Where the fuck are you?
“Dima?”
I turned to Marcelo.
His man held the umbrella over us.
Marcelo gripped my arm hard and shook me. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes. Why are you touching me?”
“We have to check on Lei.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
My voice cracked. “He might be dead.”
Marcelo frowned. “I know, but we still have to do it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“We’ll do it together.”
“Marcelo, I can’t see another body, not. . .not of someone I love.”
“Then, I’ll look for the both of us.”
“No. I’ll run for Leo out here.” I shook my head and moved my arm from him. “And Viktor can go with you. . .”
I remembered that Viktor was now dead. That hurt me down to my soul. I closed my eyes.
Marcelo grabbed my arm and shook it again. “Eh! I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
I opened my eyes. “Why not?”
“Because. . .”
I glared at him. “What?”
“I don’t want to find your dead body either.”
Sighing, I checked to the right.
Gunner rushed Rose away. Another man held a green limo open for her.
She’s safe.
I turned back to the church. “Leo said that Lei was sleeping in the attic.”
Marcelo moved his hands from my arm. “Then, we’ll go there first.”
My fingers shook. “I used to play at some of the Four Aces churches when I was a kid. Any painting that looks big enough to be a door, is one.”
“You want us to go through a door painting?”
“Maybe, it gives us an advantage.” I headed back in the direction of the church, but went to the side instead of the front entrance. “It’s going to be crowded and too chaotic by the altar.”
“Lucky for us, I came prepared.” Ten of Marcelo’s men rushed over to us. “Alright. What next?”
“Be suspicious of all the paintings. You see eyes move, then someone is looking behind it. Shoot the painting.”
“What if they’re on our side?”
“I don’t trust anyone anymore.”
“On another note. . .”
“What?” I looked at him.
“Why don’t any of the churches in the South have secret passageways?”
“We’ll fix that later.”
17
Heart Break
Dimitri
F
ire trucks blared. Police sirens snared. People fled the church, escaping the fire and running out to the cold rain.
With our guns out, Marcelo and I entered through the side. The door was meant for the soup kitchen staff. Black smoke rose in the small area. Huge pots topped the stove. The staff had rushed out fast and forgot to turn them off.
Unable to deal with it, I stopped by the stove and turned the knobs.
Marcelo watched me. “Would you like to get a quick sweep in too? Maybe, make a pie?”
I made sure all the flames were off. “Focus on staying alive. Leo is fast and deadly.”
“Don’t worry about that. I don’t take his age for granted. For him to live to sixty-five in this world means that he’s a dangerous bastard.”
I stared at the pots and couldn’t move from the stove. I tapped the knob and then circled it. Something beeped in my ear. It could have been my blood pressure making my ear drums pop.
Images of blood filled my head.
“All Viktor wanted to do was make it to the top level. He could unlock extra guns.” My fingers shivered. “I should have helped him. It was a simple game.”
“Dima?”
I snapped my view to Marcelo. “Yes?”
“I want you to keep talking to me.”
“Why?”
Worry creased the corner of his eyes. “It makes me feel comfortable.”
“Okay.”
“And we should walk while you talk.”
“Okay.” I headed off. “I don’t know all the passageways, but I remember there’s one in Leo’s office.”
“Where is it?”
“The painting of Ju behind his desk.” I turned right. When we entered the bloodied hallway, panic gripped me. I pushed through it, not looking down at the ground.
Don’t look. Keep your eyes straight.
The scent of blood flooded my nostrils. Blood stuck to our shoes causing our steps to make squishy sounds.
“Fuck, man.” Marcelo took in all of my dead men on the floor. He called back to one of his guys. “Call more people in here to have our backs and we need another group to clean up.”
Gun in front of me, I went to Leo’s open door and stepped through, ready to shoot his fucking head off. Unfortunately, the space was empty.
Marcelo got to my side. “Sorry man. I know how much you cared for Viktor.”
I rushed over to the painting, lowered the gun, and slipped my fingers behind the right side of the painting. I found a button and pressed. It clicked. The painting began to open.
“My mother told me to care for my men, but keep a wall around my heart.” I looked back at Marcelo. “I never understood how to do block off my feelings. Did you?”
“Never. I love everyone near me.” Marcelo watched the painting pop open wider and reveal a secret passageway.
I had no response to give Marcelo. I understood what he was saying but it was hard to deal with the pain rising in my chest. The heartbreak. I stepped into the painting with my gun pointed. A thin hallway led to stairs. I headed that way. Marcelo followed. His men loudly climbed in behind us.