Page 250 of Gilded Cage (Kovalyov Bratva 1)

“I… I didn’t know who you were.”

“Stupidity isn’t an excuse.”

“I have a family,” he says.

I don’t know if he’s lying or not, but honestly, it doesn’t matter either way. It won’t change the outcome.

“I have a family, too,” I nod, pointing the gun at his face. “This is for them.”

I shoot once.

When the sound of the gunshot has faded away, I check his pulse to make sure he’s dead.

Then I hoist him over my shoulder and walk back to the spot where Scarface’s body is lying in the mud.

First, I heave the leader off my shoulder and into the ravine below. His body splashes into the ravine. The water swallows him whole.

I dispose of Scarface the same way, before I go back to where the remaining two bodies are lying. There’s already a couple of carrion birds sniffing around, but they fly off the moment I appear.

I carry Blondie back to the ravine first and then I go back for Yellow Teeth.

Once all their bodies have been devoured by the river, I clean off their guns, retrieve my hunting rifle, and take a moment to look down at my clothes.

I’m covered in splatters of blood and there are several stains clinging to my t-shirt.

Feeling a murky sense of despair weigh down on my chest, I head back to the cabin. It takes me several more minutes before I realize why I’m feeling so strange.

The peace and serenity of our mountain hideaway has been shattered completely.

The violence of my world has reached me at last.

It forces me to confront the truth I’ve been avoiding since we’ve been up here:

There is no way to run from this.

67

Artem

When I finally get back to the cabin, the sun is going down. I see no signs that anyone has been sniffing around.

I head to the small shed around the back of the cabin and stash the extra guns out of sight before walking back around to the front.

As I pass by, I catch a glimpse of Esme through the side window. She’s in the kitchen making dinner, and she’s humming under her breath.

I can’t see her bump, but I know by the slope of her arm that she’s caressing it with her free hand.

Then she twirls away from the stove with the ladle in her hand, before raising it to her lips and using it as a microphone.

After the evening I’ve had, the sight of her puts a smile on my face. All I can do is stand and stare at her, relishing the feel of being close to her.

She will be shattered when she learns what has just happened.

And I know it’s going to destroy her peace of mind.

I don’t want her hurt. In any way.

I decide right then to lie.

---