AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I lay the bowl down against the wall, continuing onward with less hesitation. I reach the next wall quicker, feeling along it until I realize it’s just drywall. Can’t I break it?
I test it with a light knock, but it doesn’t sound hollow as I hoped it would. Still worth a try. If I can disappear into the walls of the house, I might be able to find a way out without ever risking being see by the guards.
My knuckles hit the wall harder the second time, but it only leaves a slight dent. I could resort to punching it, but I’m starting to suspect there’s more than just drywall to break. There’s probably more concrete on the other side, rendering it impossible to dig through.
Surely, Anatoly isn’t dumb enough to give me an easy way out.
I give up on getting through the wall, shuffling along it to the next wall, and then to the next until I arrive at the door. There aren’t any light switches, of course, but I can see the faintest outline of light from the door now.
It’s either that, or I’m starting to imagine things. Boredom is far more dangerous to the human mind than fear, and there’s not a whole lot to do in an empty room.
But instead of curling up into a ball and succumbing to the hopelessness that surrounds me, I begin crawling across the floor in a zigzag pattern, hoping to find something that I can use as a tool or weapon.
40
Pasha
I’m too stressed to smoke, but Boris is puffing up a storm from his seat at the far end of the conference table. We’re in the rarely used war room in the basement of my house, making plans with a dozen leaders in our Bratva community. Each one of them is capable of handling a hundred soldiers, and I plan to take full advantage of that when we go in for the kill.
Not only do we need to be hard and fast, we also need to be stealthy on our approach. Doing that with so many men isn’t easy, but it needs to be done or Anatoly will have time to hold Valerie hostage and halt our attack.
The address that Johnny gave us is accurate, as far as I understand, so we know where the house is. It doesn’t appear on regular search engines or maps, but we have access to satellite imagery from local weather stations, and the house is definitely there.
Like mine, it’s surrounded by woods, but we can use that to our advantage. If we mask our approach by moving through the forest instead of down the road, we should be able to reach the house undetected.
Things start to get fuzzy from there. Breaching an entire mansion isn’t an easy task, even with how many men we have. There’s no way of knowing what it’ll be like inside, or what traps Anatoly has in store for intruders.
Furthermore, we can’t even be sure that Valerie is in the house. If this turns out to be a dud operation, Anatoly will know we’re coming for Valerie, and things will escalate quickly.
Although, I don’t see how he wouldn’t know that I would plan a swift counterattack to take back the woman who’s rightfully mine. He can’t possibly think that I’d let her go that easily. He’ll have to kill me to stop my efforts to get her back.
But perhaps that’s his plan. If this is a trap, I’m going to have to be extra careful on our approach, sending in a smaller team first and holding back until they’ve breached the house.
I can’t stand the thought of not being at the head of the charge, but Boris has reminded me at least half a dozen times already that people will die in this attack. I’m not permitted to be one of them, or it’s all for nothing.
“We move in at sundown,” I say, pointing a red laser at the projector where the satellite imagery of Anatoly’s estate is on display. “We waste no time waiting any later than that, though. As soon as the sun sets, we’re on the property and moving toward the house.”
Boris blows a smoke ring down the table, nodding as the others follow his lead and nod with him. It feels good to have fullsupport over a mission like this. Nobody is willing to question why I’m taking such drastic measures over a woman, but Boris knows the truth.
Without Valerie, we’re doomed.
Not only that, but I will have failed as a man.
As a lover.
A quiet anger flows through me as I continue my presentation, going through every possible scenario of what Anatoly could have at the house. We’re moving in on foot first, and then there will be a second wave of armored vehicles rolling in once the silence has been shattered.
Anatoly is not to be killed by anyone but me. If possible, we will capture him and bring him back to undergo a proper Bratva trial and execution in Russia. Otherwise, I will have to kill him, but I won’t have anyone do it for me.
This needs to be kept in the family.
I think about my father as I go through various images of possible layouts inside the house. If he knew I was on a mission to kill my brother, would he be disappointed? I know I am, but those feelings aren’t directed at myself.
They’re toward Anatoly.
It’s his fault that I have to do this. He has brought it all on himself by refusing to leave Valerie and me alone. We deserve peace, and he is the only person standing in the way of that.
Boris nods in approval at every new slide. He’s the only person who understands the full gravity of the situation we face. It’sa delicate dance between boldness and stupidity, but there’s no other choice.
