Chapter 5 - Blood on the Concrete
|
The suppressed gunshot sounded like a sharp, violent cough in the echoing warehouse.
Gregory screamed as the hollow-point bullet tore through his right shoulder. The impact spun him around, forcing him to drop his pistol, which clattered loudly against the concrete floor. He collapsed to his knees, clutching the bleeding wound in shock.
Hannah shrieked, pressing herself flat against the wooden crates, squeezing her eyes shut.
Victor stepped out of the shadows, looking like a demon summoned from the rain. Water dripped from his dark hair, his face a mask of pure, unleashed fury. Marcus and the rest of the tactical team flooded the room, securing the perimeter in seconds.
“Victor!” Gregory gasped, his eyes wide with profound, unadulterated terror as he stared at his boss. “How... how did you find me?”
Victor didn't answer. He walked slowly across the concrete, his boots making a heavy, deliberate sound. He stopped in front of the bleeding estate manager.
“You broke my gate,” Victor said quietly. “You took my ledgers. And you touched a woman under my protection.”
“Victor, please, listen to me!” Gregory begged, coughing as the shock set in. “The Romanovs... they threatened me! They said if I didn't get the books, they would kill my family!”
“You don't have a family, Gregory,” Victor stated coldly. “You sold your soul for five million dollars. And you thought you could use a widowed mother to cover your tracks.”
Victor turned his head, his gray eyes finding Hannah. She was trembling violently, staring at him in disbelief.
He didn't put his gun away. He stepped over Gregory and knelt beside her.
“Are you hurt?” Victor asked, his voice suddenly dropping its lethal edge, becoming startlingly gentle.
“No,” Hannah breathed, her chest heaving.
Victor pulled a combat knife from his belt and expertly sliced through the thick zip-ties binding her wrists. Hannah let out a gasp of relief, rubbing her chafed skin.
“Boss, what do we do with him?” Marcus asked, pointing his rifle at the sobbing Gregory.
Victor stood up, turning his cold gaze back to the traitor.
May you like
“Take the ledgers back to the car,” Victor commanded his men. “And leave us.”
Marcus nodded, grabbing the books. The men filed out of the warehouse, leaving Victor, Hannah, and Gregory alone in the dim light of the lantern.
