Page 146 of The Cute Psycho

There's a split of a second where Vlad pushes me back behind the altar, his body on top of mine as more gunshots ring out—this time the noise more powerful than before.

"Shit. They brought out the big guns," he mutters, his hands opening a cabinet behind the altar table and taking out a few weapons of his own.

"Where is Seth? Or Maxim?" I ask, worried he might truly be outnumbered this time.

"Don't curse me out, Hell Girl, but I actually sent Seth to watch over your house. They must have grabbed you right before he arrived," he explains, a little exasperated. "Afraid it's just me for now."

"You better not get yourself killed. Or me, for that matter," I mutter as more shots are aimed toward the warehouse doors, the entire thing riddled with bullet holes.

"Never." He stares at me intently before brushing his lips ever so lightly against mine. "Stay hidden," he whispers before arming himself to the hilt and going out to greet his guests.

It's only as I look around at the already fallen men that I realize his chasing game had been all aboutnotdrawing blood. And as morearmed men burst into the warehouse, I know it's only a matter of time before he truly snaps.

And everyone will be sorry to have woken the beast.

The playfulness starts to recede as he jumps in front of one man, moving his weapon out of his reach before knocking him out and turning the gun on the others around. It's a massacre as he shoots like a madman, a smile of pure bliss on his face as five men drop to the ground.

For a moment, I have to wonder just how many more are coming, as more and more trickle inside the warehouse.

Vlad continues the shooting, ducking and hiding when the fire is directed toward him, using the tables as shields.

No one stood a chance.

It's as clear as day as he rains chaos on them, his glee audible as he kills man after man. Bullets are flying through the air, the icon behind me becoming riddled with holes, the sounds deafening.

"Drop your weapon," I hear someone yell. Sneaking my head around the altar table, I see Vlad in the middle of the warehouse, breathing hard.

There are four more men in front of him, all of them pointing their guns at him.

"Interesting to see you all working together," Vlad jokes, walking around slowly, "do you even have any more bullets in that rifle of yours?" He nods toward one man's gun.

"You're dead," the man hisses at him.

"Am I?" he asks, feigning surprise. "Let me tell you how it's going to go, old chap. That rifle in your hands holds at most thirty rounds." His eyes rove over the other men, a smirk on his face as he zones in on their weapons. "Someone hasn't been counting," he chuckles.

"What..."

"Come on, shoot me if you can," Vlad says, spreading his arms like an eagle waiting to be poached. "You can't, can you?" He shrugs, amused.

I smile too, realizing he'd been baiting them to shoot all their rounds, counting the bullets.

Damn, that's impressive.

"Don't move." I feel a breath on my neck as a hand sneaks over my mouth, forcing me to move from behind the altar. The barrel of a gun is jabbed against my temple, his words sending shivers down my back as he takes delight in telling me just what he'll do to me after killing Vlad.

"You're not the only one with an ace in your hand, Kuznetsov," the man behind me speaks out, pushing me forward as I almost stumble to my feet, the gun still menacingly at my head.

Vlad turns slowly, dangerously slow, his gaze clouded as he takes in the man behind me. The smile is completely gone as he takes a few steps toward us.

"So this was your marvelous plan," he adds drily, "band together ononeman."

"You've been upsetting some pretty important people, Kuznetsov. We're merely delivering the message." His hands tighten over me, and my gaze flies to Vlad's, worried about what will happen next.

He looks between the two of us, suddenly a bored expression on his face.

"Let's count, shall we? I see at least fifteen men on the floor. Five more to go. What do you think the odds are?" he asks, his hand lowering ever so slowly with the tilt of his head, his gaze back on me.

My eyes widen as I realize what he's trying to communicate, and I give him a slow nod.

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