Page 194 of Toxic Salvation
66
KOVAN
I have half a second when I storm into the room to assess what’s happening. It’s a jumble of things: Yana, Luka, Ihor, Vesper. A knife, a bed, a rope, a nightmare.
I don’t think—I don’t have time for that.
I just react.
Shoving Ihor aside, I grab Yana by the waist and yank her off Vesper. Yana loses what’s left of her mind. She goes ballistic—screaming and clawing and biting and kicking like a rabid animal. I lose track of the knife, of Ihor. All I can think is,Get this bitch away from my family.
Behind me, I register that I’m alone. Pavel and Osip should be right at my six.
Where the hell are they?
I pull out my gun and aim for Yana’s center mass, but before I can fire, something heavy slams into the back of my skull. The gun flies from my hand as I go down hard.
No time to recover. I hit the ground and roll, then leap back to my feet, expecting another blow that doesn’t come. Ihor stands over me, but his attention is fixed on the window.
“Yana! Lock the door—his backup is here!”
She stumbles from the bedroom while Ihor turns back to me. Behind him, Vesper runs to Luka and pulls him into her arms.
“How did you find us?” Ihor demands of me. “She tipped you off?”
“She did nothing. I’m just smarter than you are.”
He roars and pulls out his gun. Mine winks at me from under the bed, too far to reach. With no other option, I throw myself directly at him, grappling for control of his weapon. The barrel points at the ceiling now, but one wrong move and this gun goes off. No telling who catches the bullet.
Behind us, Yana slides back into the room. “Come here,” she snaps at Luka, who shakes his head defiantly.
Vesper steps between them. I’m too busy wrestling with Ihor to focus on their exchange, but I hear the argument escalating.
Then there’s a scream. A shout. Vesper and Yana hit the floor in a tangle of limbs while Luka screams at Yana to stop.
“No! Mom! Leave her alone!”
“It’s okay, Luka. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe!” I roar over the chaos.
Ihor laughs. “How are you going to do that when you’re dead?”
I drive my elbow into his face. He staggers, squinting, and I follow up with a punch to his gut.
“Mama!”
It would take me three seconds to finish Ihor. But I can’t ignore Luka’s terrified scream. He needs help, and three seconds is all it takes to end a life.
The moment Ihor hits the floor, semi-conscious and bleeding, I rush forward to throw Yana off my wife. But when I turn to them, I freeze.
“Luka…” I whisper.
He’s standing there shaking, holding a bloody knife while Yana presses both hands to her side, blood seeping between her fingers.
“You… you stabbed me,” she gasps, staring at Luka in disbelief.
Luka looks from the knife to Yana. “I had to stop you,” he says quietly. “I had to protect my mom.”
“You little—” Yana takes a step forward, one bloody hand reaching for him. Vesper grabs Luka and pulls him out of reach, but she doesn’t need to.
