AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Boys.” Holding my rifle overhead, I point it down the road. "Are we afraid of a few little piggies?"
As a unit they shout NO! Shaking their heads or spitting on the ground, they pledge themselves to the cause. My heart floods with appreciation for my soldiers.
Using my gun like a flag, I wave it over the road. "Davai!"
They don't hesitate—they rush forward, lips pressed in scowls, some in wicked grins, their eyes alive with the fire of men ready to shed blood. This is what we've been building up to for years. I can’t call them back now no matter how hard I try.
I start to follow them. Mila grabs my shoulder. "Not you."
"What do you mean?" I ask curtly.
"Let me direct the fight."
My eyes widen, taking in the solid way her shoulders are set. She fingers the knife on her hip. "Mila—" I start to argue.
"Let me finish!" She digs her hand into my shoulder tighter. " Your job is rescuing Galina. Leave me and the boys to do what we do best."
I'm already shaking my head furiously. "I need to be here for this."
"If something happens to her because you got there too late, you'll never forgive yourself. Even if we manage to take Yevgeniy down, if it comes at the cost of Galina, the Bratva will fall apart. You will fall apart. That’s no victory."
Biting my molars together, I gaze at the last of my soldiers as they head over the asphalt. The first gunshot cracks the air. Then a second, a third, until each staccato gunfire turns into a steady shriek.
"Let us be the distraction you need," she pleads with me. “So you can do what you must.”
The song of battle grows. Mingled with the crack of gunfire are the shouts of dying men. How many will fall in my name? How many are going to die because I brought them here?
Their deaths can’t be for nothing.
I nod.
"Get it done," I tell her as another rattle of gunfire splits the air.
A savage smile twists on Mila's face. With a serrated knife in one hand, and a pistol in the other, she sprints over the hard packed dirt to join the fight.
Checking my earpiece, then my rifle, I follow after her towards the fray. Red and blue lights flash in a quick tempo as I crest over the hill. It's just like Mila said—there’s a whole damn perimeter of cops blocking the road. They spill onto the gravel, the cracked mud, insuring there's no gap between them and the townhouse in the background.
I swear as a bullet flies past my ear, snapping in the air. Ducking onto my belly, I check around, searching for the shooter. No one is aiming at me. The shot was a random one—the police are fighting for their lives, and in doing so, are blind to the actions of a single figure like me.
I get on my knees like a man in the midst of prayer. And in a way, I am. I'm praying for the safety of everyone I know, I’m praying that I’m not too late, and above all, I’m praying that by the time the sun rises in the morning, this will all be over.
And with that, I sling the rifle onto my back, and stare down at the situation.
As long as I don't shoot back, I'll be a ghost.
Knowing it's the only way to save Galina, I begin to crawl.
43
GALINA
"What's that noise?" Mom asks me nervously.
Cocking my head, I listen with my pulse quickening. "Gunfire."
"Someone's shooting at us?" Ruslan shudders, scrambling towards my mother where she's sitting on the bed. She spreads her arms to welcome him into her lap, the action warm and natural.
I move towards the one window in the room. Parting the thin, yellowed curtains, I peek through the glass. I can't tell what's happening, there's a large tree branch with stubborn frost crusted to it blocking the way.
