Page 17 of Collapsed

We move out the door quickly and make our way up the stairs at the end of the hall. I notice the giant door and realize that it’s soundproof. Glancing back to survey the hallway, I notice the ceiling has a special covering that also makes it soundproof. That explains why only one guy came in. He was probably already down here. However, this means the other one is most likely upstairs and has no idea we’re about to come up.

Opening the door and taking a cautious glance around, I confirm there is no immediate threat. However, I can hear a man shouting in another area of the house. It sounds like he is shouting at someone, which would mean there is more than one person. We move down the hall, the woman right on my heels,literally at some points.Glancing around the corner, there is a man sitting on a couch with his back to us. He’s watching soccer and yelling at the TV. From the sounds of it, his team isn’t doing too well. Fortunately for him, I’ll end his suffering.

Turning around, I nearly knock into the woman she’s close behind me, the knife clutched in her hand with a death grip. I reach out to hand her the gun, but she looks hesitant. “I need to be quiet about it, so stay here where it is safer,” I tell her as I grab the knife from her hand, leaving the gun in hers. Moving toward the man on the couch, I take note of his position; he is leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. The TV is loud enough that he can’t hear my footsteps on the hardwood floor. I decide to waste no time, lean over the back of the couch, and whip the knife across the front of the man’s throat, slicing it clean. Blood sprays out in front of him as his hands come up to clasp his throat. He throws himself forward, landing on the coffee table in front of him. He can only turn slightly and sees me standing there before his eyes roll into the back of his head.

A sound behind me makes me jump and turn quickly. It's the woman, and she’s entered the room, ignoring that I told her to stay put. She looks over the couch and sees the dead man leaning over the table. Her body shows little reaction toward the dead man. However, I see a flash of relief in her eyes.

“We need to check the rest of the house,” I tell her quietly. “Ivan could be here somewhere.” She follows closely behind me again as we check each room. The house is only one story, and we don’t find anyone else. Looking out the windows, I see the house isn’t in the middle of nowhere, as I would have expected. There are other homes around, similar to a subdivision. In fact, a minivan is parked in a driveway a few houses down with a woman and her child walking towards their house.How could he pull this off?

Quickly, I move back to the garage to see how many vehicles there are. There is only one vehicle, which is a large SUV. Ivan must be gone in another vehicle. I move to the SUV and open the door. “The keys are in the ignition,” I turn to tell the woman. Her eyes light up as she moves to the vehicle.

“I can’t leave yet. I have to kill Ivan.”

She doesn’t hesitate for a minute before handing me back the gun and climbing into the driver’s seat. I don’t blame her. She would probably love to see Ivan destroyed, but she also needs to get out of here. “Be careful. Go straight to the hospital and get some help.” She nods her head and opens the garage door, starting up the vehicle. She speeds out of the driveway and down the road like she’s trying to race someone.She’ll definitely get pulled over before getting to the hospital.

Making my way back into the house, I head to the kitchen. There is a small table with four chairs that face a front window. Keeping the lights off so no one can see in, but I can see anyone coming. Time keeps passing, and Ivan doesn’t return. A ding coming from the living room has me going to investigate, and I realize it's the man’s phone. Heading back into the room, I move toward his body, still slumped on the table. I check his pockets, but it’s not there. It dings again, and I realize it's coming from the couch. Reaching between the cushions, I feel around until the phone hits my fingertips, pulling it out, I look at it. It only saysText Message, and again requires a thumbprint. I lean over and grab the man’s hand, pressing his thumb to the screen to unlock the phone. This phone also won’t allow me to make a call to Conrad or any other number, so I move to the messages. Opening messages, I see it:

Boss: 8th St. Warehouse is on for tomorrow at 7 PM. Trap is set. I have a meeting at 8 PM and will return after. Keep my wife safe, or you will experience my wrath.

My wife?How fucking delusional? But, fuck, he isn’t coming back for a while. He has a trap set, but for who? I know where Ivan will be tomorrow, and he thinks he has a trap set for someone else, but I have another thing coming for him. I’ll get myself cleaned up and out of here before he returns and have my own surprise for him tomorrow night. I'll get out of here before he returns and create my own surprise for him tomorrow night. First, I need to get cleaned up and find some clothes.

Grabbing the guy’s phone again and tapping the screen, I see it's only 1:30 PM. I head to one of the bedrooms to search for clothes. Opening a few drawers, I find a pair of drawstring sweatpants, a t-shirt, and zip-up hoodie that are a little big but will do. Next, I go to the bathroom and turn the shower to scalding hot. I need to burn the smell of Ivan off of me. Also, I don’t need to be covered in blood as I make my way to the warehouse; that will have the cops coming and asking questions I’m not wanting to answer.

The water feels amazing after a few moments, and I grab a bar of soap and scrub my skin roughly with it. A spray of water hits my right arm, and I let out a hiss. It hits where the bullet grazed my arm earlier. I move my attention to my side where the other bullet hit me. It looks like it went through and through on my side.Thank goodness for some love handles.Further inspection of the wound shows me it’s still bleeding slowly, so it will need to be stitched up. Alexie was always great for some impromptu injury stitching.Fuck, Alexie.Physical injuries be damned, my heart is starting to crack open, and that isn’t one that can simply be stitched back together. I was so caught up in getting out of here, that I somehow forgot who I can no longer return to. Alexie, King, and Stryker are gone, and even after I get my vengeance, it won’t bring them back. Dark thoughts swirl through my mind, causing me to collapse on the floor of the shower with a shout. Tears fall from my eyes as I allow myself to cry over their deaths.

