Page 41 of Ashfall
It takes a good few minutes for the haze to settle and allow us to see more clearly, the low wind working in our favor to clear it. The building for the trucks no longer stands, the charcoaled shells of both vehicles only partly remain, still alight and engulfed in a roaring inferno. The part of the substation wall that was closest is also missing, and a few windows have blown out, the shattered glass all over the front compound. My teeth grind as I think of how that could have been the end of any of us, if not for the cameras Adam installed when we arrived yesterday.
Congratulations, Graves. You’ve just earned yourself an extension in hell when we get our hands on you.
I look at Noc, who still holds me close to his chest, his breathing like a drumbeat against mine. He's staring straight ahead, and there’s a murderous haze in his eyes as he clutches me tighter, I nudge him slightly to bring him back to me. ''Hey.'' He breaks his glare to look at me, less vengeful, but that lethal look in him never leaves. “We're all here,” I whisper for only his ears. He nods and runs his hand up and down my back.
He stands, helping me get to my feet whilst calling out to the unit “Everyone good?” A joint chorus ofyessounds around us.Even though I know we all made it safely away, that dread still lingers at the thought of how close we came again to death.
Adinggoes off at our feet, the chime an upbeat tone compared to the bedlam we stand amongst. Adam marches over to pick up his phone which he had dropped when the blast knocked us over. I watch the moment his eyes widen, as he reads over whatever message he's received. His worried gaze locks with mine as he looks up at me. “That was surveillance, they tracked the plates. The car was picked up at the airport over two hours ago.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
nyx
There's always a plan B for scenarios like this. If we ever need to evacuate back home, or abandon a mission, we have a contact. They’re located in the US and can provide us with everything we need to get home.However, this isn't our usual type of emergency. With Graves gone, he could have reported us as hostiles. Therefore, we’re entering unknown territory. Adam hacked the airport camera, and low and behold - Graves got on a flight back home. We have no idea what he's said or done before returning to the US. He may have even used our unit's escape route to get him safely back. Hawk thinks that’s exactly what he's been conjuring from the shadows.
Noc on the other hand? Unsurprisingly, he also has a Plan B. One he’d hoped to use once he brought Graves down, but seeing as we're in the shitshow we're in, this is the only option we have - and it comes at a hefty price. “Seven of us.” His voice cuts through the chill of the bitter wind, which is currently sending an arctic blast through my thermals. We’re idly walking along the road that leads from the base to the closest town. Hawk and Hunter stayed back at the base, destroying every bit of evidence we were ever there, except for Graves’s laptop – that’s coming with us. They’re planting a detonator to destroy the wholebuilding which they'll activate once they reach us. Something sadistic in me is looking forward to the fireworks; it feels like it marks the end road of Graves’s circus.
We managed to safely get inside our quarters, which hadn't been affected by the blast. We took all the evidence of Graves with us, along with changing into civilian clothes and packing our bags. It would lookslightlysuspicious if all of us rocked up in nocturnal tactical gear. You'd take one look at all our hardened exteriors, and assume we were part of some paramilitary shit. Plus, all seven of us travelling with no luggage to the US? Yeah, I'm not up for being detained in this country. “I need a vehicle, one that can fit that number in. I'll give an extra twenty.”
I glance over at Noc, wondering just how much money this man earned during his time here. I’m not sure I want to know the deeds required to earn it, or the ones he's done on the side. But I no longer let the questions fill me with doubt. I know it all leads to the same road. “I see.” He catches me staring at him, and he winks, confirming he's got it under control. “Spasibo.” He strolls towards me, wrapping his iron arms around my shoulders, pulling my back to his front. “He'll be here within the hour.” I rest my head against his chest, a breath I didn’t realize I was holding exhales. At least we won't have to steal innocent civilians’ cars.
We look like a bunch of hitchhikers, not Tier-1 level soldiers. We’re all scattered at the side of the road, which thankfully is bare of passersby. I think they’d take one look at Noc and think twice before offering him a ride. My ears twitch at the sound of footsteps jogging towards us, Hawk and Hunter out of breath from sprinting their way here. Hawk folds over, placing his hands on his knees when he finally reaches us, fighting to contain his breathing. I tease him, “You need to work on thatcardio, old man.” It earns me a middle finger from where he's hunched, making me smile.
