Page 70 of Merciless Union
The door swings open. I get ready to pull the trigger.
But instead of Stepan, I see a younger woman. She’s crying, her arms wrapped around herself.
“What the fuck?” Nik mutters.
The girl is pushed into the room, a hand holding her in place by the neck. Stepan speaks from behind her. “Either come out of the room, or I shoot this girl.”
I shrug. “Then shoot her. She means nothing to me.”
“Oh, really, Maxim?” I hate Stepan’s tone—full of condescending fucking attitude. “I thought you had a soft spot for women.”
“Don’t know where you heard that.” I lift my gun higher.
“Please,” the girl cries out. “Don’t kill me.”
“See? She’s begging you, Maxim, to show her mercy. You would seriously kill an innocent woman? After you just married one?”
“Don’t mention my wife. Don’t even utter her name, you fucking bastard.”
“Oh, didn’t realize that would offend you so much. Ok, then. I won’t mention your beautiful wife again. But how about your sister? Could I mention her?”
I give no response except for the tightening of my hand on my gun. Stepan notices it. “Oh, so that’s a soft spot for you, is it? Your sister? But the question is, which sister?”
“Fuck this,” I mutter. I shoot the girl in the shoulder. She falls back, crying out. “George, make sure she’s all right.”
Stepan’s eyes widen, and he scrambles backward, running away.
“Come on,” I say to Nik. He follows me as we chase Stepan through the bar.
Nik fires and misses, shattering the front window instead. I give him a look. He has the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry.”
“You’re paying for that out of your salary.”
As Stepan reaches the front door, he spins around and fires off a shot. Nik stops next to me, letting out a grunt.
I keep chasing Stepan as he runs outside. I fire after him one more time, but I miss.
I fucking miss.
I can’t risk having a shootout in the motherfucking street. I hold a lot of sway over the police, but that’s with the promise I stay under wraps as best as possible. Even the police I own couldn’t save me from a very obvious street shootout with security cameras catching the evidence.
So I have to watch that little weasel run away. I’ll get my chance with him again. I still have a promise to keep.
I pause in the doorway, panting.
“Maxim,” Nik says behind me, not sounding like his normal, cheerful self. In fact, he sounds like he’s … in pain.
I spin around and rush to him. He’s kneeling on the ground, a hand clutched to his abdomen. Blood is seeping through his shirt.
“I don’t feel good,” he says before slumping to the ground. I catch him before he can hurt himself further.
“Fuck. Nik!” I hold him to me. The rest of the bar is empty. I’m sure all the civilians ran, and all my guys had already left when Stepan decided to try his dirty trick. The only difference is all the bullet holes riddled through the chairs and tables.
I lay Nik on his back, helping to press into his wound. “George, get out here!”
He comes running. “What’s going on?” His face goes white when he sees Nik slowly bleeding out.
“Come press down on his wound,” I order. He does as I instruct. I take out my phone with bloody fingers and call the doctor who works for me. “Get to the Silver House Bar now.”
