Page 26 of Hostage of the Bratva

The men didn’t look too pleased to be here. After a couple of minutes, they headed around the side of the house. I could only hope they would stay a while so I could get inside. I neared the door carefully.

Lifting my head over the kitchen windowsill, I saw him. Bunny lay next to the counter. He lifted his head and turned itsideways. Skyler was right, he was adorable. I had to find a way inside that wouldn’t attract too much attention, though. Moving slowly to the other corner of the house, I peeked around the corner.

One of the guards stood against the front wall smoking. I couldn’t see the other one, but I considered his absence a good thing. He might be walking the front yard for a bit. For a second, I wondered if my car would make them suspicious, but it didn’t appear to bother the one smoking. I had parked it halfway before the house next door.

Moving back to the door and window in the kitchen, I tried the knob. But obviously, it was locked. I never even thought of getting her keys. I took out my hunting knife and slid the front end between the window and the frame. I could see the hook was halfway up and it should slip out of the ring with a little push.

I didn’t even think there may be an alarm system before unlatching the window. I froze and listened as the knife entered, and the hook fell out of the loop. Breathing out heavily, I was relieved that nothing screamed. So, no alarm. Bunny stood as I pushed the window up.

“Hey, Bunny,” I whispered while pulling myself into the window. Bunny gave a loud bark and I looked to the end of the house to see if the guards were coming. But nobody came running around the side of the house. I felt my stomach turning as I glanced back at Bunny.

“Quiet, Bunny,” I said, sliding inside. As my feet hit the ground, Bunny started growling. “No, Bunny, I am here to take you to Skyler,” I added, kneeling.

Bunny lowered the front part of his body, showing me his teeth. He wasn’t pleased to have me here. “Bunny, I am your friend,” I whispered, unsure how I would do this. I had not considered any of the factors presenting themselves to me. She said he was a ball of love; this was no ball of love.

I heard the two guards nearing as their voices became louder. “Crap,” I whispered. I should have taken them out. What was I thinking entering her home with them still outside? What if they saw the window and called for assistance before I could take them out?

Bunny growled again as I slowly moved towards the door. Watching him, I unlocked the deadbolt and rose against the door peeking through the corner of the window. The guards were only a couple of feet away. I would have to move quickly. Bunny was standing still, growling. I hoped he would stay put as I moved.

Opening the door, I stepped outside. “Hi there, guys,” I said as they turned their attention to me. “How are you doing today?” I continued as I closed the door behind me and approached them. They looked confused as they scanned me and then glanced at each other.

“Have you seen Skyler today?” I asked, coming to stand before them.

My fingers itched, holding the nightstick up my sleeve as my hand opened and closed around the handle. I didn’t dare take out my gun. Shooting would attract too much attention.

“Where did you come from?” one of the guards asked as he brought the tip of his gun to my chest.

“Whoa, guys,” I said, taking hold of the tip with my free hand. “I have keys, and I walk the dog twice a week, what is this all about?”

The guy with his gun pointed at me glanced at the other one. I knew this was it, it was now or never. I couldn’t wait for Dumb and Dumber to ask any more questions. I shoved the gun away and swung the nightstick at the guard's head. He was the bigger of the two and I knew I had to make the first hit count.

The gun dropped to the ground as he let go and gripped his head. Blood trickled down the side of his head, and he wentdown slowly with a soft cry for help. The other guard had lifted his gun as I stepped in and swung at his head.

He pulled back, and my swing missed. I was just relieved that he didn’t pull the trigger in his slight confusion. Looking him in the eyes, I realized the situation had dawned on him as clearness entered his face. He stepped back, raising his gun again.

“No,” I yelled as I lunged at him. As we collided, I grasped the tip of his gun and pulled down hard. We staggered for a second before we went down. I landed on top of him and didn’t wait for a reaction. As I felt my knees touching the ground, I lifted my hands and started beating his face in.

After a couple of seconds, I stopped myself and glared at the lifeless body under me. Blood was dripping off my knuckles. “What the…” I spoke out loud as I stood. Looking around, I spotted an outside tap and quickly rinsed my hands. This was all Mathieu’s fault. No one was supposed to be here.

I thought back to the matter at hand as I strolled to the door. As I reached for the handle, I considered pulling the car around. After a second, I decided it would be best as I didn’t want to be seen dragging a dog around in broad daylight. Not that I would even know how to do that with a dog his size.

I moved the two men against the house and tied their hands before pulling the car around. I didn’t know if the second man was still alive or not, but didn’t want to waste time finding out.

Once the car was in place, I opened the door. Bunny was lying down next to his bowls. I hadn’t expected him to be so well-behaved. But he started growling again as I stepped inside.

“There, there, Bunny,” I spoke as I slowly moved forward. He rose as I came closer and started stepping back. “Bunny,” I said as I lowered myself to one knee. “Come on boy, I want totake you to see Skyler.” At her name, he stopped growling for a second and turned his head.

This peace didn’t last long, though. As I stood and walked forward again, he lunged at me. His growling had turned into something quite scary. I turned as his mouth was about to close around my arm. I grabbed him around the chest and in the back of the neck as we went down together.

As he tried to get to me, I held Bunny to the ground with everything I had. Slobber and foam were coming from his mouth, and I no longer thought of him as a good dog. Although I had entered his home and Skyler had not been here in more than a day. I felt sure he was just very scared and confused.

Picking Bunny up around his waist, I kept a tight grip on the back of his neck. I wasn’t about to let him get a bite in. Shoving him into the back seat, I was relieved that I had turned up the window between the back and front. Bunny swung around but I had already closed the door on him.

Standing back, I watch him barking and clawing at the door. “I will most surely need to get the inside redone after this,” I said glancing around at the two guards. They appeared to be quiet. I closed the window and grabbed the two bowls, and the bag of dog food before I left the house.

Starting the car, I remembered she needed clothing. Running back in, I grabbed a couple of items and left.

Pulling out of the driveway, I passed a car and two people on the sidewalk. None of them seemed too worried about the barking dog in the back though. I made the drive through town a quick one. Pulling into the parking at the private docks, I pull up as close as possible to the docks where my yacht is parked.

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