I had no clue the war that would erupt.
Noemi kneels beside us and presses in close. Her arms wrap around Sasha and she clings to my jacket too. When I touch her face and feel the swelling beneath my fingers, it makes my throat constrict. I don't ever want to see this again. I'll make it my duty in life to never see another bruise on her precious skin again.
“I’m here,” I say to her. “I’m not leaving you.”
"Fyodor," she whimpers, and it's the sweetest sound I've ever heard.
"I've got you, baby. You're safe now."
My family, here in my arms, is the only thing that matters anymore. My job for Yuri is done. Marat Koslov is dead. And now we can go home and heal.
"Boss, we gotta get out of here." Lazar's voice is one of reason. We have to move or the authorities will find us and haul me off to prison, and I can't be a father if I'm behind bars.
"Let's go," I coax, and Noemi understands. She stands, reaching for Sasha, but I lift him into my arms. "Let me," I say, and she nods, swiping tears off her cheeks.
We follow Lazar out to the car and climb in, hopefully for what is the last time this trip.
I want to get home and make this right by both of them. And I want to make sure Yuri knows life from here on changes for me.
I'm a new man, and I have new priorities, including taking care of my family.
30
NOEMI
Sasha squeezes my hand as Fyodor opens the front door and waves us inside the Gravitch Estate. The foyer is twice the size of my old apartment, which in itself is a bit intimidating, but the artwork and flowers are impressive too. A large crystal vase is full of freshly cut tulips probably straight from Denmark, and they smell heavenly.
"Fyodor." A man appears from a doorway to the left. He's tall and broad shouldered and it makes Sasha cling to my side like he's frightened. He pulls Fyodor into a back-slapping embrace that's more collision than hug. "It's done?"
"It's done," Fyodor says, pulling away from the man. "Marat won't be testifying to anyone. Ever."
