Page 143 of Bratva Butcher

One of the teens turned around.

Stopping in front of them, I lowered my voice and said, “Wanna make a thousand bucks?”

Ten minutes later, the fire alarm inside the Mixton Hotel went off. Occupants from inside came rushing out in a frenzy, fearing for their lives, one of them being Talon.

Adrenaline soared through me when I saw him. He was surrounded by his security team, but the street was pure mayhem, people pushing and shoving trying to get to safety.

The teen I’d paid to pull the fire alarm inside the building rushed across the street over to me, and I slipped the wad of hundreds in his hand without taking my eyes off Talon.

He smiled. “Thanks, man.”

“Thankyou. Now, get outta here.”

He nodded and joined his friends, taking off quickly.

“Okay, smart move. Now what?” Mikhail asked, making sure to stay behind the car and out of view. “How do we get him away from his security detail?”

A good question. From what I could see, he had an eight-man team. Like Mikhail had said earlier, they all had some sort of military training. It was clear in the way they stood, in their hyper-vigilant focus and their professionalism. The way they didn’t let the craziness happening around them distract them from their goal; protecting Talon.

Sirens blared through the night from the approaching fire trucks and police vehicles. If we didn’t act soon, they would declare it a false alarm, and everyone would be allowed back into the building.

“What if we just let him see us?”

“What?” I asked, looking down at Mikhail.

“Think about it. The second he sees us, he’ll probably want to make a run for it. We could get him then.”

I studied the men guarding him. “Half of his guards would probably break away to engage while the other half took him to a safe location.”

“Okay, so we just let him seeyou. I’ll hide, and when he takes off with his guards, I’ll follow him. You can take four, can’t you?”

I gave him a deadpan look. “Don’t insult me. Of course I can.”

Mikhail nodded. “Alright. Sounds like a plan. Now, we just need to figure out a way to get his attention—”

“Stay low,” I ordered, pulling out my car FOB. I pressed a button and a loud, piercing, alarm blared into the night from my car, the lights flashing.

Eyes in every direction snapped to me, including Talon’s. His gaze widened, and with frantic movements, he tapped one of the guards on the shoulder and pointed at me, shouting in his ear.

The guard—a big man with a buzz cut—barked something at his men, and just like I’d suspected, half of them came runningtowards me while the other half grabbed Talon and began sprinting down the street.

“To your left. Go!” I hissed under my breath. Mikhail went left and I ran right. The four guards pursued me, not even looking in Mikhail’s direction.

I slipped down an alleyway and took cover behind a large dumpster. Footsteps echoed around me as the men followed me in.

“Spread out,” one of them commanded. The sound of guns being cocked hit my ears. “Find him and dispose of him quickly. We need to get back.”

I silently pulled out my gun and waited, holding my breath. The one street lamp in the alley provided minimal sight, but it was just enough to be able to see the shadows as they moved past me.

They moved together well. Like a well-oiled team. No holes or weak spots in their formation. There was one in the front, one on the right, one on the left and one bringing up the rear who had his front facing out towards the entrance of the alley, walking backwards and guarding their six.

Sneaking up behind them was out of the question.

Screwing a silencer onto the barrel of my gun, I looked around me for something useful. An empty tin can of food lay at my feet. I picked it up and hurled it across the alley. It smashed into the wall. As one, the guards all swung their guns towards the sound and I jumped up.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four bodies dropped to the ground.

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