Page 132 of The Payback

Ellie rushes towards the entertainment centre and reaches above the television. She carefully pulls down a box shaped like a fat panda and puts it on the coffee table, flipping the lid. Inside are five guns, and Ellie hands them over, two for me and her, one for Dimitri. I’m grateful she knows where her friend stashes the weapons. And part of me recognises they’re tucked far out of Bella’s reach.

After checking the room, we continue, following the hallway towards the bedrooms.

I carefully turn the handles, one by one, finding empty room after empty room. We’re left with two blood stains and five empty bedrooms. We’re missing a few people.

We shift positions, Ellie going first and challenging every instinct within my body to keep her between us. But she knows this house better than us and will be faster in leading us through it.

She opens another door, and a set of stairs leads downward. Skipping the light, she carefully steps, one foot after another, until we’re in the basement.

We clear the room and find we’re alone in what looks to be a medical facility more akin to Dr Frankenstein’s workshop than any doctor’s office I’ve been to.

“What the fuck is happening?” I ask in an angry whisper. “I thought you said this place was secure!”

“It is! Don’t you fucking yell at me, Nikita Lenkov! I’m as fucking panicked as you are.”

“Enough,” Dimitri cuts in. “This helps no one. There have to be other places on the island. Let’s just find Bella and your friends. They’re not in the house.”

Ellie stands still, shaking from head to toe as she thinks, muttering nonsense about a princess castle, before she finally whispers, “The stables.”

“Good job, Sabre. Let’s go.” Dimitri takes the lead back up the stairs, and we double-check all the rooms. One holds a mesh crib for Bella, and it takes everything inside of me to walk away instead of falling to my knees in front of it.

We follow a path through the thick trees, listening intently and watching through the darkness of the shadows, hoping for a glimpse of the attackers.

The wooden structure comes into view as we keep going, and we slide the doors open after circling it and listening against the wooden structure.

As we tug the doors open, sliding them on their rollers, red laser lights land on each of our chests. Panic overwhelms me.

Sniper team.

I follow the laser trajectory aimed at Ellie’s chest, tug her behind me swiftly, and fire off a shot into the shadows where the line originates.

The gun in my hand shoots a stream of glitter.

Confused, I look down at the sprinkles raining from the gun’s tip. Laughter rings out from within the darkness of the stables.

“What the fuck?” I growl.

“Olivia!?” Ellie shouts. “What the fuck?!”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” shouts a cheerful baby voice. “Mama!”

A blonde woman dressed in black tactical gear steps forward, holding the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Bella turns towards me, and I fall to my knees, emotion overwhelming me at finding her safe and unharmed.

“MAMA!” Bella shouts again.

Olivia puts her down, and Bella runs on her tiptoes to Ellie, who kneels beside me and pulls the girl in for a bone-crushing hug, but she loves it.

“Mama squish!” she says, squishing her mama right back.

“Oh, baby, I’ve missed you so much!” Tears fall from Ellie’s eyes, and when she cracks her lids and sees me watching them, she pulls back and gently turns Bella’s head towards me. “Bella, that’s Dada.”

“Dada,” she tests the word loudly, making us laugh at her volume. For someone so tiny, the girl has some pipes on her. How on earth did they keep her quiet while we circled the stables?

“Hi, baby,” I say, choking out the greeting.

“Go say hi,” Ellie encourages.

I’m vaguely aware of more figures emerging from the darkness, but I only have eyes for my girls. Bella takes a few steps towards me, her doe eyes wide and curious.

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