Page 144 of Bratva Knight

BOOM!

A huge, concussive force sent me hurtling into the air. I curved my body into a tight ball to try to protect myself and then slammed painfully into the ground.

Chapter Forty-One

Tatiana Andreeva

Isteppedthroughtherubble and into the well-lit arena, keeping my grip tight on the machine gun that was strapped across my body. My ears filled with the sounds of screaming, crying, people fighting. Smoke curled into the air, hindering my ability to see properly, and small blazes of fire burned bright around me, courtesy of the explosive we’d just let off. A blaring alarm rang out into the night.

I fired my gun, the recoil hammering into my shoulder.Thump, thump, thump.I didn’t differentiate my targets. I didn’t hold back, didn’t hesitate. Anybody who wasn’t a Volkov or part of our raiding party was free fucking game. Including the people buried beneath mountains of stone, crying out for help. The people who’d been sitting in the stands, cheering for the death of my Nikolai when we’d blown up the side of the Arena.

It had been a mission and a half to get there in time, and even then, we almost didn’t make it. Luckily for us, the majority of Talon’s army had been called to the Arena, so not only were we able to sneak onto the island relatively undetected, but with all the noise and bluster of what was going on, it was like a shining beacon in the night sky, telling us exactly where we needed to go.

We all split off into our pre-arranged groups. Drea and her brother with the Bratva and the cartel soldiers, and Arturo, Vincenzo and I with the La Cosa Nostra ones.

Each of us had a job to do. Drea and Juan were responsible for finding Aleksandr and Lukyan. Arturo was on Illayana. I was on Nikolai. Mikhail was on Dimitri. There was no set plan exactly. Just get in, find them and get out.

I couldn’t stop to think about what condition Nikolai might be in. Every time I did, it would almost cripple me. I had to believe he was okay. Anything else was unacceptable. If he was hurt…if he wasdead, I’d kill them all. Every. Last. One of them.

I stuck by Arturo’s side as we forced our way through the hole we’d blown into the side of the building, being careful where I placed my booted feet so I didn’t roll an ankle. The bulletproof vest strapped to my chest offered little comfort against the danger we were walking into. I had as many weapons as I could carry secured to my body without them becoming a hindrance. Hip, waist, ankle, thigh. A mixture of daggers and guns.

Dead bodies littered the ground. Far too many to count, most of them in pieces. Blood seeped deep into the sand. The air reeked of burnt corpses and rotting flesh. Of death and destruction.

Arturo and I spotted Illayana at the same time, crouched over the body of one of Talon’s soldiers, repeatedly smashing a rock into his face. My best friend had undoubtedly seen better days. She was covered head to toe in dirt and blood. Some of it others’. Some of it definitely hers. Her clothes were torn, her hair a frizzled mess.

Aleksandr was fighting around her, snapping necks and breaking bones, but I couldn’t see any of the other Volkovs. I couldn’t see Nikolai.

The panic inside me grew.Where is he?

The sight of Illayana made Arturo growl and he took off, charging towards her. He blew away anyone who came into his path, offering no mercy, no hesitation. Vincenzo and I struggled to keep up with him. He dropped to one knee at her side, his machine gun up and firing a stream of bullets as his soldiers surrounded us in a protective circle, keeping Talon’s men from getting any closer.

Illayana looked up, surprise flashing in her eyes. “Arturo,” she breathed. Her gaze darted to me and did a double take. “Tatiana, what are you—how did you find us?”

“Later,” Arturo snapped. He quickly unsnapped the bulletproof vest from around his body and then shoved it over her head, forcing it on her. Illayana didn’t fight. Whether that was because she didn’t want to waste the time or she just didn’t have any energy left, I wasn’t sure. She looked like she’d been to hell and back.

Aleksandr’s chest heaved up and down as he took a second to catch his breath, the surprise in his eyes mirroring Illayana’s. He was covered in blood, cuts and bruises dotting his skin. Exhaustion lined his face but he didn’t let it affect him, keeping his stance powerful and body ready for action.

I reached back and pulled a gun out from behind my back, offering it to him. He nodded in thanks, took the weapon, checked it over and then held it up, keeping watch over the area.

“Can you walk?” Arturo asked, helping Illayana stand.

“I’m fine.” Though she stumbled when she finally got to her feet. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist, holding her up.

“Illayana, where’s Nikolai?”

“Nik?” she looked around, still slightly dazed. There was blood running down the side of her face from a nasty cut. She pointed across the Arena, all the way to the other side. “The last time I saw him he was over there somewhere.”

I cursed. Between our position and there, it was like a goddamn battlefield. Bodies everywhere. Some alive and fighting for their lives, others lying motionless on the ground.

“Give me a gun,” Illayana demanded, pushing out of Arturo’s arms to stand without his help.

Arturo shook his head. “No, you’re hurt. I’m getting you out of here.”

“I’m not leaving without my family!” she hissed. “Now give me a fucking weapon.”

Arturo growled before handing her his machine gun. She checked it over quickly, like Aleksandr had done, before holding it up.

“Is that Drea?” Aleksandr stared out across the field, eyes narrowed in concentration.

---