Page 46 of Morally Corrupt

In fact, the quarters of the Bratva were a couple of old mansions that housed the leading members of the organization and their families and where all-important business was conducted and other less legal means of coercing information out of people.

Vlad didn't even bother to properly park the car as he got out and started towards the gates. Having gotten an idea of what was happening inside, I reached out and stopped him. Instinctively, he flipped my hand off.

"Stop, you moron," I said, "Think about this, you're walking to your death."

That statement made him pause.

"So what? I'll die with honor. Not a traitor."

"You don't need to die if we're smart about this."

"What do you have in mind?" he asked, and I smirked.

"You got yourself a sniper, use it well."

The moment the words were out of my mouth, the corner of his turned up, too. He realized what I was thinking. We spent a few minutes hashing out the plans, and then we went in different directions of the house.

Vlad went through the main gates, ready to greet the carnage made by his brother, while I went towards a broken part of the fence. My goal was to first secure my gear. Having worked for a while now with the Bratva, I had my little office on the premises. Before advancing, though, I made sure my Glocks were fully charged with ammo, then I attached a silencer to each pistol's end. The key to our plan was the element of surprise that my arrival would cause. Vlad was to only shake things up a little until I got a good shot at Misha.

I managed to sneak through the hole in the fence and then made my way across the lawn, trying to avoid as much attention as possible. Just as I was about to round the corner towards one of the back entrances, a man spotted me. I didn't hesitate as I pulled the trigger for a shot between his eyes. Lowering my gun, I sprinted across and entered the house.

Two more people came across me as I made my way towards my office, both of them now lying in a blood pool. Just as I was about to reach my destination, a bullet whizzed past my shoulder, taking some skin with it. It burned. Oh well, the pain gave me a new purpose. I smiled as I saw the man who'd taken the shot and returned the favor.

I finally opened the door to my office, and with as much speed as I could muster, I assembled my favorite rifle and slung it across my shoulder. Now the more challenging part. To have a full view of the main house's hall, I had to go to the second building's surveillance tower. It would be a challenge to get there unnoticed.

I quickly exited the house and tried to keep out of sight as I ran across the lawn again.

Surprisingly, I reached the second building in record time. Going through yet another back entrance, I had to shoot two more people down before getting to the surveillance tower.

Glad there were no more interruptions inside the room, I locked the door, adding some of the furniture for extra force. Then I took my position and looked through the telescope. I adjusted my view a little, and finally, I could see what was happening in the hall.

Misha was arrogantly pacing the floor. Vlad was being held by two goons. His clothes were full of blood, and so was his face. Not his blood, of that I was confident. Misha seemed to say something, probably gloating about his treachery. I fixated on Misha and waited for him to stand still. His hands flailed around.

"Stop moving!" I muttered to myself.

He moved again to remove one of Vlad's shashkas and hold it against his throat. I had to hurry. I controlled my breathing and looked for the red dot to coincide with his skull. Please, move a little to the right, I whispered to myself.

And he did.

Just as he moved two millimeters to the right, I took my hit, right between his eyes. Kill shot. The moment Misha dropped dead, Vlad wrenched himself free from the men holding him, immediately slaying them. He then stood and looked right at me.

He was a sight, that's to be sure. So bloody and fierce. He was magnificent. If I weren't already in love, I might have differently appreciated the dashing figure he cut all in red.

He winked. I laughed and lowered my rifle. It seems that my best friend was the new Pakhan.

16

THEO

Last night's conversation with Bianca left some lingering thoughts. I'd been shocked when she'd asked me about my darkest sexual fantasies. It had sent me back to a period in my life, before Bianca, when I had indulged in those dark fantasies. It had also made me question whether I was truly satisfied with how things had been with Bianca in the bedroom. Ever since I'd started seriously seeing her, I'd never even entertained the thought of unleashing myself on her.

She'd been so quiet, reserved. So sheltered. Knowing the darkness that had been my life before her, I'd wanted to preserve that innocence against all costs, so our lovemaking had always been tender and restrained. I can picture even now the night I'd taken her virginity. It had been under the covers and in the darkness of the night. She'd been shy and tentative in her explorations, and I'd tried to make her as comfortable as possible. After that, I'd always been as careful as possible with her, not wanting to scare her away with my desires. Looking back now, by treating her with kid gloves, I'd also been denying myself.

Suddenly, thoughts of another woman come to mind, one I'd treated the exact opposite of my wife.

Before Bianca, I hadn't dated, my career goals taking precedence over romance. All my sexual escapades had been relegated to prostitutes, and even those had been rare.

I'd met this particular hooker after I'd started joining some of the senior associates in the mayor's office at this strip club named Palace. I'd been watching her the whole night the first time I saw her. But she was the one who approached me first.