Mariana
I hiked my dress up as I disappeared behind the door, knowing the men would soon follow. I padded down the steps on my bare feet, and it was like de ja vu. I had almost died in a stairwell once. In fact, I had been certain I was as good as dead as I bled to death while Jonas and his men took away my baby girl. This time, things were going to be turning in my favor. I had ammo, and I had a reason to believe there was life outside of the walls around me.
I had a real life to fight for.
Just as I knew I had gone down a whole flight, there was commotion from above and below. I got my gun ready as I continued, thinking that they had surrounded me. But as a shootout could be heard below, I realized what was happening. I would know the shout of his voice anywhere. The same day that I tried to escape was the day Ion had found me and come to save me. The best I could do now was make it easier. Though, I fought the desire to call out to him. I didn’t want him to get distracted and get hurt.
One of the men who was coming down was gaining on me, pulling his gun. I whipped around down onto another flight, coming down to the fight quickly. I hoped I could stay out of range and get positioned with Ion and those at the bottom before I had to face the men who were coming from above. Otherwise, I would lose all my bullets and not even take a man completely down before I joined the war.
I ran the last two flights, taking two steps at a time until I crashed hard into one of the men who had turned the fight physical at the bottom of the stairs. He went careening into the metal door and fell over, allowing Ion to take him out. I couldn’t believe I found myself in the middle of a shootout as I placed one foot on the bottom stair, the gun aimed in front of me. I had a few bullets left to spend in the revolver and then whatever was in the automatic I had taken. There was no time to celebrate that I had been reunited with Ion or to ask if Bianca was at home safe. The two men from before were coming at me with their guns. A shot went past me as I weaved and then shot at them. I also missed. These were the experts they had sent out for me this time, not the dipshits that I had been dealing with in the basement.
It was an all-out war, and I had the feeling if we didn’t get out of there that more would join. There was something that felt strange about the location of this. I couldn’t believe we were in some ritzy hotel instead of a warehouse or an abandoned home. Even with all the money that the clan leaders had, they were usually more secretive about their business. How could they afford to be conducting seedy dealings and holding prisoners in a public place? This whole thing must have been bigger than Ion or I expected.
I had a theory, and not a good one. The only people that I know of risky enough to pull a stunt like this are the Russians. I’d hoped I was wrong; I really hoped I was…. but this made sense to me. No one knows of this, but my mother confessed to me on my fifteenth birthday that her father wasn’t her biological father. Her biological father is Fredrik Volkov, Valentin Volkov’s father. Valentin Volkolv is the head of the Russian Mob.
I’m not just Romanian; I’m half Russian. I have ties to the thrones of both mobs, and I’m wondering if this has been discovered. Why else would I have a bounty on my head?
I heard Ion scream out in pain behind me, and I knew he had been shot or stabbed. I wasn’t sure how bad it was, but I knew I was the only one who could make sure we got out of there. His men were surely waiting with a car somewhere nearby. All I had to do was finish off all the other men and get him to the car. We would be scott-free and could beef up security, even stay somewhere else if we had to. I wasn’t getting separated from him and Bianca again.
I focused, taking a deep breath and remembering everything Ion had taught me. I shot two bullets through the chest of one man and got the head and neck of the other. They fell before me, and I felt the adrenaline running through me. I thought I would feel awful, having killed people today, but I felt like I was finally deserving of my last name. I wasn’t laying down and taking it. In fact, I had just taken care of things for Ion.
I turned around and helped him up, seeing that he had been shot more than once, though it didn’t look like anything permanent or serious. He would need to get the bullets out and treat the wounds, but that was it.
I led him out the door where a car was waiting as I suspected. We got in the car, and I told them to drive in a voice I didn’t recognize from my own throat. I sounded in charge, and it was nice. I turned to Ion and whispered the question I was dying for an answer about. “Is Bianca safe?”
He nodded before grunting in pain while pulling me down to his lips. He kissed me so passionately, and not in a lustful way. This was different, and I wondered what was happening between us as the car took us to the local hospital, finally letting me know where I had ended up; Toronto. A short drive from New York into another country. Did they think that we couldn’t reach them if they crossed the border? Hopefully, Ion would be able to think of better answers than me.