Daniel Volkov

Niko, Andrei and I left the loft at five in the morning.

Against the backdrop of a cloudy, rain-soaked sky. Our footsteps barely made a sound as we met up with the Kowalski siblings. They were waiting in front of two tinted SUVs they had rented for the mission.

Raven asked, "Where is the rest of you?" Her breath billowed from her mouth in the cold air.

I had no interest to explain. "It's just us. Let's go."

"What about Clara?" A hint of fear fractured her composure.

It clicked, then. What I had been suspecting all this time.

My mind raced, but I kept a mask of indifference. "She's with Charlotte," I said calmly, pulling out my phone to dial CJ. "I forgot to tell them where the rest of the bullets are. Be right back."

CJ answered once I was far not to be overheard. "Daniel! What's-"

"Change of plans. I need you to get to the loft. Raven is working for Tomasso to take Clara back. The moment I'm underground, she'll go after her."

He tried to argue. "I already told my guys. They'll get the girls. I'm coming to help you-"

"I don't have time for-" I snapped, desperation bleeding through. "You need to help them. Not your guys. You. I need you to make sure that she's safe. Please, CJ. You're the only one I trust."

"Don't...don't do this." His voice softened. "This is a death mission, son."

Andrei and Niko climbed into the SUV, Hugo was behind the wheel. Raven, Malik and Felix were in the other one.

"You're probably right," I said to CJ. "I have to go. In case I don't talk to you again..." My mom's friend. My chubby and loyal father-figure. "Take care."

I hung up before he could reply, my decision final. Casting one last glance at the loft across the street, my eyes lingered on the window of the bedroom where Clara was sleeping. The memory of her warmth still on my skin.

The drive to Tomasso was brief but tense.

There was a reason Andrei found the courage to show his feelings to Charlotte last night, a reason why Niko didn't have any objections. The three of us knew that last night could have been our final moment together. We'd bring this war to an end today. Even if it meant sacrificing ourselves. At least, we'd die knowing they had a chance at a better future.

By the time we arrived, the sky unleashed another downpour. Parking behind trees near the suburban house (even though Tomasso likely knew we'd be there), Raven's voice crackled through the earpiece.

"I'll be with Felix. Malik will take care of the guards. Get to the shed with Hugo as soon as it's clear. Felix will shut off their security and guide you to Tomasso."

Rossi soldiers stood sentry at the front, their forms blurred by the rain. Malik triggered a suspicious noise from the back, prompting the guards to dash over to investigate (or it could all be an act to fool us).

"Aaand security is officially off. Go, go, hurry!" Felix cheered through the earpiece. I wondered if this kid was clueless about his siblings' real agenda. "Good luck, everyone! Kick ass!"

Hugo and I hurried to the small shed, Andrei and Niko on each side of me.

Once we were inside, I scanned the dimly-lit surroundings, from one object to another. The gardening tools and outdoor equipments on the shelves. But most importantly, the metal frame on the ground, the entrance to the underground bunker.

Andrei and Niko looked at the back of Hugo's head, then at me. Their expressions mirrored mine, a mix of tension and panic. We had to take him down without causing a sound.

Hugo pivoted towards me and grinned. "Let's go."

I glanced at Andrei and Niko again. Hugo's smile faded as he caught our uncertainty.

"You heard the man!" I motioned at Baldzilla, then pointed at my earpiece.

Niko grabbed a shovel leaning against the wall and swung it at Hugo's face.

"What was that?" Raven hissed through the earpiece.

"We bumped. It's really dark here," I said, then choked as Hugo grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off the ground. My voice came out strangled. "A-and stuffy..."

Andrei threw a thick rope around Hugo's neck. I covered his mouth to stop any sounds. Niko swung the shovel into his gut. Then his knees. His face started to turn purple, veins popping from his temples, eyes bulging out of their sockets. Just a few more seconds-

"Hugo? What's going on?" Raven asked, now more suspicious.

Her voice snapped something back in Hugo. One second, he was snoozing into la-la-land. Next, he threw us off and snarled like an animal.

"Shit. Malik!" Raven called him to come to Hugo's aid. Well, even better. As long as we stayed inside, we could take down the sniper.

"R-Raven? Hey, where are you going?" Felix called out-Raven was on her way to Clara.

My distraction cost a price.

