Page 44 of Born into Darkness

Niki’s voice pulls all our attention over to him. “I’m in. I’ve disabled their security system, and I’m looping the security cameras. When you give me the signal, I’ll cut their power and jam their signals.”

“Nice work, son,” I tell him, and then I turn to the others. “Let’s go get Max and Talia the fuck out of here.”

I give my youngest one last look before getting off the boat with the others. When everyone is standing on the beach, three of our men take up position in the boat with Niki. I know they’ll guard him with their lives, and the local who’s driving the boat is under strict orders to get the fuck out of here if everything goes to shit. I’ve already told our guys to get Niki back to the plane and fly him home if it comes to that. I won’t leave Simona alone. The very least I can do is ensure that one of us survives and gets back to her.

Vasily signs something to his son right before Bran takes off down the beach, disappearing into the dark jungle without a sound. There’s an elevated ridge near the compound that he’s already picked out as the ideal spot for him to set up. Thermal imaging shows that this area is empty, for now at least. The majority of Lorenzo’s men are patrolling the compound or stationed around the makeshift runway that Val was flown out from.

For now, no one knows we’re here, but that’s all about to go to shit. As soon as we start killing, all hell is going to break loose.

“Jesus,” I hear Luka say before giving a soft laugh. I follow his gaze to see Sasha and Volodya deep in conversation, both of them holding out a knife as if it’s fucking show-and-tell time. Volodya grins at something Sasha says and then takes the knife he offers. Misha and Yuri join them as their dad examines the blade. Volodya gives a nod of approval before handing it back, and Misha says something that has all four of their psychotic asses grinning. Sasha slides it back into the sheath on his thigh and points off to his left. He already has a plan in place. It’s a simple one that involves him killing as many people as he can. He’s on a mission tonight, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

Dima looks at his wrist and says, “Bran will be in position in fifteen minutes.”

Vasily comes to stand by Val and me. “My son will give us cover fire. Volodya and his sons are heading out with Sasha, and Valeri and his son will be with us.”

Vitaly hears him and watches Sasha pull his skull mask low before giving a nod to his dad and then disappearing into the dark with the others right behind him. They all ignore their guns and instead have knives in hand. Dario looks like he really wants to join them, but he’s assigned to our group, so he stays put while Vitaly shakes his head and says, “I guess every family has one.”

“You mean a complete nutcase who enjoys killing way too much?” Valeri asks.

“Yep,” Vitaly says. “One of those.” He laughs and adds, “Or three, in your case.”

“Oh, let them have their fun,” Lev says. “Just think about how happy it’ll make them.”

“It really will,” Luka agrees. “Sasha’s been downright giddy for days about this.”

“All right, let’s get into position so Niki can cut the power,” Roman says while checking the thermal imaging to make sure we’re still alone. He adjusts his earpiece and motions for Timofey to take his team and start circling around. Dominic gives the command for his men to take the other side, and the rest of us start the walk to the main house where Max is being held.

From right behind me I hear Vitaly tell Vitya, “Don’t you dare get shot. My daughter will never let me hear the end of it.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Vitya says, “but it’s so sweet that you care.”

“You carry snacks, Vitya,” my brother says. “It’s very important you stay alive.”

Vitya gives a soft laugh, knowing his father-in-law loves him but is too damn proud to admit it. Valeri overhears their conversation and looks over at them. “You have snacks?”

Vitya groans while Vasily smacks his brother’s arm and says. “If we survive this, I’m sure he’ll share his food later.”

If I wasn’t sure of everyone’s ability, I’d be worried right now, but I know they’re highly trained and just fucking around to relieve stress. All that fades away as the mansion comes into view. Tension replaces the lightheartedness from just moments ago, and when we stop outside the perimeter, I give Niki the message to shut it all down. In seconds, the large, lit-up house goes dark along with the security lights surrounding the property. We switch to night vision goggles and stay low, following Val around to the side of the house. Switching to thermal imaging, I see two figures coming towards us, and motion for the others to stop. The men are still too far away to see without the goggles, but when the others switch their night vision over to thermal, Dario immediately scoots up beside me, indicating that he’ll take the man on the right. I nod and creep along the brush while he fans out to cover the other side.

Dario’s voice is a whisper through the earpiece I’m wearing when he says, “They’re not wearing Kevlar. Chest and neck are exposed. AR-15s in slings, but a loose grip. They’re not expecting trouble.”

Since they haven’t heard any gunshots and the security cameras are set to loop footage, they must assume the power outage isn’t a breach. I’m guessing all that will change in the next few minutes. My fingers tighten around the grip of my knife, adrenaline coursing through me while I watch them through my goggles. The soft, indistinct sounds of Spanish drift closer, and as soon as they’re close enough, Dario whispers, “Now,” right before we both jump out, taking the men by surprise.

Before he can fire off a bullet or scream for help, I clamp a hand over his mouth and sink my blade across his neck, severing the carotid on both sides, leaving a gaping wound that’ll kill him in less than a minute. It’s a messy death, covering us both in blood within seconds as he loses consciousness and goes limp in my arms. He’s nothing but dead weight when I toss his body in the small ditch next to the man Dario took out.

“Let’s go,” I tell the others. They hear me in their earpieces and are already heading towards the house when Dario and I join back up with them. The thermal imaging shows several more bodies getting closer, and the mansion is filled with them. We get about ten more seconds of peace before gunshots start going off around us. The unmistakeable crack from Bran’s sniper rifle joins in the chaos, and when I look to the group that was coming up on our right, all their heat signatures are now lying on the ground.

“Goddamn,” Vitaly mutters from beside me, but I barely hear him over the continued gunfire.

“This way,” Val yells, leading us around the mansion and to the side door they’d used to release him. We have to stop and shoot several guards, but when we get there, it’s unlocked and no alarm goes off thanks to Niki.

The power is still off, and as soon as we start down the hall someone fires on us. Dario shields Tony, protecting the doctor while Val, Luka, and Vasily return fire. When it’s safe, we start walking again. Keeping an eye behind us, I make sure no one can sneak up on us, but when I tap the button on my goggles to switch back to thermal, I don’t see any heat signatures.

Rapid gunfire echoes through the massive house, but none of it is directed at us, and we manage to make it down to the next level without any interference. The halls feel labyrinthine in the dark, but Val doesn’t waver, directing us through lefts and rights until we’re finally at the basement door.

“Go,” Matvey tells me. “I’ll watch the back.”

He and Lev take my place so I can be at the head of the line. I’ve never once allowed myself to think that this might be a body retrieval mission instead of a rescue, but now it’s all I can think about. I’m terrified to tap the button on my goggles, scared to death that I won’t see anyone alive beyond this door.

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