story balcony directly across the street from Susan’s house.
Ducking into the deep shadows, Kirill found a point where he could cross the street without exposing himself. He ducked low and ran hunched over until he could take cover behind a parked car. Using every bit of shrubbery and even a large brick mailbox to hide his approach, Kirill made his way toward the shooter’s position.
His heart pounded frantically in his chest. The shots had stopped, and the sirens were close. He had almost no time to end this. Around the corner in another alley directly across the street from Susan’s house, he heard movement. Someone leaped down to street level. He heard their boots hit the asphalt.
Whipping around the corner with his gun drawn, Kirill took a deep breath to fortify himself for what was to come. “You might as well stop walking and turn around.”
The dark figure swung around and stopped in his tracks.
Kirill approached slowly, holding his gun at the ready. There wasn’t much light. A single floodlight from a nearby garage provided the only illumination. Then the stranger threw back his hood, and Kirill nearly sank to his knees.
“You’re alive!” Kirill called out hoarsely, slowly lowering his weapon. “How are you alive?”
Jacob’s bitter laugh filled the alley. “Some simple medication to slow the heart rate, and it only seems as though someone has no pulse.”
“But why? You’ve been the one getting the jump on the contracts and jerking me around? Why?”
“I never wanted an apprentice. And you’re not cut out for this life anyway. I figured I would get rid of you and then things would go back to the way they were.”
Kirill felt his anger building. “So you shoot at my family ?”
“To warn you off.” Jacob made a tsking noise. “Is there really any better way to get a point across? Now, though, I do apologize, but you’re going to have to die.”
Kirill was already lifting his weapon. “Not a chance.”
The shots in the alley were deafening. The sounds ricocheted off the narrow brick structures and echoed in Kirill’s ears until he thought his head might explode. Pain lanced through his shoulder, and he went down on one knee.
A few yards away, Jacob was dead on the ground.
Chapter Fourteen
Susan nearly retched at the coppery scent of blood that filled the alleyway. Behind her on the street, she could hear Oksana shouting at the paramedics and ordering the police around. For now, Oksana’s highhanded behavior provided the perfect cover for her to find Kirill.
She gingerly stepped around garbage cans and over piles of items tagged for recycling. Then she saw two figures slumped on the ground. Her heart nearly stopped. One of the men she didn’t recognize. The other was Kirill.
“Kirill,” she whimpered, kneeling beside him on the hard asphalt. “Are you hurt?”
He seemed to perk up when he heard her whisper. “Susan?”
“Yes. It’s Susan. We have to get you out of here before the police search this area.” She was already pulling on his arm. He struggled to his feet. She braced his weight on her shoulder as best she could. “Who is that? The person you’ve been chasing?”
“It was Jacob.” His voice was strangely flat. “This whole time Jacob has been double crossing me.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no time. The cops are going to find you here. We have to get out and make up a story or something.” She tugged him along. “This way. It’s only a few blocks to the hospital. We’ll say we were walking out here and you got hit by a stray bullet.”
“My gun,” he said dully. “I have to get rid of the weapon. The ballistics won’t match the bullets in Vlad and myself, but it will match the one in Jacob.”
“Where is it?” she demanded.
He held it up. “Wipe the prints off. Get them all, okay? Yours and mine.”
She felt like some character from a crime novel as she used the tail of her T-shirt to scrub at the surface of the weapons.
Ducking into the deep shadows, Kirill found a point where he could cross the street without exposing himself. He ducked low and ran hunched over until he could take cover behind a parked car. Using every bit of shrubbery and even a large brick mailbox to hide his approach, Kirill made his way toward the shooter’s position.
His heart pounded frantically in his chest. The shots had stopped, and the sirens were close. He had almost no time to end this. Around the corner in another alley directly across the street from Susan’s house, he heard movement. Someone leaped down to street level. He heard their boots hit the asphalt.
Whipping around the corner with his gun drawn, Kirill took a deep breath to fortify himself for what was to come. “You might as well stop walking and turn around.”
The dark figure swung around and stopped in his tracks.
Kirill approached slowly, holding his gun at the ready. There wasn’t much light. A single floodlight from a nearby garage provided the only illumination. Then the stranger threw back his hood, and Kirill nearly sank to his knees.
“You’re alive!” Kirill called out hoarsely, slowly lowering his weapon. “How are you alive?”
Jacob’s bitter laugh filled the alley. “Some simple medication to slow the heart rate, and it only seems as though someone has no pulse.”
“But why? You’ve been the one getting the jump on the contracts and jerking me around? Why?”
“I never wanted an apprentice. And you’re not cut out for this life anyway. I figured I would get rid of you and then things would go back to the way they were.”
Kirill felt his anger building. “So you shoot at my family ?”
“To warn you off.” Jacob made a tsking noise. “Is there really any better way to get a point across? Now, though, I do apologize, but you’re going to have to die.”
Kirill was already lifting his weapon. “Not a chance.”
The shots in the alley were deafening. The sounds ricocheted off the narrow brick structures and echoed in Kirill’s ears until he thought his head might explode. Pain lanced through his shoulder, and he went down on one knee.
A few yards away, Jacob was dead on the ground.
Chapter Fourteen
Susan nearly retched at the coppery scent of blood that filled the alleyway. Behind her on the street, she could hear Oksana shouting at the paramedics and ordering the police around. For now, Oksana’s highhanded behavior provided the perfect cover for her to find Kirill.
She gingerly stepped around garbage cans and over piles of items tagged for recycling. Then she saw two figures slumped on the ground. Her heart nearly stopped. One of the men she didn’t recognize. The other was Kirill.
“Kirill,” she whimpered, kneeling beside him on the hard asphalt. “Are you hurt?”
He seemed to perk up when he heard her whisper. “Susan?”
“Yes. It’s Susan. We have to get you out of here before the police search this area.” She was already pulling on his arm. He struggled to his feet. She braced his weight on her shoulder as best she could. “Who is that? The person you’ve been chasing?”
“It was Jacob.” His voice was strangely flat. “This whole time Jacob has been double crossing me.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no time. The cops are going to find you here. We have to get out and make up a story or something.” She tugged him along. “This way. It’s only a few blocks to the hospital. We’ll say we were walking out here and you got hit by a stray bullet.”
“My gun,” he said dully. “I have to get rid of the weapon. The ballistics won’t match the bullets in Vlad and myself, but it will match the one in Jacob.”
“Where is it?” she demanded.
He held it up. “Wipe the prints off. Get them all, okay? Yours and mine.”
She felt like some character from a crime novel as she used the tail of her T-shirt to scrub at the surface of the weapons.
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