Page 67 of Vicious Vows

"What the fuck is so damn funny. This isn't a joke." Micha's cheeks darkened red and he furrowed his brows in anger.

"It better fucking be if you think I'm going to let you force me into doing anything I don't want to do. We already made a deal: either you honor that or you die." I fixed the scowl back onto my face and stared at Micha once again.

I was completely outnumbered but with the mess going on with my brother, my father, the traitors in my camp and now the uncertainty that was Faye, I was already on edge. I could take the four of them out without so much as breaking a sweat. At least that's what I felt like on the inside. My adrenaline racing through my body like a fucking racehorse.

"You better watch who the fuck you're-"

I don't wait for him to finish his statement. His words only proved to me that I'd made the right choice all those months ago to not work with him anymore.

I used the heel of my palm and jammed it hard against his throat. Not enough to kill him but enough to make him lose his breath. He falls to his knees and in a rush, the remaining three men rush me. I pull my gun from my back and raise it quickly aiming at Micha's men. I pull the trigger fast, taking one of them out. His blood splashed up into the air before sprinkling to the ground like rain as he fell.

The door behind me bursts open and in steps Yuri with his gun drawn, ready for the fight that I so desperately wanted. I don't even bother to look in his direction. If he goes down, Yuri knows the deal. Standing by my side means there's always a possibility that death is near.

I hoped it wouldn't come down to that, but I'm not going to tell him to run away. I'll take the help if he's offering it.

I pushed forward, setting my sights on the last two men in the room. I pull the trigger again, only to hear the sound of an empty barrel clicking. I'm out of ammunition.

Instead of getting frazzled, I throw my empty gun at the closest man's head, which catches him off guard. In an effort to stop the gun from making contact with his face, He threw his hands up leaving his body open. I rushed him like a linebacker, taking him to the floor where I slammed my fist into his face over and over. I kept up the assault until he was no longer screaming out in pain but instead moaning pitifully.

The viciousness of my blows vibrated through my body, shaking away some of the numbness that I felt inside.

A shadow drifts over me, and I realize the last man is standing over me with his gun drawn. I'm going to lose my life like this today, but I'm not too worried about it. At least I got to go out fighting. It would be a good death.

I heard the gun click behind me and waited for the pain to come, but instead of the bullet pushing through me, one pushed through the man standing above me.

My head snaps in his direction, and I see Yuri behind him, blood trickling from his mouth and anger clear in his eyes.

Yuri nodded at me once and took a step back as the final enemy fell to the ground. I stood up from the man I'd started to beat and walked back over to Micha, who was still gasping and clutching his throat on the floor.

"You see, Micha, this is why I don't want anything to do with you. You can't be trusted, and your ambition far outweighs your intelligence. Just because you're doing me a favor by supplying me with the guns this time, I'm not going to kill you, but don't for one second think I'm going to be indebted to you. Dominic Lochley is indebted to no one." I grab hold of Micha's head and bring down my forearm as hard as I can against the side of his head, knocking him out cold.

I sit back on my ass and look at the devastation I caused in the short time I was here in the back room with Micha. No joy creeps up inside of me. I don't feel fulfilled, and all I want is to get out of here as quickly as I can. Vaguely, I wondered if this was what my father felt like after years of being a crime lord. Did the appeal of being the most feared wear off? Did he still care what anyone thought about him when he walked out of a room? I thought it was the most important aspect of running my empire before, but today I wasn't so sure.

"We need to move, Dominic. I don't know if Micha had any other guards around. We don't want to be caught here defenseless," Yuri tells me, and I nod my head, getting up off my ass and closing up the crates of guns.

I pull the money out of my pocket that I had for Micha, peel off half the bills, and toss them on the floor for him when he wakes up. I could easily just steal the wares, but I didn't want to have anything to do with him after this final transaction.

Yuri and I boxed up what we needed and quickly transferred them to the car.

Now, with all the guns accounted for, all I needed to do was get the very last bit of the currency for Kumar, and I'd be able to complete the deal. At least this time.

I close my eyes in the car and let the motion of the car lull me into a meditative state. The high shrill ring of my phone in my pocket lurches me out of my calmness, and I want to reach over and break his phone the same way I'd broken my phone earlier.

"Yes?" Yuri answers right away. "Really? Okay, I'll let him know."

The sound of his voice taking on an excited tone had my attention. It sounded like good news. I hoped it was good news. I couldn't take any more bad news. Not after everything that was going on with me now.

Yuri looked into the rearview mirror and caught my gaze, a smirk on his face.

"Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on, or are you going to continue to look at me like a fucking idiot?" I asked and scowled at him.

"It's your brother. He's awake,"

I sighed in relief and leaned forward. Finally,

"Take me to the hospital,"

"What about the shipment?" Yuri questioned.

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