Forcing myself back to my feet, I need to get myself ready because I plan on not being here when Ivan returns. As much as I want to take him down, I feel too weak, and tomorrow I can catch him by surprise. I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel. When the towel drops to the floor, I can see some red on the towel. These wounds need to be taken care of first.

In the hall, there are a few closets, and one has to contain a first aid kit. These guys are in a dangerous line of work and need supplies to take care of themselves, no matter how incompetent they proved themselves to be today. Sure enough, in the first closet is all sorts of medical supplies. I grab a handful of bandages and a case full of a variety of supplies.

Taking the supplies back to the kitchen, I pull out a chair and sit down at the table. Even though the message said he won’t be here for hours, I still feel uneasy about being here at all. Opening the medical kit, I make sure to grab a needle and the thread in addition to the bandages.Going to need something to sterilize this.Looking at the counter, I find my sterilizer. Vodka. I grab the bottle and open it, taking a few swigs of it first because I know this is going to hurt like a bitch. I’m used to stitching up others or having Alexie stitch me up, but not doing it on myself. Dousing the needles in the liquor and attaching the thread, I ready myself for the upcoming pain.

Pressing the needle to my arm, I take a deep breath before pushing the needle through my skin. In and out. In and out, over and over again. Each pass-through does not make it easier to stab myself with a needle. I finally make my final pass on my arm and tie off the thread. My side is next, and I already know I won’t be able to stitch up the back.

I move back to the bathroom to use the mirror to help me. The bottle of vodka was already halfway gone when I grabbed it off the counter, but between all my sips for courage and using it to sterilize the med supplies, it's starting to look a little low. I take another drink before starting to stitch myself again. The first jab into my skin hurts less than my arm, but the line of stitches is going to be crooked. I finish stitching my side and tape some padding over the top, same with my arm. The wound in my back will be a problem for another time since I can’t reach it. Getting myself dressed, the clothes are definitely a little big on me, but I roll the sweatpants and tie the front of the t-shirt, making it more of a crop top to show off my new gunshot wound.

Returning to the kitchen, the phone dings again. I have to go over to the dead body in the living room and open the phone. It's not from Ivan.

B: Heading back with the boss soon. Meeting isn’t happening. Stay out of his way when we return.

Even Ivan’s workers are scared of him and warn each other of his foul moods. Sorry, B, but you will be feeling Ivan’s wrath when you return to find me gone and all the men dead. Realizing time is of the essence, I need to move quickly. Their meeting could have been down the street for all I know.

Noticing a backpack hanging by the garage door, I give it a quick search. There’s a wallet inside with a little cash. Yup, that will definitely come in handy. Any first aid supplies that will fit, some knives, and the dead men’s guns all go into the backpack before I go to the garage.

“Shit!” I yell to myself, having forgotten that the woman took the SUV. I walk out the side door of the garage and look around for any oncoming cars. Ivan and B could be coming any moment. Then, I see the minivan from earlier still sitting in its driveway. Feeling a little bit bad, I run towards the van. However, I also know that finding a safe place to regroup is important. Hotwiring vehicles is something I’ve always been good at, and I’m able to get in the van easily since they left it unlocked. While popping the cover under the wheel and searching for the right wires, I look to the side and see the keys in the ignition.Where the hell did Ivan find a home where people are this trusting of their neighbors? If only they knew what was happening two houses down.

The engine starts up, and I back out of the driveway. I pull up my hood and tighten it around my face in case I pass anyone. Making my way out of this neighborhood, the signs for the city pop up immediately. Ivan is smart. He stays somewhere no one would suspect but close enough to handle business if needed. My next move is to get to the city and down to 8th Street. Tomorrow night, Ivan will be finished once and for all. He really thinks he has a trap set for someone else, but I’ll be setting my own trap.

Ivan

Nothingirritatesmemorethan plans not going as they should. This day has put me in a foul mood, and my meeting getting canceled just makes me more furious. My help, Boris, who is accompanying me today, will not put his phone down, and it makes me want to stab him, but he is driving, so I will wait. These men act as though I have no idea they warn each other of my moods and to stay clear of me at times. What kind of boss would I be if I didn't keep close tabs on my men? Their phones are tapped, so I’m able to read all their messages and check the call logs each night.

“Put the fucking phone down and drive, or I will deliver your head in a box to your family. I want to get home to my wife now!” I seethe at him. He frantically fumbles around with his phone before putting it back into his jacket pocket.

At least, since we are not attending this meeting, it means I get to see my sweetogonsooner than planned. I can only hope her attitude starts to turn around soon. One good thing that came from today was the fact we have The Elite team set up for tomorrow night. There, we can take them down before they become an even bigger thorn in my side here in New York.

Turning the corner onto our street, I see the police a few doors down. A frantic woman holding a toddler on her hip is flailing her other arm around, shouting hysterically at the officer. My curiosity gets the best of me because the police are never in this quiet little neighborhood. I tell Boris to slow down as I roll my window down.

I listen to her ear-piercing shrill voice carrying on, “I was just in it, we picked my older daughter up from school and went inside to change her clothes, get a snack and pack a bag for her dance class. That’s the only reason I left the doors unlocked and keys inside. We were coming right back, thirty minutes tops. It just seemed easier while juggling both girls and their stuff. When my husband came home, he was surprised we were still here. He thought we had left to go to dance class since my van was gone.” The lady and officers turn toward us, I let my head drop in a nod toward them while rolling my window back up.

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