He shot the guy aiming at us first before changing course and killing the stunned and dazed man next right before he was able to get his gun from his holster.
I scooted behind a tree, my breathing ragged. I hadn’t seen anyone else, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone. My thoughts raced as I checked the terrain. No other movement. I kicked a rock far ahead of us. Nothing.
I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief, though. I kept my head in the moment, scoping out every angle as Roman and I jogged to the helicopter. It was still burning from the tail and stunk to high heaven, lying on its side, the ground tore up all around it. My ears finally picked up the crunching of grass and the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees. I ignored the heat of the flames coming at the gunship from behind.
Roman slowly climbed up its belly, staying in place there. Gradually, he peered up and over, into the open door after hearing no sounds. He shook his head, and stated, “There are only three seats inside, and one of them has a dead body in it still. I got the other two.”
I cleared my throat. “Thank you, Roman.”
He dropped to the ground. And winked. “You can say you got them.”
I instantly shook my head. “Nope.”
His gaze scanned my face, and then he nodded. “Your choice.”
We slowly made our way back to where the gunfire was dying down. I seriously hoped that was a good sign. Less gunfire could mean a greater amount of the opposition dead, or vice versa, a greater number of our numbers dead since we were completely outnumbered.
I stalled when I saw seven men creeping up behind where I had left the limo. It wasn’t in viewing distance yet, but we were very close. I tapped Roman’s shoulder and pointed silently.
He grinned. It was the smile of a killer.
Roman gently pushed me behind a tree for protection. He lay down on the grass, crawling on his belly into the closest brush. Daniil’s son made his way silently and pulled all of his guns out that he had on him, laying them on either side on his body. He first pointed the machine gun at them, following their movements. He waited until they were in a clear opening with no trees too close, and started from the right and opened fire, going left, aiming at crotch level just in case they decided to drop.
The three at the end did try that, and it didn’t work out so well for them. Four out of the seven were dead instantly—I knew that, but the first three were screaming where they lay on the ground. They started firing blindly at him. Roman picked up his handgun and aimed accurately, and fired three more shots right to the head, ending their agony and lives.
I felt no remorse for their loss of life, but I still didn’t think I could do that.
I had no clue how long we had been gone, but gripped my gun—the gun I hadn’t used.
We trekked back to the limo just as quietly and slowly as we had before. When we got there, diving behind the limo, there were only periodic shots being fired. I couldn’t see because gray smoke filled the air. No one was alive outside the limo, and I was grateful that none of the men were my group.
I called from right outside of one of the limos doors, staying out of gunshot path, thumping it with a quick fist, “It’s Elizabeth! Anybody in there?” The driver and Ember should have been inside still. The window rolled down just as the barrel of a gun poked out. I leaned back instantly, but the driver was smart enough not to fire. I asked in a hurry, “You two still all right?”
He responded just as quickly, “We’re fine. Ms. Lerrus is still unconscious.”
I nodded. “Roll the window back up.” He did, and I pivoted, pulling my shirt up over my nose and mouth, peering around the back end of the limo to where I heard the periodic shots. The smoke made my eyes burn, and I coughed, but it was slowly starting to rise away in the increasing breeze, giving me a view of the carnage littering the ground.
Two SUVs had driven down into the woods and were on fire, creating the smoke. There were bodies cluttering the ground. There had to be at least eighty to a hundred dead men, lying around all dying differently. I swallowed hard, my eyes darting from each dead man, but I didn’t see any of our group.
And then I did.
From where the shots were coming from.
There was no other movement except for the four of them.
Daniil. Grigori. Eva. Artur.
They stalked side-by-side through the smoke, bleeding themselves from various places.
The four were shooting anyone in the head that so much as twitched.
I swallowed hard again.
I heard someone groveling and crying then as they made their way through the carnage, blathering in Russian. He grabbed Daniil’s leg, obviously pleading for his life, but I didn’t think he had that long to live with only one arm left and a huge hole through his stomach. Daniil shook off his touch and bent down, his hair covering his face as he said something to him, right before he ended his life with a simple shot to the forehead.
I pulled back and turned toward the woods behind me, staring at the trees there. That was better than seeing them cold and lethal, brutal in their actions. Roman stood like a statue of protection next to me. I didn’t exactly disagree with what they were doing, finishing up as they were, but it was different when someone was returning fire on you than just lying there dying. Some would call it mercy killings, but I didn’t think that was why they were doing it. I think this was the scary as fuck side of them.
I heard the crunching of their steps—no longer trying to be silent—and I called out so they wouldn’t shoot us, “It’s Elizabeth and Roman.”
