Page 45 of Morally Corrupt

It was supposed to be an easy mission. We'd already proven ourselves as a reliable duo. It never occurred to us that we may not return from it alive.

We were sent to accompany a shipment of drugs until it got into the hands of the Bratva. We quickly realized it was all a trap.

"Shut it, malyshka, I'm trying to concentrate." He pinched his eyebrows in annoyance at my chatter while flinging the pages of his book. We were sitting around in the back of a truck while the delivery was made.

"You're no fun, Berserker," I replied, knowing he hated being called by that name.

"If you don't stop talking, I'm going to stuff these pages down your throat."

"I'd like to see you try." I flipped him off, and he put the book down, ready to charge me. We always sparred around. Just as he was about to make a grab for me, the truck came to a complete stop, and we were flung about.

"Shit," we both said at the same time, composing ourselves and readying for whatever was happening on the outside. It didn't take long for the shots to fire from all directions.

We looked at each other in confusion. No one had said anything about any danger. Our presence here was supposed to be a mere formality.

Vlad removed his shashkas from the back. He always used two, one in each hand. It was strange, but he rarely used guns, preferring the intimate feeling of killing at close range. Whenever he started, however, he went on a killing spree, hence his code name Berserker. It was also why we were the perfect pair. I preferred guns, rarely relying on knives or any other types of weapons. And I always had his back.

"Cover me," he said, and I nodded, removing two Glocks from my holsters and taking my stance. He opened the door to the cargo container with a kick, and we both quickly jumped and sought cover. We assessed the situation and saw that the driver had been killed, as well the other people in the two cars accompanying us.

"How many?" he asked, and I scanned the surroundings.

"I see two up front and three at the cars." I moved a little to the right to get a better view.

"Another one is coming our way." I held my palm to Vlad and counted the seconds with my fingers. Vlad took my signal and charged the man as he came upon us. He crisscrossed his blades at the man's neck, slashing his throat in one motion.

"Take the front, I'll take the back." I nodded and went into the open. I cocked my guns and aimed, killing the two men at the truck's cockpit. From the corner of my eye, I saw Vlad sneaking around the two cars in front, almost upon the other three.

They noticed me, so their attention was occupied. I lifted one of the men I'd killed and used him as a human shield. It wasn't easy as he was a mountain of a man. I was grateful when I saw Vlad throw two knives, each lodging into the men's skulls. The other two seemed disoriented, looking between Vlad and me.

"Now!" Vlad yelled, and I flung the corpse from my side, ducked, then rolled on the ground as shots flew above my head, and took a kill shot as soon as I landed. That was the last man, the other already dead by Vlad's blade.

I took a deep breath and joined Vlad.

"Did you see?" he asked, looking at the carnage before us. I knew what he was referring to. We went to each and every one of the corpses and ripped the sleeves off their shirts.

"It doesn't make sense," I said. We were looking at six individuals with Bratva tattoos. The Bratva tattoo that Vlad sported as well.

"Fuck." He started towards one of the cars. "Get in!" I quickly followed, frowning at his urgency. "What?"

"We need to get back to the quarters. This isn't good." We got into the car, and he already started the engine.

"It's a coup."

"A coup? But who?"

"My stupid ass of a brother, that's who. Fuck! I should have seen it coming. Misha's always been power hungry, but I didn't think he had it in him."

"So, what, he kills the entire family to become Pakhan?"

"Yes. And if we don't get there in time, it will be a blood bath." I'd never seen Vlad so serious. It wasn't until we got to the quarters that I realized why. He didn't care about his father. But his sisters? That was a different matter altogether.

Just as Vlad suspected, his brother had indeed overtaken the quarters. We managed to pull the feed from some of the security cameras and noticed the men had been quickly replaced with people we didn't recognize. One of the cameras we managed to access was from the main hall of the house, and we could see traces of blood everywhere. Not shocking, Dima Kuznetsov, Vlad's father, and the Pakhan of the Bratva lay dead in the middle of the hall.

A demonstration.

Misha, his brother, and the traitor who'd started all this addressed a few people from the center of the room.

We drove fast, but it still took us a while before we got to the quarters. Nestled deep within Brooklyn, the quarters were around Shepherd's Bay. Because we'd been sent to Union Beach, NJ, it was a wonder we managed to make the journey in a half hour. Still, we were a half hour too late.