Page 46 of Den of Thieves

“Sure, as long as it’s someone else.”

“That’s not—”

“You saw me back there! I was a weak, trembling mess. That bastard was going to do me like Lani and so much worse. I couldn’t stop him. I froze.”

“Hey!” AK grabbed Karina’s shoulder and forced her spiraling sister to look at her. “You are brave. Being strong isn’t always about fighting back. It’s about surviving. You don’t have to be perfect. Also, I’m kind of glad you’re not.”

“Oh, really?” Karina snorted and smiled despite her mood.

“Da. You always save me from myself and others. It is about time I returned the favor. And before you say anything, I know that is not how it works. I love you, you strong, crazy bitch.”

“I love you too.”

17. “Bad Girls Do It Well,”

-M.I.A.

Karina nodded off after the third time Aksana insisted she was fine to drive the remainder of the way back to the safe house.

“Shit, fucking fuck!”

She jolted awake, bracing herself as Aksana swerved the beast to the side of the road and cut the engine. Karina thought for sure they were avoiding some kind of wild animal. The compound was deep in the woods.

She mumbled a curse at the blacked-out cars parked haphazardly right outside the gates. The sound of firepower in the distance had the two of them scrambling to find their weapons.

“I told them to lock the fucking gates.” Aksana growled.

“Moot point AK. We can lecture them after we save their lives,” Karina said, checking her clip to see how many bullets she had left.

Someone, likely Vladimir, reloaded both of her TEC 9’s after her last trip to The Armory. She smiled at his thoughtfulness, tucking two thirty-two round magazines into her bra. She hoped she didn’t need more than that because her dress didn’t have pockets.

“How the hell did they find us?” Even I had trouble locating the entrance and I was using GPS!” Aksana hissed as the two of them rushed along the trees parallel to the driveway on foot.

“I don’t know,” Karina hissed back.

She didn’t want to think about what this meant for their housemates. As annoying as they were, she didn’t want any of them hurt.

“If we get out of this alive, we cannot tell Dimitri and Vladimir about what happened today,” Aksana said, ask they crept through the woods.

Karina wanted to argue, but she knew her sister was right. “At least until the dust settles around the war.”

Aksana made a grunt of acceptance and the two of them remained silent the rest of the way to the house, only stopping when the sound of gunfire was too close. They didn’t want their attackers to know their location until they were right on top of them.

Luckily, Karina and Aksana stumbled upon the intruders just outside the front doors to the compound.

The women were at a standoff with six scary, armed men dressed in black from head to toe. Hana, Yaya, Ivanka, Marianna and Lizah looked like badasses in their short dresses and skirts. She gasped quietly as one man stood slightly in front of the others with Mila’s agitated frame against his. He held her stead with a hand around her neck and a gun to her temple.

“Drop your weapons or your friend gets it.”

Karina looked to AK, who shook her head. Neither of them had a clean shot. They needed to get closer. With the speed of a sloth, the two of them crept forward and slightly to the right. Karina hoped like hell the foliage was thick enough that they wouldn’t be spotted. Nightfall was on their side, but they weren’t wearing camouflage by any means.

They came to a stop behind a strategically placed boulder. She didn’t know if it was by design but she really didn’t care as she slid to the side so AK could brace herself and her AR-15 on top.

The women tossed their weapons in front of them in defeat. None of them looked any worse for wear. Milah was the only one wounded. She had a red bruise forming high on her cheek.

As soon as their guns clattered to the ground, the man released Mila, pushing her forward. She stumbled and Yaya caught her. They were close enough to hear Mila’s apologies and to see the confident smirks on the men as they looked on confidently.

“These guys are idiots.” Aksana scoffed.

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