Page 55 of Unholy Matrimony

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner. Please let me make it home tonight.

1. Okay

2. To your heir.

3. Hey, brother,

4. Of course, brother

5. Fucking Idiot!

6. nanny

7. Daddy

8. My beautiful flower

9. little one

10. baby

11. Yes

12. Brother

13. FUCK!

14. Love

15. I love you

16. I know. I love you too.

Chapter twenty-four

Leonid

When I pull up the main compound at the back of the property, it's eerily quiet.

I cut the engine to the bike and removed my helmet. I toss my gloves into my helmet and remove my jacket. With my gun in hand, I make my way toward the building. The door is ajar and I peek inside. Smoke is dissipating in the air.

Bodies lie everywhere. I recognize nearly all of them, some ours and some are Yuri’s men.

“Blyat1,” I curse under my breath. The door gives some resistance as I push it open, looking down and it's a body blocking it. I enter and try not to disturb it.

Part of me wants to yell out for Oleg and Ilya, but I know that would draw attention to myself. I check the two rooms off the main door, and they have a few bodies in them, all dead. It smells like death and gunpowder.

Nothing I am not used to. I make my way past the main room, where it looks like most of the shooting happened. The hallway that leads to the back office is to my left. Gun drawn, I make my way down the hall, checking each room as I pass it. Something shifted in the room on my right.

I take cover outside the door. Shouting, “Publichno zayavit2’!” Whoever is in there takes a shot out the door, hitting the wall. I turn and look, then take back my position.

“Yaroslav!” The voice that calls out to me is Yaroslav Volkov. Yuri’s youngest son. “Leo…Leonid, what are you doing here? You should leave.” “I can’t do that, Yarik,” hoping that calling him by his nickname will lighten the tension.

“Yarik! Why are you here?” Yaroslav is young, no older than nineteen. He is the current heir to the Volkov Bratva. His brothers had died in recent years.

“My.. father …had-had … me come to-to.. deliver the justice for our family.” His voice shakes with every word. You can taste the fear that is coming off the boy. I turn and face him. Knowing he won’t shoot. He is scared and too comfortable with me now.

“Where is everybody else? Are you the only one left?” He lowers his gun, and he shakes his head.