Everyone settles into their own conversations, and something that’s been treading at the back of my mind sparks to life. I take the opportunity to finally get the last bit of clarity from Noc. “Graves told me that your dad was involved with some… questionable crowds. And that was the reason you joined the military, that a special ops force killed him. His words were ‘for vengeance’.” A surprising rumble vibrates along my back from Noc’s sinister laugh. “I see the old prick’s getting better at his storytelling. But no, Brodie. That’s not entirely true.” He takes a deep breath, and I twist in his grip so I can look up at him. His eyes have that familiar sadness licking the edges, the same kind I would see when we used to tiptoe round this subject five years ago.
“Yes, my father ran in the wrong crowds. But it wasn’t special ops that took him out. It was one of Volokov’s men.” My brows furrow, but I don’t dare interrupt him, not when he’s willing to share something he’s always hidden from me. “When I tell you Graves and Volokov have worked together for years, I meanyears. He wasn’t as high a rank, but Graves got kidnapped by Volokov’s men on a deployment. Long story short, that’s where their deal was initiated.” He pushes his thumb against my scowl, straightening it out. “But Volokov’s original organization was already close to collapsing with how close the military were to closing in, so Graves cut him a deal: he’d ensure Volokov was spared, allowing him to rebuild.”
He clears his throat. “My dad, in the early days, would do jobs to earn him money to send home to my mother and I.” His eyes glass over with something I can’t quite put my finger on, but it’s gone the moment he blinks. “Some of those jobs were for Volokov, and he messed up an arms deal one time. The only thing Volokov’s guards left of him was his hand.” I watch asthe muscles along his jaw constrict, and my hand reaches out to sooth the painful memory. “When I joined the military, I told them the reason I wanted to join was to stop people like Volokov. To stop them bleeding into the minds of the desperate, because that’s what my father was. Most people from where he came from had nothing, and turning to a life of crime was an easy, but perilous way to support your family – if you had the guts for it.”
He stares straight ahead, eyes glaring off into vast woodland. My heart hurts for him, and I realize now that this is all well beyond me, beyond everything. This is personal. “Did Volokov know about your father?” I ask.
His eyes eventually find mine again, and they’re softer. “Graves did. He found it in your mother’s files. It was the reason she reached out to me in the first place, and he used the information perfectly to cover his tracks. She knew I would help. But Volokov? He never mentioned it, not that he would remember. My dad was merely a part-time foot soldier, the bottom of the barrel. He went through so many, he likely lost count.”
Something catches in my peripheral, and I look over his shoulder to see two vehicles come into view. My fingers itch to grab a gun I no longer have, and the nerves start to crackle beneath my skin. Noc tightens his grip around me. “It's Ivan.” The cars pull into a grassy area a couple yards ahead, and we all tread towards them. Two men exit both vehicles. The one at the front is a white Audi, and a middle-aged man gets out, possibly in his fifties - his car in a more pristine condition compared with the blue rusted people carrier at the back. A younger, similar version of him exits that car. “Nocturne.” The man I assume is Ivan, speaks with a thick Russian accent as he shakes Noc’s hand, turning to introduce the younger male to him who he says is his son, Alex. Alex glares up at Noc, eyes widening as he takes him in.Yeah, try being my height buddy.
“Govori po-angliyski, dlya nikh.” The only word I picked up was English, but Ivan nods and looks around us, slightly unnerved. “Of course. There's seven passports and additional documents in there, should you need them. When you reach the desk, look for Maria. She has reserved the tickets for you. Alex has hired the car, no trace back to you. Park it in this bay and he'll retrieve it in a week." Ivan hands Noc a large beige envelope, which he opens and checks everything, looking back at Ivan with a sharp tilt of his head.
The meeting is swift, and they exchange thanks. As soon as we separate and head towards our transport, the ground beneath our feet trembles slightly. Several thunderous booms follow, and there's a quick breeze that hits us, fighting through the trees. The second fireball of the day stretches high above the tree line in the distance, smoke curling and breaking the calm of the grey sky above. It displays the chaos unfolding below it. Ivan looks at Noc, his brow arched in question. Alex smiles at the image of destruction just beyond our reach.
It tookus five hours to reach the airport, but thankfully the flights we have booked aren’t for another three hours. Otherwise, we’d need to wait until tomorrow. Noc manages to locate Maria at the reservation desk, and my eyes roll. She seems to be another female who can't keep her eyes off him. I can only assume she’s flirting with him in their mutual language. Hawk leans against the desk by his side, his eyes darting from Maria to me, and I can tell he's trying not to laugh at the look of unfiltered jealousy that’s written all over my face. I casually walk up to the desk, Hawk pushing off and strolling to meet me halfway. His voice is low, but I can hear the playful undertone in his words. “Please play nice. That’s an order, Nyx.” My eyes narrow to slitsas his laugh fades away behind me, one that he's obviously been struggling to hold.
