Page 64 of Lord of Vice
I continued petting Remington, better understanding why Kraven had been so observant, watching everyone in every crowd, scanning the roads and sidewalks as if anticipating an enemy would suddenly start shooting.
He was right that I had no clue about his life or what he’d been through, no right to judge him and how he handled his business. “Yes, I trust you. I do. I can. I am.”
“Good, baby. Now, I need you to keep your eyes closed as I walk us to the hallway. It’s the only way out.”
I didn’t need to ask why. I’d heard the horrific number of gunshots and could only envision how many hours it would take to clean the mess. A part of me was ready to laugh, the rolling nerves filling my stomach ready to get the best of me.
The powerful Russian kept me close as he led me from the bathroom, allowing me to keep my hand on Remington’s head as he walked me down the hallway.
Konstantin blocked our way before we were able to make it to the main room, the man as disheveled as I felt. “I have no idea how they gained access to the suite, boss.”
“Fucking find out!” Kraven roared. “Ensure the guests haven’t been disturbed.”
“I have men scouring the main floor but so far, the only target was the suite. There’s something else. Misha is down. He was hit just inside the door before you managed to take the last guy out.”
“No!” I interjected, managing to break free of Kraven’s hold, pushing past Konstantin before either man could stop me. When I raced toward the suite’s door, I wasn’t thinking about what I might find or the consequences of my actions. The only thing on my mind was getting to Misha.
I found him lying in a pool of blood just inside the door. While it was obvious to tell he was still alive, he was in serious distress, his eyes close to becoming vacant.
Misha’s body was convulsing, one of the soldiers keeping his palms pressed against the man’s chest, his hands and fingers covered in blood.
I reacted, racing through the men, yanking kitchen towels into my hand. My legs were wobbling by the time I made it back,dropping to the floor beside him. “Use these. Okay? You have to keep the blood loss down.”
The man was looking to Konstantin for the okay.
“Do it,” he growled. “Keep that man alive.”
“Misha. It’s going to be okay. We’ll get you some help. Okay? Stay with us.” I rubbed my hand across his forehead, trying not to show my devastation from seeing the blood oozing from his mouth and the gaping hole in his chest. I’d never seen anything like this. “Someone call 9-1-1. Fucking hurry.”
“It’s been done, Ms. Valentine. He’ll pull through.” It was Konstantin trying to comfort me while I could hear Kraven’s voice as he barked orders in Russian to the dozen or so soldiers that had crowded into the suite. It was the scene of a freaking massacre. Even in movies, I’d never seen so much blood. So much gore. My stomach lurched, bile forming in my throat. I had to stay strong.
At least the other soldier had followed my directions. As if I knew what the hell I was talking about.
“See? You’re going to be fine, Misha.” I pressed my hand against his cheek, no longer able to feel my legs. Remington was fussing over the man, whimpering and whining. He knew something, no, everything was horrible askew. Misha was coughing up blood, blinking but not able to focus.
“Come on, pretty Penny. Let’s get you to safety.” Kraven’s voice held the sound of exhaustion as well as vivid rage. “We’re going to take care of you, Misha.”
“We can’t leave him.” As soon as I made the statement, I was shocked when Misha grabbed my hand, his grip much firmerthan I could dare imagine he’d have. I could tell he was trying to talk, attempting to tell me something.
I leaned over but was pulled to my feet, Kraven cradling me once again. “We need to get out of here. I promise you he’ll be taken care of. Okay?”
“You damn well better. He cares about you. He’s family too.” I had blood on my hands and clothes, and I stared at my stained fingers for a few seconds, trying not to be horrified.
“Where are you going, boss?” Konstantin asked.
“To my estate. For now. I want every soldier online and prepared. I want every camera in the goddamn resort checked, especially the exterior doors including the underground garages. Check the trash bins in every location for clothes, bags, any sign the assholes arrived in different clothing. Have our resorts covered, our casinos. The warehouses. Everything. We need to find the fucking spineless leader of this shitshow.”
“Already in the works.” Konstantin threw me another look. “Who do you think they were after?”
They both still thought I had something to do with the initial assassination attempt. I was certain of it.
“You mean other than my death? Uncertain but it is something I’m going to discover,” Kraven said in more of a determined growl. “I will scour this city until I find what I need.”
Kraven started to pull me from the room, but I fought one last time, turning around to face the suite.
It was something I shouldn’t have done.
I’d never been the kind of girl to get spooked during horror movies. Blood and guts had done little more than make me laugh, especially when the heroines acted so stupidly, engaging whatever killer was on the loose.