Page 83 of Shot For Mercy

An hour later, I’ve gathered all my men and have them get into vehicles. Luca is driving me and my brothers, and we even pull up the third row seating for Matteo and Natasha. I want them to be protected with us. This vehicle has tinted and bullet-proof windows, and I’ve realized I can never be too careful. Who knows if she’s tipped him off? What if Sokolov knows we’re coming? What if this is all a trap? She has no reason to help us. None.

Except for Matteo.

Swallow your fucking pride.

* * *

We pulled up about two miles from the safe house, which is in the middle of nowhere, and now we’re on foot wading through the woods. Thankfully, we’re wearing snow gear, because we’re knee-deep in white powder. I fucking hate the snow. But I’d do anything for Cole, so I suck it up and don’t complain. I don’t say a fucking word as I lead the way, with Luca at my side and Matteo right behind us. I look back and see Natasha is flanked by Petrov’s men, and I let out a deep breath.

Fuck, I’m nervous. I can’t help it. We’re about to storm into a house with twenty men. One of us might die, and I can only hope it’s not one of my brothers. At least if I die, I know Matteo will take care of Cole. I try not to think of that, though, mostly because it makes me murderous all over again, and my son has been helpful in helping us find him.

We’re completely silent as we slowly make our way toward the house, the only sounds being loud breathing and the crunch of our boots in the snow. My feet are cold and cramping despite me having great boots, but I try to ignore it as best as I can. After about an hour of walking, we finally make it to the edge of the house. I can see the guards surrounding it, and a shiver runs down my spine. The trees are all dead with no leaves, so really, we barely have any cover. They’ll notice us soon, which means we have to be ready.

“We need to split up,” I whisper and look back, and Matteo nods slowly. “Some of us take the front, the others take the back. We can’t let them escape.”

“Done,” Matteo whispers back.

My men and Matteo follow me through the woods and toward the side of the house, and Petrov’s men go toward the back, along with Natasha. I don’t focus on them anymore, though, instead we make our way out of the woods and toward the guards on the side of the house. I pull out my handgun with the silencer and shoot one of them in the head, and he falls over. The guy he was talking to is stunned into silence, and when he looks up at me, I shoot him too.

We stealthily press our bodies to the side of the house, and Luca leads the way. He’s at the edge of the home and looks over, then nods. We storm the three guards, shooting them all. One of them doesn’t die, and he shoots back until Luca is hit and slumps over.

Fuck.

No.

Not Luca.

I drag him to the side of the house and see he’s been shot on his left shoulder, which is better than I thought, and he just shakes his head at me.

“Keep going,” he says through gritted teeth. “I’ll be fine.”

I nod. “You,” I say through gritted teeth, directing my attention to one of the men behind me. One of my men. “Stay with him. Protect him with your life. If he dies, I’ll have your fucking head.”

He nods quickly, then comes to Luca’s side, standing beside him with his gun at his side. We hurry along, walking to the door, and I look back at my men. At Matteo. There’s a look of determination in his eyes; they’re cold and narrowed. His jaw is set, and I know he’s as ready as he’s going to get, but I ask anyway.

“Ready?” I search his face for signs of doubt, but there’s nothing.

“Let’s do this,” he replies.

Just like that, I open the door to the house, and we’re greeted with utter silence. There is no one here. Not one fucking soul. I look around the house and notice the living room first, but I barely glance at it. I’m a man on a mission, and I don’t have the time to take it all in. I’m in search of something, anything, that will lead me to Cole. When I finally find a set of stairs that lead to the bottom of the house, I signal my men to halt.

There, at the bottom of the stairs, right in front of a door, are two guards. I shoot one in the chest, and he shoots back, missing me but getting one of my men. He falls to the ground with a loud thud, and I curse, shooting the other guard manning the door in the head this time.

Fucking hell.

They probably already heard us, and when I look back, I see Natasha beside Matteo and all of Petrov’s men behind us. My brothers come to stand right behind me, and I lead the way down the steps. Once we make it to the bottom, I hold my breath and open the door. Loud music is blaring from some speakers, and I realize they probably don’t even know we’re here. So I hurry inside, my brothers flanking me, and we quickly begin to shoot.

I find Sokolov sitting on a chair right in front of Cole, who is hanging from the ceiling by chains clasped over his wrists. He stiffens when the shootout begins, but I don’t have time to look back and see what’s happening. No, I go directly to Sokolov, who’s pulling out a gun from his holster and aiming it at me.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I say with a smile. “It won’t end well.”

“No, what won’t end well is this.” He gestures toward Cole. “Him.”

“Kill him and I’ll bury you alive,” I reply through gritted teeth.

He grins. “Worth it.”

Sokolov turns toward Cole, pointing the gun, and I shoot him in the head. Unfortunately, his gun goes off right before he falls to the ground, and I notice the bullet hole in Cole’s right side of his chest. There’s utter silence, and then Matteo screams. I run towards Cole, and his eyes widen as he looks at me.

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