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Grigory sniffled and tried to feign that he cared. It was all he had left. “You wouldn’t kill your father.”
“You aren’t my father,” Mila snapped, poised to shoot. “Not where it counts.”
Mila aimed for her father’s head, fully prepared to take the shot. But a moment went by, and he was still breathing. Her hands began to shake. She wore a brave face, but her strain told me everything I needed to know.
She lowered her gun, and Grigory’s eyes glimmered with hope.
The shot from my gun echoed inside the cellar, clean through his head. The words caught in Grigory’s throat as he swayed from the momentum, killed instantly. He toppled over and hit the cement floor without another sound.
Mila looked at his body courageously, trying to remain unaffected. But I could tell it was still a difficult thing to handle.
I reached for her, pulling Mila into me. She tightened her arms around me, finally taking her eyes away from her father’s body. She released a shaky breath.
“Are you alright?” I asked, peering down at her with only understanding in my gaze.
Mila nodded, then pushed back, remembering herself. “I’m fine. We need to get Kat out of here.”
Not needing to be told again, I led the way toward the door Grigory had gestured to and lifted my gun out of precaution. I pushed the door open, only to tuck my weapon away once more.
Kat sat at a desk, facing away from the door. She had noise-canceling headphones over her ears, eyes glued to a tablet screen. Her feet kicked happily in the chair, unable to reach the floor.
Mila’s strangled cry of relief tore me from my stupor immediately, letting the relief wash over me. She hurried over with me in tow, capturing Kat’s attention. She pulled the headphones off her head and lit up at the sight of us.
“Mama! Daddy!” she called, working to get off the chair.
We both caught her before she could touch the floor, overjoyed to see her safe and unharmed.
“Sweetheart,” Mila croaked, pulling her in for a big hug. She squeezed her warmly, letting go of a tender laugh at how amazing it was to see our daughter again. “Are you alright?”
Kat nodded, seemingly unaware of what had happened. “I had lots of snacks.”
“We can have even more at home,” I cooed, running a hand through her dark hair, unable to hide my smile. “How about we take you there now?”
With another nod, Kat went into Mila’s arms happily while I grabbed the folded blanket that sat on the table, wrapping it around her.
“How about you keep watching your video until we get into the car,” Mila said, handing her the screen. I slipped the headphones back over her ears until she was comfortable and blissfully unaware of the action going on in the rest of the house.
“What now?” Mila asked me, satisfied yet ready to get our child out of the crossfire.
“We go back out the way we came. Ivan and Aleksei likely have the head taken care of. The others will be waiting for us outside.”
Mila nodded, falling into step behind me as I drew my gun out once again. From the floors above us, shots rang out, signifying the fight was ongoing. She tensed behind me, but with a look of reassurance thrown in her direction, she followed.
We hurried up the stairs, slipping back into the cleared portion of the house. Our men were there, waving us through. More guns fired from up above, and Mila clutched Kat to her tightly. All the while, our toddler was unfazed, glued to the tablet.
Despite the gunfire and tough lifestyle my family chose, I would always try my hardest to keep my daughter safe.
Not trusting that we were absolutely in the clear, I shielded Mila on the way to the SUV, face stern as we moved through what was left of our men still outside. There was a struggle from within the house, but it didn’t concern me. Word floated around of Alphonse being dead, and I hoped it was true.
I had faith my brothers knew what they were doing.
Hysterical in her relief, Mila tried to fight against her happy tears, so engrossed in Kat as we moved. I pulled the door open the moment we reached the vehicle, and Mila climbed in with Kat still in her arms.
Closing it behind me, I moved to the driver’s seat and closed the door again. Locking it for good measure, I finally let go of a deep breath. With the key in the engine, I brought it to life and pulled out of the driveway.
I glanced through the rearview mirror as I merged onto the road and drove off, watching how Mila made sure Kat was buckled in and comfortable. She kept her arm around the little girl, gazing down at her with so much love in her eyes.
A child could never be without their mother. Fortunately, we didn’t have to be without her either.
