Viktor(80)

Viktor’s eyes meet mine, and when I open my mouth, he lunges for Vladim. The sudden burst of energy that he has surprises me and seems to catch Vladim off guard. He falls to the ground with Viktor straddling him, choking him.

The man next to me points his gun at them, at which point I holler and grab his arm. With a quick jab to the stomach and a kick to the balls, he’s on his knees, and the gun is mine. The first thing I do is shoot the motherfucker who tried to shoot me. One bullet straight through his head.

The gunshot doesn’t faze me, and it doesn’t stop Viktor or Vladim either.

They’re tackling each other, punching and kicking like wild animals, consumed by rage.

Something about their fighting makes me want to scream.

“Stop!” It comes out of me without thinking.

Viktor looks up while Vladim has him by the collar. “Shoot him!” Viktor yells at me.

I don’t know what to do. If Vladim’s really my father, then … “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can! He was going to sell you. Remember that neck tattoo? He doesn’t love you. You’re cattle to him.”

“Shut up!” Vladim smacks him again. “You fucking liar!”

“He’s trying to rip us apart!” Viktor says. “Don’t let him!”

“But …” The gun trembles in my hand as I point it at both men. “He’s … my father.”

“That’s right, I am your father. I wouldn’t fucking sell you. You’re my daughter. You belong in my company.”

“Don’t listen to him, Lexi!”

I shake my head. “Shut up. Both of you. Let me think.”

“Fuck that,” Viktor growls, and he hits Vladim in the jaw, and then kicks him in the nuts.

They roll over. Viktor’s on top now, and he’s smothering Vladim with his hands and knees.

“Stop! Please!” I yell. “Viktor!”

“You want me to let him live? After everything he did to you?” he says. “After this?” He points at his face, and it makes my stomach churn.

“If he’s my father …” I sniff.

Viktor frowns, but then relaxes his grip on Vladim’s throat.

“You love her that much? So much that you’d show me mercy?” Vladim laughs as Viktor crawls off him, taking deep breaths. He looks up at me, and I nod at him, trying to tell him it’s okay. I don’t know what to do, but I know that killing my own father doesn’t sit right.

“You think love’s gonna save ya?” Vladim growls. “It’s your weakness … your downfall.”

Then, out of nowhere, he pulls a knife and stabs Viktor in the abdomen.





Chapter 27





Alexis





I scream while Viktor howls and his body falls right into Vladim’s hands. He pulls out the knife and holds it to his neck.

That’s when I pull the trigger.

Tears run down my cheeks as I shoot my own father right in the head.

The knife drops from his hand; his limbs fall down to the floor like a sack of sand emptying. I drop the gun and immediately run to Viktor, who’s lying on the floor, blood pouring out of him.

“You’re hurt …” I say, grabbing him.

“Just a flesh wound,” he murmurs, laughing, and then cringing from the pain.

I tear off a piece of my shirt and wrap it around his stomach, making a tight knot at the end, which makes him groan.

“Fuck, don’t pull so hard.”

“That’s what you get when you give up.”

“Ouch. Do you have to be such a bitch about it?” he says, opening his bruised eye partially.

“Fuck, yeah. Don’t think you’re getting off easily after lying to me like that.”

He leans forward, coughing up blood.

“Don’t move,” I say, pushing him back, but his hand already reaches for my face.

“No … I just want to …” His fingers brush along my cheeks, my lips, my eyes. A smile appears on his face, and it’s a brighter smile than I’ve ever seen before. “You came back for me.”

“I couldn’t …” I sigh. “When I found out Vladim used my sister as a trap, I thought I could save her, but he had a backup plan. You.”

“What?” He frowns.

“He said he’d kill you if I didn’t stay there, but I knew it was a lie. He was gonna kill you anyway.”

“How do you know?”

“You told me. You’d betrayed him. That’s how you got the scars. I just didn’t realize that it was because of me …” I sigh. “Now, I get why you were so angry.”

His fingers brush through my hair, and he tucks it behind my ear. “I can’t be angry with you, Lexi. But I know you’re angry with me now.”