Hugo lifted Niko and threw him. Fortunately, he didn't break his spine on the metal shelves. Unfortunately, he flew right through the wooden door.

"Mr. Volkov? R-Raven and Malik left. I don't know where they went." Felix said over the earpiece.

Wait. Malik went with Raven? That's not good-

Six Rossi soldiers peered inside the destroyed shed with firearms.

I loosened a shaky breath.
Adrenaline pumped the silence.
Then hell broke loose.

The three of us broke into action like a synchronized machine. Lethal. Precise. Andrei's knife flashed as he struck. Niko unleashed a barrage of gunfire. Each movement controlled and fluid. Calculated, relentless. This was not just survival. This was revenge we starved for.

My revenge.

This was between me and the man who murdered my mother, and I failed to save her.

If someone had to die at the end, it was me. Not my brothers.

Niko and Andrei were safe. They had enough keep them distracted. So I slipped through the metal frame, climbed down the rusted ladder into the darkness.

At the bottom, I stepped onto cold concrete flooring. A hallway stretched before me, illuminated by a dim, flickering light, casting long shadows along the walls. It looked like a regular cabin, but the darkness made it eerie, and it smelled damp and stale.

"Okay, kid. You still there?" I whispered over the echo of my footsteps.

"Mr. Volkov? Hey, I see you! Are you underground right now? Why are you there alone?"

"Can you tell me where to go?" I stared at the doors down the hallway. "Not to be dramatic, but I'm kind of relying on you not to die in here. No pressure. Can you help?"

"Oh my God, oh my God, okay. Yeah. Yeah, of course. Okay, those rooms are empty. But there's a game room all the way at the end. The door on the right side, you see it?"

I stepped furthered down towards it, my finger on the trigger. "I see it."

"There's people there. I'm pretty sure that's where Mr. Rossi is hiding. But sir, I don't think you should go there alone."

"I'm not alone. You're with me. How many people should I expect?"

"I think ten."

Sweat trickled down my spine, soaking through my shirt. "Okay."

"I can turn the lights off to blind them. But you won't be able to see anything either."

"Do it."

"Are you sure-"

"No, but I'm out of options here. You're going to have to be my sight."

Pitch-dark cloaked around me. It turned so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. My heart thumped in my ribcage. Get your shit together, Daniel. Breathe.

I wrapped my hand around the handle and pushed it slowly open.

"They're hiding. There's another door on the left. About twenty-feet away from where you're standing. Don't say anything out loud," Felix whispered. "You got this."

Twenty-feet. Fifteen. Ten. Five. I reached forward blindly. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.

"Daniel?" Andrei called from the end of the hallway. Then Niko. "Where are you?"

Panic gripped me. "Turn the lights on," I whispered to Felix. "They can't see, turn the lights-"

"Hey!" Felix cried out. I froze at the sound of unknown men from his end. "No, please! I swear, I wasn't-" They must've hit him. He whimpered, stuttering. "P-please, stop..."

My heart splintered. "Kid..."

The lights turned on and the door opened. Tomasso grinned on the other side. I hadn't seen the fucker since he fled from the diner. Since the day I let him go and chased after Clara.

Not today.

I raised my gun to put a much deserved bullet between his eyes.

"Pull that trigger and they're all dead," he said.

Down the hall, I heard Andrei's grunt of pain. I heard Niko cry out 'no!" I heard my mom scream, but that had to be a hallucination. What was real and not real slipped like sand through my fingers.

"Either way, I win." Tomasso chuckled. "If you pull that trigger, my men will kill those bastards you call brothers. Then they'll kill Charlotte. Then they'll tell Clara that you traded her in exchange to run away, like the coward that you are. Or you can do the wise thing for once. Save them, like you couldn't save your mother, and come with me."

Dread spread through my limbs and numbed everything else. I could live with Clara thinking that I'm a coward. I could not live with more of my family's blood on my hands.

Tomasso stepped forward until the muzzle of my gun was a breath away from his forehead. He opened his hand, expecting my surrender.

I stood firm. "You want me? Fine. But they leave, right now."

"I'll spare them," Tomasso said with a cold glare, annoyed that I wouldn't break.

"Then I'm all yours."

That made him smile. His intentions were clear. He'd hurt me until I wished for death. He'd try to make me regret taking Clara from him. He'd punish me for falling in love with her.

But that's where he failed. How could I regret the best thing that ever happened to me?

A/N
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