Enzo catches up to us, and out of breath, he says, “I lost sight of Leo and Ilias.”
I check the magazine of my machine gun, and seeing it’s empty, I take the strap off and drop the weapon. Grabbing the gun from the holster on my armored vest, I growl, “Let’s move.”
The three of us keep taking out soldiers, and as we slowly make our way to the front of the factory where the office is, we start to find a rhythm where we take turns shooting.
When the office comes into view, I catch sight of Leo. He gestures at the office, then nods, indicating he has eyes on Pavlov.
Before we can move in on the office, Ilias comes from left field shouting, “Pavlov! Get out here so I can kill you.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Enzo mutters. “I really struggle working with the hot-headed old man.”
Suddenly a bullet slams into Ilias’ armored vest, making him fall onto his ass.
Knowing Pavlov’s attention is on Ilias, I make a run for the office he’s hauled up in.
Right before the doorway, I drop and slide across the entrance, firing through the open door and hitting Pavlov in the hand and shoulder.
Bullets start to hit the ground around me, and one clips my ear. I dart to my feet, and bursting into the office, I take out the soldier who just fucking shot at me.
Training the barrel of my gun on Pavlov, the intense rage I’ve been struggling to control burns its way to the surface.
The fucker holds up his hands in surrender, and seeing I’ve managed to shoot off two of his fingers from his right hand fills me with great satisfaction.
“You can’t beat the bratva,” he sneers. “We’ll just keep coming.”
Santiago, Enzo, and Leo come into the office, and Santiago says, “And we’ll keep beating your asses.”
When Cassia steps inside and trains a gun on Pavlov, I growl, “This kill isn’t yours.”
“He shot at my father,” she hisses.
“Who’s just out cold,” Leo tells her. “You need to fucking calm him down, or he’ll get us all killed.”
Santiago comes to stand next to me and asks, “Mind if we play a quick game?” He pulls a stack of black cards from his pocket. “Whichever card I pull is the way we kill the fucker.”
“Really?” I mutter as I glance at the golden guns and knives on the back of the card. “You want to do this now?”
He shrugs. “I’m a believer in letting fate decide what happens.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, I nod. “Get it over with.”
Santiago shuffles the cards while grinning at Pavlov. “Do you feel lucky?”
Pavlov only glares at us, his eyes going blank as he accepts that he’ll die today.
Santiago pulls a card. “Oooh, good one.” When he turns the face of the card to me, it’s labeledThe Devil. “I get to decide.”
I give him a hurry-the-fuck-up look.
“I choose…” Santiago pulls a knife from the holster on his hip, “for you to slit his throat. I feel it’s only right that he dies by his own signature move.”
“I’m going to take a walk through the factory to make sure we didn’t miss anyone,” Enzo mutters.
“I’ll have your back,” Leo tells him.
While they leave, I grab the knife from Santiago and shove my gun back into the holster. Cassia keeps her weapon trained on Pavlov as I move in on him.
Like a true bratva soldier, Pavlov lifts his chin while looking me dead in the eyes. “I’ll see you in hell, Varga.”