(Shortly after Tess left…)
When the elevator doors open and Luca, Viktor, Liam, and Gabriel step into the penthouse, there’s a surge of energy in my veins.
The rest of the Priesthood has arrived.
Viktor comes to hug me, and even though it feels awkward as fuck, I accept it.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he mutters before pulling back, anger brimming in his voice.
“Thank you,” I automatically respond. Even though violence is expected in the lives we’ve chosen for ourselves, it still hits like a motherfucking bitch whenever we lose a loved one. Going after the elderly, women, and children isn’t condoned. You take out soldiers, men who can fucking fight.
Luca jabs his thumb over his shoulder. “We brought extra men.”
I start to nod when the elevator opens again. Emotion hits hard when I see Lucian, Luca’s father, stepping into the penthouse with Alexei Koslov and Demitri Vetrov, Viktor’s uncle and father – aka the best killers our world has ever produced.
Lucian comes to stand in front of me, and placing his hand on my shoulder, he says, “I respected your father, Nikolas. We’re here to honor our alliance.”
Jesus.
Clenching my jaw, wishing my father was here to witness this moment, I reply, “Thank you, Mr. Cotroni.”
“Let’s drink, then we kill some motherfuckers,” Alexei chuckles darkly as he makes his way to my liquor cabinet.
Slowly, the corners of my mouth lift.
There’s no way Manno will survive this attack.
“I’ve been keeping a close eye on Manno’s house in Toronto,” Viktor says. “There’s been no movement. The last person entering the house was the nephew, Ricco.” His eyes lock with mine. “I think they’re hunkering down after attacking you.”
“Fucking cowards,” I grind out through clenched teeth, rage vibrating through me once again.
“We’ll fly to Toronto,” Luca says. “Once everyone’s there, we go straight to Manno’s house and attack.”
“We’ve dealt with this kind of attack before,” Lucian jumps in. “It would be best if we hit from two sides. We split into two groups, one striking from the back, while the other breaches from the front.”
I nod in total agreement.
“We’ll take the back,” Alexei mutters before downing a tumbler of vodka.
“Whoever gets to Manno first doesn’t kill him. He’s mine,” I state, my tone firm and commanding.
The men nod their understanding.
I take a moment to look at each of them, so fucking thankful for the alliances my father and I have formed with them over the years. “I appreciate this.”
“It’s time to finish this. Let’s go,” Viktor orders.
As we start to leave the penthouse, I send Tess one last message.
If I don’t make it, you stay fucking loyal to me until death. I love you, Theresa. Now and forever.
I know I’m asking a fuck ton, but I swear I’ll haunt her sexy ass if she ever lets another man touch her after my death.
“Checking earpieces,” Andreas says. It takes a couple of minutes for everyone to verify their earpieces are working.
I strap on an armored vest and make sure I have full clips in all my guns.
Up ahead, I see Lucian’s convoy turn right down a street to approach Manno’s place from the back.
Andreas picks up the rocket launcher, and standing up in the Jeep, he balances the weapon on his right shoulder.
“In three…” he starts to count down. “Two…” We turn the corner, Manno’s house upfront in a quiet cul-de-sac. “One.”
The Incendiary grenade launches with a whistle, and seconds later, part of the front wall and gates are blasted wide open.
I’m here motherfucker.
Manno’s guards scatter like fucking rats, and the moment we drive over the rubble, breaching the front, the machine gun starts rattling in my hands.
Before Viktor can bring the Jeep to a stop, I jump over the side and crouch, spraying the left side of the grounds with bullets. With every man I hit, every body dropping, intense satisfaction fills my veins.
You killed my father, Helena, and tried to fucking take out my wife and sister. Today you’ll meet your maker.
“Nikolas!” Andreas shouts over the heavy gunfire.
I glance in his direction, and when he starts moving forward, I quickly move to catch up with him.
My men pour onto Manno’s grounds as we come from the left side of our motor brigade. They provide us with cover while Andreas and I pull pins from grenades, throwing them at the guards opening fire on us.
It’s destruction, death, and hellish chaos as we begin to move closer to the house.
A bullet slams into the front of my armored vest, knocking the breath from my lungs, but I manage to keep my balance. The sharp pain spreading up into my chest makes it hard to breathe for a moment, but I don’t stop firing.
I’m revenge.
I’m wrath.
I’m the fucking reaper.
Just as I load another clip, slamming it into the machine gun, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Not now, baby. Your man’s a little busy.
Two guards come out of the front door. Fuckers. They open fire, and Andreas and I return the fucking favor.
Running, we take cover behind the low wall surrounding the porch. I suck in a deep breath of air, my chest still tender from the shot to my vest.
I nod at Andreas, and then we’re up and firing shot after shot as we move up the stairs.
“Duck,” Viktor shouts. Both Andreas and I fall back and take cover behind the porch’s wall again, just as there’s an explosion by the front door. The one guard comes flying over the wall, dropping a couple of feet from me.
I don’t even think, but just react. Launching myself on top of him as he shakes his head to catch his bearings, I bring the butt of my machine gun down on his face.
Letting out a growl, I beat the shit out of the fucker, more satisfaction flooding my veins as blood splatters and bones break.
I keep crushing the hilt of my gun against his face, his head, any fucking piece of flesh I can find. Brutal and merciless until I’m sure the fucker is dead.
Climbing to my feet, my breaths are harsh as I join Viktor, Luca, and Andreas. Liam and Gabriel move around the right side of the house with a group of our soldiers.
Viktor grins at the dead man. “Nice job, brother.”
I let out a chuckle, then we hurry up the stairs, and climbing over the rubble, we enter the fucking house Manno’s been hiding in like a pussy.
“Law enforcement’s been taken care of,” Luca says. “They won’t be interrupting us anytime soon.”
“Good, because I’m far from done,” I mutter as I glance around the entrance hall, vigilant for the slightest sign of movement.
“We’ll take the first floor,” Viktor says, and he and Luca head up the stairs, their backs to the wall and guns raised. Andreas and I move into the living room.
Gunfire keeps rattling the air.
‘Breaching from the kitchen,’ Alexei’s voice comes over my earpiece.
“We’re in the living room,” I tell them, so they don’t fucking shoot us by accident, should we cross paths.
Shots ring from upstairs, and it has Andreas and me moving faster, on guard as we enter a study.
“Nothing,” Andreas mutters.
I motion for him to keep quiet, then point at another door. We inch our way closer, guns at shoulder level. My heart pounds in my chest as my breaths slow down.
Slowly, I reach for the doorknob. I lock eyes with Andreas, and as he nods, his gun trained on the door, I shove it open.
Both Andreas and I fire just as another shot hits my vest, this time making me stagger two steps back.
Andreas darts forward, opening fire and spraying the room with bullets, but then he takes a shot to his left thigh and drops to his knee. The sight of my friend going down tears a roar from me. I empty the clip of my machine gun, and reaching for my Glock, I continue forward until I get to the now dead body of a guard.
“Save your ammo,” Andreas snaps. “He’s dead.” He lets out a chuckle. “Fuck, it stings like a bitch.”
Unbuckling my belt, I yank it from the loops and crouch by Andreas. I quickly tie the leather around his thigh, making sure it’s tight as fuck, then wrap an arm around his back, helping him to his feet.
“You good?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“Any sign of Manno?” I ask into the earpiece as we start to move out of the room.
‘Nothing.’ The answers come one after the other.
