Bang!
I hid behind the pillar, listening to heavy footsteps approaching. The Sokolov men were aware of our presence and were already yelling in Russian.
Guns were cocked; orders were flying around. Kill the enemies.
My expression darkened, and my mind focused on only one thing. Rescuing my wife. I tucked my pistol into my pants and armed myself with the AK-47 slung over my shoulder.
Sergei and I exchanged glances across the room before stepping out into the open. The entire building plunged into anarchy.
Rapid gunfire erupted, filling the space as both parties began shooting at each other. My men and I moved strategically through the chaos, gunning down the enemies with practiced ease.
They had the number. But we had the tactical advantage. My men were faster, more skilled, and more experienced. The battle was supposed to end as quickly as it began, considering the fact that we were outnumbered.
But clearly, there wasn’t just strength in numbers. There was also death. They were massacred, the walls and floors stained with their blood.
Deathly screams filled the air, accompanied by the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones. Necks were snapped, heads were shot open, and brains were blown out.
The fight was so intense that the enemies began retreating. A couple of my men chased after them while the rest of us turned the place upside down looking for Ellie.
Sergei and I killed our way up the steps—shooting, stabbing, punching—until we reached a lit hallway. On the other end was a huge man with deadly experience and a sickle-shaped blade.
It was him.
The same man who fired the shot that almost killed Agata.
Sergei locked his jaw, his curling into a fist. “Go. Find her,” he said to me. “This one’s mine.”
Without a word, I turned away, heading toward the door at the other side of the corridor. I could hear their thick grunts behind me as they exchanged blows and kicks.
I had no doubt that that man stood no chance against Sergei.
Two others came out of the room I was walking toward, armed with a gun and a knife.
They fired at me. Three times.
With lightning speed, I dodged the first two, but the last one grazed my arm. I didn’t flinch, didn’t even wince. I hurled a blade into one’s chest and shot the other in the head.
Both dropped to the ground. Dead.
The door opened, and a rather tall masked man rushed out with a loud bellow. He speared into me in a blinding flash, sending us both crashing to the floor.
I rolled over to my feet, my gun lying across from me. His eyes bore into mine for a second before he lunged at me. I straightened, my hands a rapid blur of movements as I deflected his punches.
Our grunts echoed down the hallway, fists swinging wildly. He was taller and bigger than me, yet I was his equal. I trapped his arm in both of mine and twisted mercilessly.
He cried out as his bone snapped like a twig.
I yanked his head down, jabbing my knuckles into his throat. His eyes widened, almost bulging out from their sockets. He wheezed, choking as he stumbled backward. I swung the back of my leg, my boot connecting with his jawline.
The impact turned his neck with a sickening crack.
Snap.
His body thudded to the ground.
My chest heaved, my breathing ragged.
“Karik!” Ellie’s voice came from the room across.
