Dirty Obsessions - The Lion and The Mouse

“Then I’ll stay safe inside of the limo.”

“Thank you.”

My phone rang.

I picked it up. “Hello?”

“Are you ready?” Circuit asked.

“I am.”

“You stay your ass in that limo with your guards. First sign of trouble and they’ll drive you off.”

“I understand.”

“I see where you’re located. You’re five minutes away. Get ready.”

“What else can I do besides wait for the Xecutioners to kill the men?”

Circuit replied, “Once they’re done, your limo will pull up, grab Valentina and the baby.”

“Where will I take them? Should it be back to the—”

“You haven’t dealt with Valentina much?”

“No.”

“Valentina will go wherever she wants to. Once you drop her off, get your ass back here immediately.”

“And you should have news about Misha?”

“I will.”

“Have his back.”

“I will, Ava, but make sure nothing happens to you.”

“Trust me. I don’t plan on getting harmed. My job is easy. Talk to you later.” I hung up.

Minutes later, we made it to the area we would be waiting at. My driver parked us next to a restaurant. The Xecutioners sped by us on their bikes. They had nothing with them besides a few knives underneath their jackets. One had a sword strapped on his back.

Can they really do this?

When they’d left with us, I figured they would grab several weapons. They brought nothing else but the knives and swords with them. Not bags or tools.

I tapped the side of the door. “They didn’t take any guns.”

Yefim asked across from me. “That worries you?”

“Aren’t guns helpful when doing stuff like this?”

“You would think so. And looking at the Xecutioners, they’re not physically impressive.”

I was impressed.

While the Xecutioners didn’t have bulging muscles like the brotherhood, they were cut and sculpted.

“However, do not worry. They’re not having guns is a good thing.” Yefim continued. “Usually, guns are fast and knives are slow. That’s the unspoken law.”

“Then why not have guns?”

“A woman and baby are involved.”

I turned his way. “Okay. They don’t want a stray bullet to kill them.”

“That’s my thinking. If I were going in, it would be knives”

My phone rang.

I picked up. “What’s going on?”

“Our people have surrounded the building,” Circuit said. “All right. They’re taking out the guys in the front and back with silencers.”

I checked my iPad. “No one in the condo has been alerted.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Have the Xecutioners made it there?”

“As soon as our people took out the guards, they entered through the back. We have a couple more of our men following them inside.”

I swallowed down fear. “And where is Misha?”

“Heading to the restaurant. He won’t go inside until he knows Valentina and Natalya are safe.”

“Makes sense.”

“Okay.” Circuit sounded tense. “We have two minutes before you see them on your iPad. The Xecutioners are now in the hallway. They’ve taken out the guards by the elevators.”

I hadn’t realized there were guys over there.

“You should probably stop watching when they enter the room.”

I widened my eyes. “Why?”

“This is getting messy.”

“It’s my. . .mission. I’m watching.”

“Mission?” Circuit chuckled. “You’re perfect for Misha.”

“What?”

“He loves all those spy novels. In fact, I think he believes he is a spy.”

I was intrigued with the information. I was going to ask more, but the Xecutioners snatched away my attention.

They must’ve knocked.

The guard at the door turned around and opened it.

Hiro zipped in and slashed the man’s throat. The guard fell forward. Hiro slammed the back of his neck and dragged him out of the condo.

Oh!

My gaze remained glued to the screen. None of the other Solntsevskaya were aware of what happened. In the living room, the four kept playing poker while the other four watched the game on TV.

Circuit’s voice filled the limo. “Here we go.”

I set the phone next to me.

Please, God.

Other Xecutioners slowly walked down the hall and stopped near the living room’s entrance, but didn’t step out. They remained there. The Xecutioner with the black hat peeked out a little, leaned back, and raised eight fingers.

My nerves frazzled. I tapped the side of the iPad.

On the screen, Hiro entered the hallway, walked down, and stopped by the entrance.

Circuit’s voice sounded in the limo and made me jump. “Let the games begin.”

“Are there any more of Leonid’s people around the building?”

“Our men are checking. This is looking good so far, Ava.”

“Let’s just hope it stays that way.”

On the screen, Hiro whistled from the hallway. One of the guards muted the television. Hiro whistled again. Two men grabbed their guns, rose from the couch, and headed that way. All the other guards readied themselves. There was no more attention to football and poker games.

Yefim spoke. “If Hiro had a gun, he would have entered and shot.”

“But they have to be careful about the baby.”

Yefim bobbed his head. “So, he called the men forward.”

“But the Xecutioners haven’t taken their knives out.” I bit my lip.

“They will.”

One of the guards entered the hallway. Hiro slammed into the man’s side, grabbed his hand, and twisted the body to the floor. He chopped the back of the neck. The man crashed to the ground. The other guard charged for Hiro’s back. Hiro spun his way, lashed out with his right, and smashed the man’s head into the wall. Blood spilled from the guy’s eyes.