Page 37 of Flames of Ruin

Looking up at the guard, I threaten, “If anything happens to her, it’s on you.”

He nods in acknowledgement and disappears with her behind the shipping container to his parked car.

Daniil shouts, “Come on!” as he runs toward the docks.

I see Shado running toward us as we approach the pier.

“Get down!” He shouts, waving his arms.

Heeding his warning, Daniil and I quickly duck behind the nearest shipping containers.

Within seconds, the explosives he set on the freighter fire off, one by one, starting at the stern and ending at the bow of the ship.

The flames from the explosions heat the air and light up the night sky as I watch the entire destroyed ship and its contents burn, sinking into the dark water of the Edinburgh Port.

Standing up, I round the corner of the shipping container as Shado approaches.

“Where are they?” I growl through gritted teeth.

“They fucking got away. I w-was outnumbered,” he says, his breath coming out in short spurts. “I’m sorry.”

He turns his back to me to watch the fiery destruction.

That’s when I hear the click of a gun.

“Ah. No. They ran away, but I have business to attend to,” a thick, familiar Russian accent says behind me.

Turning around, I see Dimitri holding his gun up to Daniil’s head. Daniil stands there, still, waiting for him to pull the trigger.

“Betrayed by my own son, again,” he sneers. “Not only are you working with Draco here,” He waves his hand motioning at me, “but you told Mikhail of my plans.”

He makes a ‘tsk tsk’ sound with the click of his tongue as I draw my Glock from my hip.

He lets out a loud roar, laughing, “I wonder, who can pull the trigger the fastest?”

“That would be The Dragon,” I huff out, as I pull the trigger.

CRACK!

The bullet whizzes past Daniil, and collides with his father’s chest. With a loud groan, Dimitri drops to his knees behind his son as the gun falls from his limp hands and hits the ground. His body falls face first into the cement as his last breath leaves him.

A flash of relief takes over Daniil’s face as he drops his shoulders.

“I fucking owe you again, Draco,” he says as he walks toward me.

“I know what it’s like to kill your own blood. I would not put that on you,” I say as I slap his shoulder.

“Plus, you helped save my girl.” I pause. “We’re even.”

***

Leaving Daniil behind to clean up at the docks, I rush to Edinburgh General. The news of the attack is already coming across the radio and flashing across every television screen I pass in the waiting rooms.

Luckily, Shado pulled a favor with an inside person at the precinct and any mention of The Dragon was left out of all news and investigative reports. The only mention was my real name with the headline: “Drake Reign staves off attack by Russian mobster,” making this crime lord a hero, if only for a night.

As I approach the nurses’ station, their eyes grow wide at my appearance. Looking down, I see the bloodied, torn suit that I neglected to change out of in my rush to get here.

“Cecilia Bianchi, please,” I choke out. My breaths are ragged as I wait for them to respond.

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