Page 41 of The Devils' Darling

“Do you want us to shoot them in the knees for you?” the man Tino called Leon asks casually. “They’ll live but be in screaming agony.”

Tino’s lips purse, but he shakes his head. “No, even that’s too good for them.”

Kirill walks over to his father and stares him deep in the eyes. “You’re going to die now. I hope it was worth it, you disgusting piece of shit.”

“You think you can kill me and take over?” Grigoriy spits back. “You’ll be dead in a month. The sharks in Moscow will eat your entrails.”

Kirill cocks his head. He’s still pale—still eerily calm—but that blankness is receding. “Ah, that’s touching. You think I want your shitty empire?”

Grigoriy frowns. “It’s your birthright. What else will you do?”

“Not be you. That’s enough for me. Oh, but I will do one thing.”

“What?”

“Take my fucking watches back.”

Of all the things Kirill has said to his father, this seems to offend him the most.

“The fuck you will!” Grigoriy yells, rearing back.

One of Tino’s men is holding Grigoriy’s arms, but the huge Russian lunges forward and headbutts Kirill right on the nose.

Blood splatters across Grigoriy’s face as Kirill’s nose crumbles. The crunch is horrific and turns my stomach, and I let out a scream, clamping my hands over my mouth. Before any of us get the chance to react, the bastard attacks again, smashing his forehead into Kirill’s skull this time. Kirill goes down hard.

“Fuck,” Tino shouts.

He races to Kirill, and two of Tino’s men bend to check him over.

“He’s out cold, but he’ll come around,” one of the men examining Kirill says. “We need to get him laid down and quiet for when he does”

“How do you know?” I ask, trying not to cry.

“Combat medic in my previous life,” he replies. “Can we take him out to the vehicles? I have a medical kit.”

Dom glances at Tino, and they both nod. “Yes, it’s probably best he doesn’t see this next bit, anyway.”

“You need checking over too, Miss,” the ex-medic says.

“Not yet,” I argue. I can’t leave this room right now. Not until I’ve seen justice done.

“But Miss?—”

I interrupt. “I promise when this is over, I’ll let you thoroughly check me out. But I swear I am okay.”

“She’s good,” Dom says, surprising me by taking my side.

Tino takes charge, addressing his men. “In fact, you all need to leave. Place two men outside the door and two at the top of the stairs, but give us some privacy.” He jerks his chin at the priest still cowering in the corner. “And take him with you.”

The priest holds his hands out in front of him. “Please, don’t kill me. I won’t say a word, I swear. I never wanted to be here. They made me, just the same way they made you. I know how to keep my mouth shut.”

Tino takes his phone back out of his pocket and snaps a photograph of the cowering man. “Just know that if you ever say anything, we will find you.”

“I won’t, I won’t.” He does the sign of the cross again. “I swear.”

“Okay. Leon, let him go.”

Leon and Diego exchange worried looks, but they nod. It’s clear they know how to take an order.

---