Page 124 of Wicked Arrangement

Andrey always was one of my better fighters, born and brought up in the US, as an ex-Navy Seal he’s beaten odds worse than this before. I’m grateful that he’s here. We might be a small group, but I guarantee we’re more highly skilled than Sharkozi’s motley crew. Filip’s one tough son of a bitch who’s a mean shot and skilled with hand-to-hand combat.

“What’s our plan, Pakhan?” Sergei asks.

“I need Andrey, Filip, plus one of Filip’s best men in close combat with medic experience,” I say and he nods his approval. “We will enter and extract Jackson’s team, we’re also on the lookout for Kim and her grandmother, Emma. They could be inside.” I pray to god they aren’t. “The rest will maintain our line until backup arrives, we have a strategic advantage here, it stops too many men getting inside.”

Everyone nods to confirm they understand their jobs. “Alright. Cover us!” I say to the remaining men as my team moves toward the house.

The opposition goes wild at our arrival, returning fire in a hail of bullets, but our team has the advantage. Whenever they expose themselves to fire at us, our team takes them out.

Through the chaos, I can hear a few men exclaim: “Is that Yaroslav Volkov? Innokentiy said he was dead?”

The exhilaration of the upcoming fight and adrenaline makes me laugh and I let out a loud howl like a wolf.

“The wolf is coming for you boys!” Andrey jeers howling too and sounding equally as pumped as I feel.

We take out the men guarding the entrance of the mansion with ease and enter. The corridors are quiet and our training sets in as we check each room.

“Clear,” we call as each room is checked.

Every time I hear that I feel an equal sense of relief and worry that Kim isn’t there.

As we enter the next room, my eyes immediately fall on an injured Jackson with one of his men tending to him. The man springs around, about to fire, as do my men.

“Hold your fire, they’re ours!” I bark, holding my gun up to show I’m not going to fire at the other man.

The man hesitates but seems uncertain as my men obey. “Yaroslav?” I hear Jackson cough out.

This is enough to put the other man at ease, he lowers his weapon, and I approach along with Filip’s man while the other two guard the door. The medic sets about treating Jackson’s wound. Although he’s clearly in pain, the fact that Jackson is still conscious makes me hopeful the injury isn’t too severe.

“How are you here?” Jackson asks.

“It’s a long story. Is Kim here? Her grandmother?” I ask rapidly, there will be time to explain everything later.

Jackson shakes his head, “No. She’s at the safehouse with David and Emma.”

I can tell there’s more to the story, but we don’t have time for that now. I’m just relieved to hear they’re all safe. As quickly as we can, we fill the men in on everything and they relay this via their comms to the rest of their guys. We decide that, for now, our best option is to stay put until reinforcements arrive. After only a short while but what feels like eons, one of Filip’s men outside radios to let us know that Thomas Gillihan and the other men we called have arrived.

“It’s go time,” Filip says.

With more of our men now inside, we delegate areas to search and head off leaving Jackson with the medic and taking his man. The gunfire reaches a deafening crescendo, but I ignore it, focusing only on the task at hand. I have it on good authority that Innokentiy and Sharkozi are in the building. Now we’re the ones who outnumber them, we can end this once and for all. I intend to take both of the bastards down myself.

I know exactly where the cowards are likely to run, from previous recons of the house, I know Bogdan has an escape route, that’s where they’ll go. Heading in the direction of it, I eventually encounter Bogdan. He’s running down a corridor with the door too far away for him to reach before I can get off a shot. But I don’t shoot men in the back, even scum like him.

“It’s over Bogdan,” I say casually.

Hearing me and realizing that he’s trapped, he turns around holding up both hands.

“Yaroslav, let’s talk this through, I’m sure we can sort out some sort of arrangement.”

The fact he’s talking tells me that the gun he’s holding is out of ammo. Otherwise, he’d have immediately taken his shot. Bogdan Sharkozi has no honor. He’s clutching at straws now he knows he’s lost.

With my gun trained on him, I decide to play along, “Even after we killed your wife?”

He shrugs, seeming to not care, “Wives are easy to find, good business partners on the other hand…

The heartless bastard. Deluded too if he thinks I will work with him after he made moves against me.

Ignoring his proposal, I point out what we both know. “You’re out of ammo. I’m not.”

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