AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, it is!” I returned sharply, clenching the gun tight. Taking a deep breath, I whirled around, the gun lifted. Claude’s eyes widened as he faced the muzzle. That was all I saw before I squeezed the trigger. There was a sharp pop, and then I watched in horror as my sibling tottered backward, a circle of blood fast blooming across his chest.
In the next breath, Claude collapsed, and I kicked away from him.I did it. I fucking did it!Panting with stilted breaths, I struggled to my knees. Everything hurt. When the adrenaline wore off, it was going to be so much worse.
With my molars clenched tight, I rose, elation soaring through me that I ended the monster. Standing over his body, I debated sending a second bullet into his skull. The chest wound was deadly, but the caliber was small.We can’t have him coming back from the dead.However, I didn’t know if I wanted to risk it. The first shot might have been hidden by the violent video game and thundering rap music downstairs. I would be pushing it with a second shot, and I might need the remaining precious few bullets to escape.
One of my combat instructors had said, “Never put your back to the enemy unless you’re sure they’re dead.” It was good advice. With those words flittering through my mind, I reached out and clutched my knife, then bent down to slide the blade along his neck, opening his throat. Hot, sticky blood spewed onto the carpet.
“Take that,” I hissed, a fiendish smile on my lips. Damn, I was dark. What the hell was wrong with me? I was...deliriously pleased my tormentor was gone.
But I didn’t waste time contemplating the twisted state of my soul. I quickly tipped the dresser on its side, pushed it in front of the door, threw the lock, then spun on my heels and rushed to the window.
“Dammit,” I rasped when I looked outside. The thugs werestillplaying with my ride. I couldn’t slip out and get in the car while they were there. Running around on these streets wouldn’t work either, not as a lone female. With no cell phone, I was fast running out of options, but a quick glance behind me confirmed Claude’s prostrate body was worth it.
The score between me and Constantine was even—one enemy was dead. I drew a shaky inhale. Killing didn’t come naturally to me, no matter my training. But there was no regret in my veins that this was my kin lying dead. Claude was nothing to me. This was the bastard who’d beaten me, taunted me. When I’d been trained to work as an angel of death for my father, hardened to do whatever was necessary, they never knew the creature they created was going to get a deep satisfaction taking out one of their own.
A shout outside drew my attention. It was followed by a dark pickup pulling up to the curb.Oh, shit.I knew the shape of the man in black who was driving the truck. There were more shouts, and then three vans pulled up. Russians. A small spark of satisfaction burst in my chest to see the street punks cower before the real might of the underworld.
Constantine stood behind the open door, his powerful handgun pointed through the open window of the truck. As if he could feel me watching him, he lifted his gaze and scanned the house. He didn’t find me behind the dirty glass, but he knew I was there. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. He was here; he was going to see what I’d done!
I hugged my upper arms, breathing through the panic. This was it—the moment I didn’t want to face. He was either going to start to forgive me and rebuild our broken relationship, or he was going to shut me out of it completely.
There was nothing else I could do to prove myself to him. For the first time in my life, I found myself praying that killing Claude would be enough.
Leading the advance, Constantine approached the house with lethal grace. I felt a sense of pride as I watched him, but as soon as he disappeared from view, reality slammed back into me. I turned to remove the barricade on the door and winced as I stepped over a pool of Claude’s blood.This has to be enough. I brushed a finger across my lip. It would have been easier to just shoot my brother as he came into the room, but the fight was necessary. The struggle meant the victory was earned. I just hoped the butcher would see that.
Chapter 58 – Constantine
The little snots werenothing. In the face of militarized criminal organization, they slunk back. I half expected one of them to do something rash like fire rounds into the air, but today proved not the day for stupidity disguised as heroics.
As the mass of Bratva emerged from their vehicles and took up defensive positions, two thugs slipped into the house, no doubt warning others of our arrival.
Pissed as hell at the Russian, I couldn’t help but admire the courage of the bastard, and that he’d spared a small army of his best men to follow me into this fight. We’d not had time for words after he announced Talia snuck out. It was the lamest excuse ever. The Russian had helped her leave and was now playing hero to set it right.
As Viktor stepped up beside me, I realized that after this show of force, I would look like an ass if I yelled at him. The tricky fucker probably knew it too.
I couldn’t understand why Talia was here. What in the hell was she thinking? My security expert would have been quick to accuse her of showing her true colors. But I couldn’t find it in me to doubt her hatred of her family. While I wasn’t ready to forgive her and repair the shattered relationship between us, I was done suspecting her motives. Iryna’s death had been a shock, and unfortunately, it had turned me into a monstrous beast. After I’d dealt with her family, Talia and I would most likely part ways since this was nothing more than an arranged marriage for personal gain.
