He swipes the blade in a vicious arc; the silver edge glints in the light.
I step back, but he’s faster than he used to be, driven by the desperation of a madman.
He lurches forward, and the tip of the blade tears through my leather jacket, grazing my ribs.
A sharp pain flares in my side, but my face remains a mask of stone.
“Never thought I’d see the day when Leonid Nazarov cared too much,” Vasili taunts, trying to get under my skin. “You’ve always thought you’re some kind of god, yeah? King of the docks! Fucking bullshit!You’rebullshit, Leonid. I’m something too, you know?”
“No, I don’t.”
He laughs, but it’s dry and empty. “Look at you, bleeding for the girl. Such a show of love. Such an adorable older brother, right?”
I dodge another slash of his knife.
“Hmm…” Vasili grins. “What happens when I take the other one? What happens when I find your sweet Elena?”
Her name solidifies the ice in my veins.
I counter his next wild swing with pure, unadulterated ruthlessness.
I step into his guard, ignoring the blade as it slices the palm of my hand.
I seethe. “You think you can touch her?”
“I know I can, Leo. I have Tatiana right here, don’t I?” He chuckles, then swings. I duck, barely dodging, but he comes at me again. “You think you’re invincible. I’m proof that you’renot. I’m going to take whatever you think is yours, and there’ll be absolutely nothing you can do about it!”
I smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. “You’re even more delusional than I thought if you believe that.”
He pauses briefly, smirking. “I don’t believe it; I fuckingknow it.”
He swings the knife again, and my white-knuckled grip clamps down on his wrist like steel. I twist violently, applying brutal pressure until I hear the faint snap of the bones in his forearm.
“Youknownothing, Vasili.” I press down again, watching his face contort in excruciating pain. “You should have stayed in your lane, remained hidden in the shadows, and conducted your little business on the docks.” I twist his arm even more.“But you chose to reckon with a force that’s much bigger than you, and now you’re going to pay for that mistake.”
He groans, but I don’t let go until the knife clatters uselessly to the concrete.
Vasili gasps, his eyes widening in sudden, paralyzing terror as he realizes he’s completely miscalculated.
I strike hard, delivering a devastating headbutt that shatters his nose in an explosion of crimson.
My muscles burn with a crushing fatigue and the wound at my ribs throbs with every heartbeat, but I completely ignore the pain.
This is what those years of brutal pain prepared me for—Vasili’s execution.
I drive a heavy blow into his solar plexus, knocking the air straight from his lungs, followed by a sweeping kick that takes his legs out from under him.
He crashes heavily onto his back, gasping, defeated, and broken on the dusty floor.
I stand over him. My breathing is ragged and heavy in the quiet room.
“I would’ve started with your fingers, bastard. But I’ve changed my mind.”
I don’t grant him the dignity of final words.
My gun lifts, the black barrel pointing directly between his tear-filled eyes, and I finally pull the trigger.
Bang.
