Page 78 of Bozo

Gunfire begins, and I know that Denis and his men are more than capable of taking care of the guards and anyone else who tries to take them on. The Gallaghers are a force to be reckoned with.

Inside, it's eerily quiet compared to the mayhem outside. We move room by room, clearing each one methodically. My heart pounds in my chest, knowing that with each step, I'm getting closer to Dragomir.

As we round a corner, gunfire erupts. I dive for cover behind an overturned table as bullets spray the wall behind me. Pyro and Raptor return fire, and I hear a grunt of pain as one of Dragomir's men goes down.

"Bozo, Preacher," Pyro shouts over the chaos. "Second floor, he’s up there. Go get him."

I nod, understanding. While they hold off the guards, Preach and I will go after Dragomir.

This ends now.

I take the stairs two at a time, my gun at the ready. Preacher is right behind me every step of the way. At the top, I hear movement behind a closed door. Without hesitation, I kick it open.

There he is. Dragomir Popescu., The man responsible for all of this. He's alone, frantically shoving papers into a briefcase. He looks up as I enter, his eyes widening in surprise and fear.

"It's over," I growl, leveling my gun at his head.

Dragomir raises his hands slowly. "You don't want to do this," he says, his Romanian accent thick. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

I take a step closer, my finger tightening on the trigger. "No, you don't know who you're dealing with. You fucked with the wrong people,” I snarl. “You targeted the wrong woman.”

Dragomir's eyes narrow as understanding dawns. "The nurse," he spits. "This is about that fucking nurse?"

My grip on the gun tightens, rage boiling inside me. "Her name is Gráinne," I growl. "And yeah, this is about her. But it's also about all the other lives you've destroyed. The women and children you traffic. The families you've torn apart."

Dragomir laughs, a cold, mirthless sound. "You think killing me will stop anything? The Revenant is bigger than me. We have operations all over Europe. You can't?—"

His words are cut off by the sound of my gun firing. The bullet catches him in the shoulder, and he stumbles back with a cry of pain.

"I don't give a fuck about your operations," I snarl, advancing on him. "Tonight, it ends for you."

Dragomir clutches his bleeding shoulder, his eyes wild with fear and anger. "You're making a mistake," he gasps. "I have connections, power. I can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams."

I laugh darkly. "You think I want your blood money? You think anything you could offer would make up for what you've done?"

Dragomir lunges for a desk drawer. But Preacher is faster. He tackles Dragomir to the ground, pinning him there.

"Nice try, asshole," Preacher growls.

I crouch down next to Dragomir, pressing the barrel of my gun to his forehead. "Any last words?"

Dragomir glares at me, defiant to the end. "Fuck you," he spits.

I smile coldly. "Wrong answer."

The gunshot echoes through the room. Dragomir's body goes limp, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

For a moment, there's silence. Then the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs. Pyro and Raptor burst into the room, guns at the ready.

"It's done," I say, standing up. "He's dead."

Pyro nods grimly. "Good. The rest of his men are dead, other than three of them. We want answers, so we want to ensure we have them all. Denis and his team have them secured."

I take a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline start to ebb. It's over. We did it. Gráinne’s safe.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," I say. "I need to see Gráinne."

As we make our way out of the compound, I can't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. The nightmare is finally over. Gráinne is safe.

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