Noc automatically raises his arm when I'm a couple feet away to let me in by his side, as he continues to speak withMaria. He doesn't even have to break eye contact with her, sensing my presence the same way I know when he's looking at me in a room full of people. I give her a petty smile, and I don't miss her disappointment as she darts her eyes between us. “Zhena?” Another word I don't know, but I feel him smile against my temple as he places a kiss there. “Da, ona yest.” She prints out the remaining tickets, giving him one last flirtatious smile, but it drops as quickly as it formed when she looks at me.
I can't even entertain the devilish thoughts in my mind, so I decide to follow Hawk’s orders. But not before I remain there a couple seconds after Noc leaves, hoping she can sense the hazard in my eyes. Which works, as always. She scurries away through a door behind her, her heels, which she almost topples over in, furiously clacking off the magnolia tiles.Shame. My hand is gripped at my side, Noc tugging me to walk with him behind the rest of the group, heading towards the check-in desk. “Your territorial nature gives mine a run for its money, Malyshka.”
The team manages to get through without any issues, and I breathe a little easier. But the unease is still there as I wait for the clerk to go through Noc’s and my documents. He stares at them for a beat longer than I’d like, my ears prickling when he says, “Have a safe flight Mr and Mrs Romanov.” I scrunch my brows and stare at him. When we walk away, I double check my documents to look at my passport again. I rehearsed the information in it during the five-hour journey here. “Let me see your passport.” I hold out my hand to Noc, like someone eagerly waiting for their pet to give them a paw. He licks his bottom lip as a smile breaks free, causing my eyes to narrow at him. Heslaps it into my palm, and I flick through the pages to see we have the same surname.
My mind thinks back to Maria and what she said when we collected our tickets. “What doesZhenamean, Noc?” my heart's skipping in a little rosy circle as I connect the information in my head, but not wanting to embarrass myself by saying it out loud. He makes me feel like a giddy schoolgirl around him, not the brutal killing machine I've crafted myself to be. But I'm met with silence as he guides me by the small of my back into a clothing store, switching to take me by the hand as he swiftly grabs an item off the rack, directing me towards the changing rooms. “Noc, what the hell?” I whisper yell. Why has he dragged me in here? He locates an empty changing room to step into, pulling me inside as he whips the curtains closed, the material in his hand clanking off the ground as the metal hanger is long forgotten in his hand.
He takes a seat on the small black stool, one I fear might collapse with his size, never mind us both as he tugs me to straddle his lap. His eyes have darkened, the greyish blue barely visible from the way his pupils have dilated. “Wife.” A shiver trickles its way down my spine, that one single word feels dominating, yet curled in his velvet tone makes me feel intoxicated. “It means wife, Brodie.” My lungs constrict, and I feel a blush threatening to scorch my cheeks. I can't seem to get oxygen back into my pulmonary system.
“You married us without my prior consent?” I say.
I try to act indifferent, but I can’t help the stupid grin that’s starting to hurt my cheeks. “On those fake documents, yes.” His hand snakes around the back of my neck, fingers splaying through my hair as he holds my nape. “You're mine, Brodie. My all-consuming obsession. Always have been, always will be. You're the heaven to my hell. And if I'm damned to an eternitywith the devil, then I'll happily go and serve him, knowing I was able to dance through this life with a fallen angel.”
The final enduring piece of ice melts around my cold and frozen heart. It expels as tears spill from my lashes, and I allow them. His other hand comes up to my cheek, slowly wiping them away. I lean my lips to meet his, and our kiss is sacred. Devoted. Eternal. When he pulls away, his eyes close as he rests his forehead against mine. I follow his lead, letting his words carve themselves into my memory until the end of time. “Marry me, Brodie, when we end this. Say you'll give me this honor, give me anything you're willing to offer. In return, I'll give myself to you entirely and worship you like the goddess you are. We'll fight, we'll heal, but we’ll stay together until our last. No more running away.”
My breath hitches in my throat, and I manage to push past the emotions to speak. I force myself to have the courage his words need from me, what he needs from me. “I will Lev, you've always had the entirety of me, it's always been yours. There's not a single day gone by that I could truly deny it to myself.” I glide my hand along his sharp, stubbled jawline, and look into his burning eyes.
