Page 139 of Twisted Pact
Alexei
The gunfire shatters the perfect evening.
I’m already pulling on pants before Mila understands what’s happening.
My phone vibrates with incoming alerts from the security system. Multiple breach points, and at least twenty hostiles on the perimeter.
“Stay here,” I bark at Mila.
She scrambles out of bed and grabs her robe. “What’s going on?”
“Novikov.” I shove my feet into boots and grab my gun from the nightstand. “Get dressed. Now.”
More shots crack through the night, closer this time. Glass shatters on the first floor.
Dmitri bursts through our bedroom door, armed and dressed. “They’re coming from three directions. At least two dozen men.”
“The safe room,” I tell him.
He nods and turns to Katya, who appears behind him, looking shaken but composed. “Come on.”
I grab Mila’s arm and pull her toward the hallway. She’s still pulling on her shirt as we move. Dmitri leads Katya down the corridor while I keep Mila behind me.
Boris and Nikita appear at the top of the stairs. Both have assault rifles ready.
“South entrance is compromised,” Boris reports. “They used explosives on the gate.”
“How many got through?” Dmitri asks.
“At least eight. We took down three, but the rest scattered into the grounds.”
More gunfire erupts from outside. The distinctive sound of automatic weapons echoes through the estate.
“I’m going to get them to the safe room,” I explain to Boris. “Get back out there.”
We rush down the hallway to the hidden door behind the bookshelf in my office. I punch in the code, and the mechanism clicks. The door swings open to reveal a reinforced steel staircase leading down.
“Inside,” Dmitri tells Katya before he gives her one quick kiss. “Look after Mila.”
She doesn’t argue before she starts down the stairs.
Mila grabs my arm. “You’re not coming?”
“I have to end this.”
“Alexei—”
“Trust me.” I cup her face and kiss her hard. “I will come back to you. I promise.”
She searches my eyes for a long moment before nodding. “Don’t you dare break that promise.”
“Never. Stay with Katya.”
I watch her descend the stairs behind my sister-in-law before the door seals shut with a heavy thud. The safe room is reinforced concrete with its own ventilation system and enough supplies for a week. They’ll be secure there no matter what happens up here.
Dmitri checks his weapon. “Ready?”
“Let’s end this.”
