Page 87 of The Mafia's Quadruplets

“You... you...” Gavriil’s words slur as his massive frame slides down the wall. A wet crimson streak follows his descent, stark against the gray concrete. His movements grow erratic, and his limbs twitch. The needle must have gone deep enough to pierce his brain, just as I’d hoped when I’d struck with all my strength.

“Stay down,” I whisper, though I doubt he can hear me now. “Just stay down.”

I kick away his grasping hand as he reaches for me one last time when I slip by him. His fingers twitch uselessly against the cold stone floor. A final, rattling breath escapes his lips, and then he’s still.

My mouth is dry, and my heart bangs like a timpani drum inside my chest. I stare at Gavriil’s lifeless form. I did that. I killed a man. The realization should horrify me, but all I feel is grim satisfaction. He would have done far worse to me if given the chance.

The open cell door beckons. Freedom is just steps away. I edge around his body, gaze fixed on the corridor beyond. Just a few more feet...

“What do we have here?”

Matvey’s silky voice freezes me in my tracks. He suddenly stands in the doorway, flanked by Bruno. Their gazes flick from me to Gavriil’s corpse and back again.

I brace myself for Matvey’s fury, for the punishment that will surely follow. This is it. He’ll kill me now, ahead of whatever schedule he had planned. I’m certain his endgame involves my death either way.

To my surprise, Matvey’s lips curl into an amused smile. “Aren’t you a feisty one?” He steps into the cell. “If you’re going to be this difficult, we might have to bend the rules a bit.”

My skin crawls at his words, and the predatory gleam in his eyes. He continues, his tone casual as if discussing the weather. “Time’s almost up for Valerian anyway. Perhaps we can start the fun a little early, hmm?”

His laughter echoes off the cell walls. The sound ignites a desperate fury within me. Without thinking, I lash out with my foot, aiming for his groin. My kick goes wide, connecting with his thigh instead.

His laugh cuts off abruptly. His face contorts with rage. “You little?—”

Bruno’s meaty hands close around my arms with crushing force, yanking me backward so hard my shoulders scream in protest. My bare feet scrabble against the concrete floor while I thrashand buck, trying to break his grip. His thick fingers dig deeper into my flesh, sure to leave purple bruises.

“Let go of me, you bastard.” I throw back my head in an attempt to crack his nose, but Bruno shifts just enough that I hit nothing except air.

Matvey straightens, rolling his shoulders as he recovers from my kick. The cold fury in his eyes makes my blood run cold. His lip curls into an ugly sneer.

“You’ll pay for that,tvar.”

I don’t know what the word means, but it’s clearly an insult, and now isn’t the time for a language lesson. I’m still trying to free myself from Bruno’s hold as Matvey reaches beneath his jacket and emerges with a matte black pistol, the metal catching the dim light.

I see his arm pull back and try desperately to twist away, but Bruno holds me firmly in place. The gun whips through the air in a deadly arc. Metal connects with bone in a sickening crack as the pistol’s grip smashes into my jaw.

White-hot agony explodes through my skull. Copper floods my mouth as my teeth slice into my cheek. The cell’s grimy walls spin and tilt around me, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. The last thing I hear is Matvey’s satisfied chuckle before consciousness slips away entirely.

33

Valerian

Apiercing scream echoes through the dank corridors of Eastern State Penitentiary, followed by Matvey’s enraged shouts. My heart leaps. I’ve found them.

I sprint toward the sound, my footsteps thundering against the aged concrete floor.

As I round the corner, a hulking figure lunges at me. Bruno, Matvey’s right-hand man. His meaty fist swings for my face, but I duck under it, feeling the rush of air as it passes over my head. I drive my shoulder into his midsection, using his momentum against him. We crash into the wall, the impact rattling my teeth.

Bruno recovers quickly, grabbing my throat with one hand. I struggle for air as he lifts me off my feet. My vision blurs, but I manage to slam my knee into his groin. He grunts in pain, his grip loosening just enough for me to break free.

I don’t waste the opportunity. My fist connects with his jaw in a vicious uppercut. His head snaps back, and I follow up with aseries of rapid strikes to his face and body. Blood sprays from his nose as I land a particularly solid hit.

Bruno staggers, dazed but still standing. I need to end this quickly. I feint left, then drive my right elbow into his temple when he moves to block. The big man’s eyes roll back, and he crumples to the floor, unconscious.

Breathing heavily, I turn toward the door where I heard Matvey’s voice. I draw my gun, the weight of it reassuring in my hand. I burst into the cell, my gun raised and ready. The scene before me freezes my blood. Claire lies motionless on the grimy floor, her golden hair fanned out around her head like a halo. Beside her, a man’s body sprawls at an unnatural angle, a syringe protruding from his eye socket.

A thin trail of blood trickles from her temple, and Matvey stands over her, his face contorted with rage, a gun in his hand. “Valerian, how kind of you to join us.”

I keep my gun trained on him, fighting the urge to rush to Claire’s side. “Step away from her.”

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