Page 115 of Koroleva

We managed to reach the target floor feeling screwed.

"They might be using Andrey or Aleksa as human shields. Watch what you shoot at, make sure it's not them, I don't trust these bastards, I have a bad feeling." I sought Romeo's gaze, which was anything but reassuring.

"Nikita is right, keep your eyes peeled, let's not kill our own."

We crouched on either side of the door. I was sweating like everyone else and boiling with impotence because they had

screwed us. Romeo counted down with his fingers.

3, 2, 1.

44

You can't harm my people

Aleksa

The shots and explosions came without warning.

I was about to confess everything they wanted when the first gunfire was heard.

Our captors became nervous instantly, especially the one holding me, who started yelling at the man with the rod, named Liú. I didn't have time to give him the false location I had thought up for Miss Wang.

My strategy was to lead him towards Dante and have him sound the alarm, although I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be necessary anymore. Something told me that, somehow, our people had found us. Maybe one of our patrols saw us being forced into the car and followed us, and they didn't intervene earlier because they were waiting for reinforcements. Whatever the case, we had a chance to get out of this alive.

My captor went over to his companion to confront him, and he put his hand to his ear. I hadn't noticed that he was wearing an earpiece. He repeated the same words over and over again. It seemed like their device was malfunctioning or something. Luck was starting to smile on us.

"Is something wrong?" I asked jokingly. I flashed a smile while the guy in charge of the operation yanked the device out of his friend's ear and stomped on it. He came towards me, furious.

"Shut up! You're coming with us!" he exclaimed, threatening me with his gun. He turned his face towards Liú and shouted something in his language.

The man with the rod came over to me and dropped it on the ground. He pulled out a knife and went for the ties binding my hands to the armrests.

"Don't you dare move, or you're done for!" the leader of the operation spurred me on. I had no intention of doing so, or not just yet. To make any significant move, I had to be completely free, and then, may Buddha help them, because I wasn't going to stop until they were dead.

I remained silent, feeling my first wrist free. My eyes flew to Andrey; he was worried. He didn't move an inch, hanging in a position that must have been killing his shoulders. His head hung down and it seemed like he was still breathing, though I wasn't entirely sure.

"Come on, Russian, hang in there, it takes a lot more than the electrified stick of a stupid Chinese to screw you up, surely those are the cheap ones."

As if he had heard me, he slightly raised his face and gave me a lethal look, followed by a subtle gesture to bring them towards him. Then, he discreetly lowered his head again. That was all I needed for an adrenaline rush. We were in this together, and we were going to screw them over.

I now had both wrists free and the barrel of the gun pressed against my temple. The Chinese man kept hurrying Liú, clearly anxious.

The sound of gunfire was getting closer. I slightly moved my neck, and the gun pressed tighter against my skin.

"Don't you dare move, or I'll blow your head off," he threatened, agitated. Liú knelt down to go for my feet.

"I would never dream of it with such delightful treatment from you," I murmured, calculating the movements I needed to take them down. "Hey, Liú, while you're down there, clean off the left shoe for me; it's got a nasty stain on the tip. I think it's crap from your boss because he knows you're in deep trouble."

"Shut up!" the Chinese man squawked.

"Touchy, aren't you? You weren’t one of the creators of 'Takeshi's Castle,' were you?"

One ankle free, one foot to go.

"If you keep yapping, you won't live to talk about it," he threatened. He had no intention of killing me; he wanted the information he thought I possessed, so it didn't suit him to end me with a bullet in the temple.

All I was trying to do was make him nervous.

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