Page 83 of Dare To Free Us
Steven and the two others on his side peaked out and opened fire on the mess of furniture Shura and his men were using for cover. Vinny and I broke from cover and rushed the living room. Steven and the others stopped shooting as we crossed their line of fire, but it was already too late for the Russians.
I popped two as their heads came out of hiding. Vinny got one and was already leaping the couch to tackle Nico before I rounded the side.
A body slammed into my midsection, taking my wind and knocking me to the ground. Shura’s large frame ground me into the floor as my body screamed in pain, but there was no time to rest.
We scrambled for a moment, Shura trying to get in blows while I tried to roll him off. After a moment I managed to get him off balance and throw him to the side. We hopped up in unison. I wavered on my feet, the loss of blood and increasing pain taking its toll. With a quick shake of my head I tossed it all into the gutter and concentrated on the man I needed to kill.
Shura smiled like he’d already won. My blood now staining his white shirt would’ve been enough to have everyone betting against me. Slowly he bent down and pulled a knife from his ankle.
Vinny was fighting Nico and another guy. Steven and the others were fending off guards in the hall and watching the entrances for more. As usual the bastards kept coming out of the woodwork. If it wasn’t for Steven and Vinny’s military experience they probably wouldn’t have been able to sneak into the house.
“Looks like you get me one-on-one after all, Matteo.”
“You think that knife is going to save you? After I take it from you I’m going to gut you with it,” I snarled.
Shura snorted. “Funny, I was thinking about doing the same to you. Then finding your wife and fucking her while your blood is still fresh on my hands.”
I lunged. He had the knife but I was the better fighter. I had to be. A moment of surprise crossed his face before he sneered and counter attacked. Shura slashed out with fluid moments. It drove me back until I caught his forearm with my right, sidestepped and cracked my left elbow into his nose.
Shura roared out in pain and stubbled back. I kicked out at the knife, knocking it out of his hand. It clattered across the floor bumping into the wall under the window. I rushed for it, was one step away when it felt like a dump truck slammed into me from behind. Shura and I crashed though the widow, crushing the hedge and rolling to a stop on green grass.
I heaved for air. The pain was close to finishing me off before Shura could. Staggering to my feet I kicked Shura in the ribs on his was up. He grunted and bent over. The haymaker I planted on the side of his head took him to his knees, but he jumped back up and caught me across the jaw. Pain bust into my already battered face.
We traded blows, each of us trying to inflict maximum damage. Shura snarled with frustration every moment I stayed on my feet. It was pure adrenalin keeping me up now. My body moved into muscle memory from hours of training with Luca. Without thinking, I was deflecting most of his advances and landing more of my own. His anger finally got the best of him when he left himself open. My right fist collided with his jaw hard enough to vibrate my entire arm. Shura dropped to his ass, eyes rolling around in his head.
I had him down, now to finish him.
Before I could ready for another blow a single shot rang out, accompanied by searing pain that punctured my stomach.
I was on my back, looking up at a grey-blue sky before I fully comprehended that I’d been shot. My heels scraped at the lawn trying to outrun the agony.Fuck!
Air puffed in and out of my lungs, my vision got worse. A man appeared above me, then another. Shura and one of his goons stood over me pointing a gun at my head. A revolver, its bright, shiny silver glinted in the low sun.
“You were always going to lose, Matteo. I’ll say goodbye to your wife for you,” Shura huffed, wiping at the blood pouring from his broken nose.
No.I couldn’t lose, and I sure as hell wasn’t giving up. Arianna was somewhere and I had to get to her.
A picture filled my mind; Arianna and I on a beach somewhere, a little one with dark hair building sandcastles at our feet. Arianna turned in my arms to smile up at me, I’d never seen her look so feely happy. It was a perfectly content smile that stole my breath. The love in her golden eyes sparkled in the warm sun.
I wanted to see that, make it a reality. Determination filled me like a flash flood.I’m coming, Beautiful.
I shot up and reached for the gun, gripping the back of it. The guy pulled the trigger but the hammer hit my thumb that was now wedged between it and the firing pin. Then I kicked out at Shura’s knee with all I had, it buckled backwards and the roar he let out made my ears ring. He staggered, falling to his back. Using all my weight I heaved backwards, pulling the gun to my chest and the man straight over the top of me. As he rolled I ripped the gun from his hand and spun, then put a bullet in his head.
Readjusting my grip on the gun I spun again and aimed for Shura’s head. He froze, glaring at me with a hatred that I could match ten times over. Slowing pushing to my feet I stepped up beside him. My hands were shaking from the beginning signs of shock and the fury I wanted to unleash on him.
“Hands up,” I snarled.
Shura laid back and put his hands above his head. “Do it fucker!” He taunted me with two middle fingers.
“Don’t you worry, we will get to you dying, but first.” Shifting my aim I fired, straight at his dick. Shura’s scream punctured my eardrums. I watched with deranged satisfaction as he writhed in a pain I couldn’t imagine in my worst nightmares. “That’s for Arianna.”
He continued to cry out, holding his blood soaked crotch, where his cock and balls used to be. “Fuck you!” he spat, drool running down the corner of his mouth. If only I’d had days and not moments to draw out his death.
“You should have stayed in Russia.” With that I emptied the remaining three shots into his face. Pieces of flesh, bone and brain splattered across the lawn. There was nothing but a hollowed out bowl where Shura’s forehead once was. My arms fell to my sides in exhaustion. My eyes drifted up to a gloomy sky, waiting for that feeling of satisfaction.
I thought I would feel relieved when I killed Shura, and in a way it was immensely satisfying, but there wasn’t that sense of end-all that I expected. That euphoric moment when you know the worst is behind you and you’re thankful you came out on top.
It didn’t feel like the end, because it wasn’t.