is next to us with one of the hired guns in the passenger seat, and another driving.
They probably don’t see shit like this regularly in London. Knife crime, yes, but gunshots? Not so much.
One of the nurses, not the one staring with pale skin and glassy eyes, turns on her heel and runs inside shouting. Soon there are gurneys, doctors, and nurses all around us, and it’s so chaotic and fast I can’t take it all in.
By the time they’ve rushed Vasily and Derek away, I’m consumed by the enormity of what has happened.
I’ve been fucked over, well and truly. It makes my blood boil. Liza must pay for this. She has to— there is no alternative. Not in my world. I cannot let this go. I cannot let Liza live. Female or not, she must die. But when? I can’t kill her while she’s pregnant, so what the hell do I do?
My head throbs violently, and my mouth is dry. We all head inside and sit on the hard, plastic chairs. My mind is in total turmoil. Someone nudges my shoulder, and I look up to see one of the new hires, Johnny is his name if I recall, offering me a coffee in one of those forlorn little plastic cups. I take it, though, needing the liquid.
I sip at it, and it’s like lava. Fuck me, I’m surprised they aren’t busy treating all the caffeine-related burns victims they must get.
“Do you want us to stay or go?” Johnny asks.
“Best if you guys go,” I tell him. “This is a clusterfuck. I’ve got a contact in the police meeting me here, in about”—I check my watch—“twenty minutes, so he’ll help me sort this shitshow out. You go back to the house, but listen—be fucking careful, okay?”
He nods gravely and heads out the door where the other guy is still waiting.
I’m left alone. All alone. Cassie is gone, and I can’t even let my head go there. Denis is dead. Vasily is possibly mortally wounded.
Michael. Shit, I must tell him.
I don’t want to. I don’t want to explode his world into a million pieces and put the fear of God in him, but he needs to be aware of the path of war we're on. I also must talk to Lucia’s father and let him know how serious shit got. He might throw Michael out.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, stand, throw my coffee cup away in the nearest trash can, and walk outside. I turn left and head down a small walkway where there’s no one around. Then I take out my phone and call my son.
“Hey, Konstantin, how’s it going?” Michael sounds happy. Shit, he won’t be in two minutes.
“Something’s happened.” I hate those words. Words that must bring back memories of the last time I had to give him grave news. When his mother died.
“What? Are you okay, Dad?”
“Yes,” I say. “But I need you to go fetch Lucia’s father if he’s there? There’s been an attack on us, at the house. They’ve shot Uncle Vasily and Denis.” I don’t tell him Denis betrayed us, no need. “They took Liza and Cassie,” I add.
“Shit, Dad.” Then he asks, making my heart hurt, “Are the dogs okay?”
“Yeah, they are. I had them inside when it happened. They were in the utility room eating, and the door was closed.”
“Seems like great timing on behalf of whoever did this, the dogs being inside… How the fuck did they get through the gates?”
“They hacked into me, into our security systems. Turned off the fence, opened the gate, and turned off the alarm on the door. They probably had access to the security cameras downstairs and knew the dogs were in the utility room. Frankly, I’m grateful they were inside. They were bought to protect us, but no dog can protect against ten armed men.”
His loud inhalation of breath makes me realize exactly how much I’ve given away.
“Son, listen, can you go fetch Mr. Bianchi for me?”
“Of course, Dad. Where are you now? I’m coming.”
“No.”
“But, Uncle V.”
“Michael, no. You’re safe there, please.”
There’s a long beat of silence then he says, “Okay.”
A moment later I hear hushed talking and then a smooth, cultured voice with a hint of an Italian accent.
“Hello. We finally get to chat.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“I understand. This all happened so quickly between our children. I wasn’t too happy at first, but your son is a good man, and I know he’ll do right