AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
Leonid
Damn, she looked good with that gun to her head.
That's messed up. Better save her life.
“Don’t kill her,” I said.
Pavel looked at me sideways and pressed the Glock harder against her temple. Robin knelt in front of him on the gleaming hardwood floor in the middle of a spreading pool of blood. The flat-screen hanging on the wall above a cheap Ikea entertainment stand played an episode of Project Runway. An old leather couch, a scratched-up coffee table, and a tartan easy chair completed the decor.
The front door was half broken off its hinges and the sound of cars rolling past on the street filtered inside.
We didn’t have long before the cops showed up.
“What did you say?” Pavel asked.
“Don’t kill her,” I said again. “Wait just a second.”
His eyes bugged out. He was a small guy, just a hair over five foot five, but built like a tank. His shaved head gleamed in the overhead lights. His fingers seemed to stroke the trigger of his gun.
“You know who this is, right?” he asked.
“I know,” I said. I held out my hand and took a step toward him. I had to make sure I didn’t stomp on the dead guy’s arm. It lay outstretched like he was going to stop my bullet from blasting open his skull. “Just hold on.”
“You know she doesn’t know you, yeah? Doesn’t know you worth shit? If you think she’s going to be all grateful and shit, maybe give you a little head or something, you can think again.” Pavel sneered at me and I had to clench my jaw to keep from making the situation worse.
We hadn’t expected the girl. Hedeon sent us to kill the guy, but nobody said anything about a girl. Pavel was as surprised as I was when we kicked in the door and found them both on opposite ends of the couch, her legs stretched out on the coffee table, his head leaning back and his eyes half-closed like he was falling asleep.
Robin’s gaze met mine as I stopped just in front of her. She didn’t speak or move as we discussed her future and I was almost impressed. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a bun and flecks of her cousin’s blood covered her pale skin.
“I know that,” I said. “And I’m not interested. But still. She’s useful.”
“About as useful as that fuck.” Pavel gestured at Vlas’s body. Blood and brains leaked from a hole in his skull. My gun’s barrel still felt warm.
“That fuck was dangerous,” I said. “He had to be taken out. She’s nothing. And she’s related to Maksim. So think about it—”
“Fuck this,” Pavel said.
“If you pull that trigger, you’re next.” I said the words fast and stared at Pavel like I wanted to blow his head up with my mind.
A hint of surprise drifted across the girl’s face.
Pavel’s eyes narrowed. “You joking?”
I held my gun ready in front of me hip-height. I didn’t raise it, but I didn’t need to.
“You know I’m not,” I said.
Pavel’s hand clenched hard then he let out a frustrated growl as he dropped the barrel from Robin’s head.
“Fine,” he said. “But if Hedeon is pissed, you’re taking the fall. And she’s your fucking burden.”
“Fine,” I said.
Pavel let loose a string of curses in Russian likening me to a donkey’s diseased genitals before shoving his gun back into his shoulder holster. Poor guy didn’t get to fire off any shots and he was probably most annoyed about that.
I held out my hand. Robin Volkov stared up at me with poorly concealed shock and loathing.
“Get up,” I said.
She ignored my hand and got to her feet.
Her tight black jeans were splattered with gore. It made her look like some kind of death goddess. The sleeve of her loose gray t-shirt was ripped from when Pavel shoved her to the floor. Her lip was split from when she tried to fight back.
“This won’t work,” she said.
“What won’t?”
“Maksim doesn’t give a shit about me.”
I tilted my head. “Should I just kill you then?”
She opened her mouth then shut it again. Her glare of defiance lit a fire in my chest. The neck of her shirt was disheveled and stretched enough to show a hint of her breasts. I couldn’t stop my eyes as they roamed her tight body.
“That’s what I thought.” I gestured at the back door. “Let’s get moving.”
“Bringing a fucking hostage,” Pavel said to himself as he stomped toward the kitchen. “What the hell is he thinking?”
I did my best to ignore him. “Keep moving,” I said to Robin.
“Let me get some things.” She looked over my shoulder at me. “Unless you want to get me clothes and all that stuff?”
“Nice try. Keep moving.”
A small smile spread across her lips. She looked forward and followed Pavel into the kitchen. Dirty dishes heaped in the sink. A pizza box sat on the counter. Remnants of old coffee still lined the bottom of the pot. Pavel opened the back door and gestured us both through.
