“Others have been held for questioning,” Sergei said, the quickest to realize I’d expect answers to all of this, not only deaths.
“At least you waited for me to arrive, huh?” I asked. I wasn’t in this for the glory of being my daughter’s hero. I just wanted to extract every ounce of revenge and retaliation that I could.
“We couldn’t move in sooner,” Andre said. “We needed other teams set up to divert them from her.” He frowned, looking around as if too tense to dawdle out here. “It sounds like there are seven men guarding her.”
“Then let’s go.” They’d file in first, armed and ready to kill. I wasn’t far behind, eager to take out every asshole I could find.
With military precision, we rushed into the building and shot every person we came across. Sergei would’ve ensured that captives were taken to question later. Like this, we had free rein to rush in, kill all, and reach Anya.
Split up in the maze of abandoned buildings and blocked-off hallways full of debris from upper floors weakening and crashing down, I ended up in the lead. Andre ran with me, having my back. Sergei and Roman hurried toward the rendezvous spotwhere they believed Anya was tied up. Comms units in our ears kept us all moving as a team, but it wasn’t until I reached the innermost room, a dilapidated office with the ceiling caved in from a water leak, that I finally relaxed.
She was here.
Tied up, gagged, and staring out with wide-open, frantic eyes, Anya sat on the filthy floor. Red marks showed on her skin, and the sight of blood streaking down her arms worried me.
But she was alive.
“Close your eyes!” Andre shouted.
She did, but a second too late.
We unleashed hell, firing at the men who were expected to block and guard her. They had no chance under the onslaught of gunfire we doled out. They were outnumbered, gunned down mercilessly with direct shots to their heads and chests. Blood and brain matter exploded and sprayed everywhere. Bodies sagged and dropped, then guns clattered to the floor.
Not waiting until the last man was down, I ran out into the opening of the massacre. Skidding on blood and blinking my eyes through the smoke of gunfire and the rise of dust particles from the disturbance we’d delivered, I sprinted for her.
We were too trained to hit her by accident. I trusted all these men not to shoot her in the fray, but I couldn’t speak for the fuckers who’d taken her.
Shaking like a leaf in high winds, she trembled so fiercely that if she wasn’t gagged, her teeth would’ve chattered.
“I’ve got you,” I told her. She might not want that. She might still hate me and scream that she didn’t want to be stuck with me. As I cut the gag away, she only heaved in a deep lungful of air. Gasping and wheezing, she kept her eyes screwed shut tightly as I hurried to cut away the ropes binding her wrists and ankles. “I’ve got you, Anya,” I repeated. Matter-of-fact. Direct. Clear. I kept all emotion out of my voice so she wouldn’t be triggered to lash out atme.
She didn’t reply. She didn’t open her eyes or shy away from me. Shaken to the core, she hunched over like she was too traumatized to even stay away or straighten.
Behind me, more shots were fired, but from a distance. The haze and cloud of dust had yet to settle in this room, but I could place the commotion as something from afar. Men shouted, and with the sound of rapid footsteps pounding further away, Anya trembled harder.
Hoisting her into my arms, I sought out my son. He shook his head, watching me and as alert as ever.
“A crew is running after a few of them,” Sergei clarified. He pressed on the comms unit in his ear. “They’re after them. Some were hiding on another floor, warning us that this isn’t over.”
I narrowed my eyes. This war between us never would be over. But this was. I’d promise my life to keep my family safe. They’d never touch my daughter again.
“Are we all clear?” I asked, carrying my daughter from where she was tied up.
“Go.” Andre patted my back to precede him. “We’re clear with the way we came in.”
“Which fucking way isthat?” I asked, lifting Anya higher in my arms to free up my ease of running.
We exited, not taking as many wrong turns with my men stationed throughout. With the deaths we’d leave behind, there was less of a need to hide and rely on stealth.
All I could focus on as I hurried out of there was the validation that I hadn’t failed her. Anya was alive, if scared and shellshocked in my arms. I hadn’t lost her, despite how close she’d come to dying after that kidnapping.
We exited the last doorway, reaching the dark, inky nighttime broken only by the dim streetlights that flickered in the distance.
The back door was held open, and I didn’t waste a second to carry Anya into the car.
Claire scooted back, but she wasn’t recoiling in fear or alarm. She was snapping right into action.
“Anya. Anya, you’re safe. Can you hear me?” She reached out to help me lower her from my arms. Keeping her on my lap, I tried to give Claire access to check over her. Her hands were busy, touching her skin and determining the worst of her injuries.
