Page 22 of Dangerous Refuge

“What the hell, boss?” Rex shouts before standing to take a few shots at Nick. “Why’s he shooting at us?”

We all hunker down behind large pallets of fish vats. Any bullet fired at them will be stopped by the gelatinous fish and ice in the vats. Gunfire echoes overhead, bullets ricocheting off the walls. The tow motor driver stops the machine and slides off, pulling his weapon too. I expect him to take aim at Nick and blast a few rounds, but he points at us instead. His aim is true, striking Lenny in the shoulder.

“Fuck!” Lenny drops his weapon, now sprawling on the ground, and I stand and fire off four rounds in rapid succession, advancing on the driver until he drops to the ground, covered in blood. Nick takes the opportunity to fire off a few more shots, but his bullets hit the metal shelving I dodge between.

Rage clouds my vision. All I see is red. I turn the corner and lean out past the shelving, firing off several more rounds. I hit a few more men, though I’m not sure who is shooting who now. There are so many guns discharging, it’s hard to tell in the cacophony who is on whose side. I pause, pulling back behind the shelf and notice Nick vanish out the door. Rex chases after him, but I’m hemmed in. I peek around the corner again and hear the whir of a bullet as it flies past my head. There are still several shooters, but there are also several men laid out on the ground writhing in pain.

“This is going to end in a lot of blood, Gusev.” I hear a familiar voice but I can’t place it. It’s not any of the men I am closest to, which means it probably isn’t a close family member.

“You and anyone on your side is going to die!” I whip around the corner, firing repeatedly as I advance out onto the floor. Men cower, dropping behind shelves and boxes. Every place I see movement I point and shoot, not even caring if I kill loyals at this point. Anyone who is not on my side is an enemy, and every last ounce of anger inside my chest is being unleashed.

“Sven!” I hear a shout and turn over my shoulder to see Matty with a gun in his hand. I also get a fast glimpse of a gun pointed at me and I drop to my knee, narrowly missing another bullet. Matty pulls the trigger of his gun, dropping the bastard who tried to shoot me and I pop back to my feet. When I round the next corner with hasty steps, I find myself staring down the barrel of a gun held by a woman I don't recognize. She's young, probably in her mid-twenties, with long dark hair that falls down her back in waves. Her eyes are cold and calculating, and I can tell she's not here to play games.

I raise my own gun, feeling the weight of it in my hand as I try to gauge the situation. This woman is no ordinary thug -- she's got something about her that sets her apart from the others. I can tell she's been trained, and trained well.

"Who the hell are you?" I demand, keeping my gun trained on her chest.

She doesn't answer, just stares me down with those icy eyes. I can feel the tension in the air, thick and heavy and dangerous. This woman is a wildcard, and I don't know what she's capable of.

But I'm not one to back down from a fight. I take a step forward, narrowing the distance between us, and she doesn't flinch. She's not scared of me, that's for damn sure. But I can see the wheels turning in her head, the calculations she's making about how to take me down.

I don't give her the chance. I fire off a shot, aiming for her shoulder, but she's quick. She ducks out of the way, her own gun pointed at my head now. I can feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins, my heart pounding in my chest. I duck behind a shelf and check my gun, only two rounds left. If I miss, I'm dead, unless Matty gets to her first.

"Matty!" I shout, and hear the rapid recall of his weapon discharging, and I know he's fighting for his life. I have to get to him, and fast. But this woman is standing in my way, and she's not going to let me pass without a fight.

I peek out from behind the shelf and see her moving towards me, her gun still pointed at my head. I know what I have to do. With a deep breath, I lunge out from behind the shelf and tackle her to the ground. We roll around on the concrete floor, fighting for control of the gun. I can feel her strength, and I know I'm in for a tough fight.

But I'm not going to let her win. With a sudden burst of energy, I push her off me and stand up. "Who are you?" I demand, my voice shaking with adrenaline.

She spits in my face, and her spittle is followed by blood, a lot of it. A bullet hits her in the back of the head, splattering her brain matter onto my face and chest, and I lower my weapon, thinking it's over. A flash of movement in the corner of the room catches my eye, and I raise my weapon and fire off my last two rounds quickly, my gun now empty. I drop to my knee as Matty handles the final rebel and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I’m still kneeling there catching my breath when Matty runs up to me. “Sven, you okay?” he asks, offering a hand.

“I’m fine,” I snap, ignoring his hand and standing. I push past him and walk toward the dock where I saw Nick run out earlier. That bastard is behind all of this. I know it. And he’s going to pay. I check my gun again, releasing the slide, furious I have no rounds left. I’ll just have to strangle him with my bare hands.

“Sven, dude, you shot at your own men without thinking.” Matty follows me like a yappy ankle biter, and I ignore him, moving more swiftly as I pass dead bodies dropped like flies. “Fucking stop, Sven,” he screams, and I turn around with my gun pointed right at his head. He holds his hands up defensively and shakes his head. “Woah!”

“Shut the hell up. You got that?” Every cell in my body is on fire with hatred for Nick. Dominic trusted me to run this shipping yard and I put too much trust in a weasel who was out for blood. Now he’s going to pay. I just have to find him.

“Sven, calm down. You know if Dom saw you he’d—”

“Fuck Dominic. This is my yard and I’m handling things.” I turn and lower my gun. I hear a single shot outside and wonder what that’s about. When I push the door open, Matty following me out, I see Rom and Leo already moving toward the sound of the gunshot. It’s coming from the alley around the corner. I take a few quick steps to catch up with them.

“Fuck, Sven, what happened?” Rome is checking his gun, most likely out of ammunition too.

“Nick came in shooting. Half our guys in there are dead, some friendly, some not. I have no fucking clue what happened.” I use the back of my sleeve to wipe that woman’s blood off my face and feel the scratching of some sort of bone across my skin. Rivulets of sweat stream down the sides of my face and I taste a hint of coppery flavor as her blood is rinsed by my perspiration.

“Who was that woman?” Matty asks, now falling into step with the rest of us.

“I have no clue,” I snap, jamming my gun into my waistband.

“That brunette? Nick’s woman. She’s been hanging around here barking orders. Word has it she works with the Albanians.” Rome points at a car up ahead, and I see Dominic standing there with a woman clinging to him. He’s bleeding. “What happened there?”

“Dom?” Matty calls, rushing up to him. The rest of us fall into place, surrounding Dominic and his girlfriend. Nick is dead on the ground, the angle of the gun and the way his mouth gapes open tells me Dom forced him to kill himself.

“Guys,” Dom says, his voice husky. He’s not mortally wounded, but he’s in pain. I can see it in his expression. I say nothing. I know this is largely my fault. If I had been paying better attention to things down here instead of chasing tail, I’d have seen Nick’s plan way sooner. As it was, no one else even knew there was a mole, only Dominic and me.

“Rome, get them home. Leo, cops are going to be on this scene in a matter of minutes. There is no time for cleaners. Just get Detective Sikes on it. And Matty, get me something to wipe my face.” With Dominic injured, I have to step up, but all I want to do is step away. All of this has made my anger toward Allie’s ex even hotter.

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