Page 47 of Sworn to My Heart
“Move in. Kill as many of their men as you can but keep eyes on Stas. He’s mine,” Luca orders, then looks at Mariano. “You, inform your police contacts. The Russians are not getting this shipment,” he commands, loads his second gun, and steps out of the vehicle. Mariano follows suit after completing the call.
Suddenly, I remember Stas’s conversation with Vladimir.
“Luca, wait!” I jump out of the car and stop him.
“There’s a girl in there. Stas doesn’t care about the shipment as much as he cares about that girl. I heard him say she’s worth a lot of money and that nothing can happen to her,” I explain.
Luca glares at me and barks in anger, “And you’re telling me this now?” His tone stings, but I maintain my composure.
“I only just realized how useful this information could be,” I reply confidently, not letting him shake me.
“Get the girl out of there. Ruin his shipment,” I add quickly, stating the obvious.
Luca takes a deep breath, turning back into the ice-cold monster I know. He nods and moves forward. I follow him closely.
“What are you doing? Get back in the car,” he commands, but I keep walking.
“As I’ve been saying, I’m not letting you put yourself at risk. Besides, I speak Russian. You might need me,” I assert withoutlooking at him, giving him no choice. I hear his sigh in response.
He pulls me close to his back, and Mariano and Pedro flank us on either side with Matteo joining in.
I start hearing gunshots in the distance, and the brothers sprint ahead, with me following closely.
As we enter the container area, Luca shoots every Russian man he spots without hesitation, hitting each target perfectly.
I regret that Luca took my weapon in the car, but I know I wouldn’t have known how to use it anyway.
Luca takes down another man hiding behind the containers, and I spot another aiming his gun at Luca from our side.
Quickly, before anyone else notices him, I raise my hand and choke him into unconsciousness with a swift and powerful motion.
I quickly scan my surroundings and feel relieved to see that none of them noticed. I am definitely of use here, I reassure myself.
The brothers halt as we face a large white ship with two containers, just as the man on the phone mentioned. We press against one of the containers, assessing the situation on the ground.
Luca’s men seem to be gaining control, but a few of them are injured. The sea breeze now carries a hint of blood in the air. A big man rushes toward us, and I recognize him immediately—Abert. He is surprised by my presence but immediately starts briefing Luca on everything that’s happening.
I stop listening to their conversation as I spot Stas moving away from the scene. I quickly dash to another nearby container for a closer view.
As I get closer, I see Stas holding a small girl, yelling in Russian to one of his men to find Vladimir and that he intends to kill him for disappearing.
I watch the girl, who looks so delicate, like a porcelain doll, trembling and crying. He drags her behind him as if she’s an object, almost tearing her arm out of its socket. Rage builds inside me.
Stas halts when one of his men reports that there are too many injured and dead to proceed with the shipment. His face turns red with fury, and he shouts at his soldier before pulling out his gun and shooting him in the head without warning. I flinch as blood splatters on his shirt and the girl’s body. I hear him cursing and see him wiping the blood on his face with his sleeve.
I decide to take advantage of the opportunity and throw a small stone I picked up from the ground toward the girl’s leg. I miss but manage to catch her attention.
She looks at me, and I signal her to stay quiet. She nods, and I raise my hand toward Stas.
Before Stas is able to continue, he drops to his knees, cursing, struggling for breath. I smile at his suffering. His hand releases the girl as he tries to catch his breathe. I signal her to run toward me, and as she reaches me, I release Stas from my hold and hug her tightly.
She starts crying and asking for her mother in Russian.
“Everything will be alright,” I reassure her in her own language, stroking her hair as she clings to me. Stas will never get this girl, I vow.
Suddenly, I hear a gun being cocked above my head. I look up and see one of Stas’s men standing in front of me. I tighten my grip on the girl ready to protect us both.
Before I can react, a gunshot pierces the air, and the soldier collapses to the ground. I quickly turn and see Luca running toward me.
