Chapter 9 - The Anatomy of Revenge
Nikolai’s first shot took the contractor on the left through the center of his throat before the man could raise his submachine gun. Sarah burst in right behind him, dropping into a tactical crouch and firing two rounds into the chest of the second guard, sending him crashing into the monitor console in a shower of blue sparks.
Marco scrambled backward, terror stripping the arrogance from his weathered face. He reached for Mia, attempting to haul her up as a human shield, but Nikolai was already upon him.
Nikolai closed the distance in two massive strides, his left hand clamping onto Marco’s wrist with bone-crushing force, twisting the heavy revolver away until the joint snapped with a sickening pop. Marco shrieked in agony, dropping the weapon as Nikolai’s right fist drove brutally into his jaw, shattering teeth and sending the older man sprawling onto the concrete.
""Daddy!"" Mia cried out.
Nikolai didn't look at her yet. He planted his boot firmly onto Marco’s chest, pinning him to the floor. The barrel of Nikolai’s gun pressed directly between Marco’s eyebrows, the metal cold and merciless.
""Who hired the strike team, Marco?"" Nikolai demanded, his chest heaving with cold fury. ""Give me the contractor name.""
Marco coughed, spitting crimson blood across his designer shirt, laughing through the pain. ""You think... you think it was just me? Look at her, Nikolai! Look at Sarah!""
Nikolai did not shift his aim. ""Answer the question.""
""Sarah didn't come to save the girl!"" Marco wheezed, his eyes bulging with malice. ""She brought the contractors! She sold the route into the estate! She promised them the vault codes if they took you out! I was just the middleman who facilitated the transfer!""
Nikolai’s finger tightened on the trigger. In his peripheral vision, he saw Sarah standing over Clara, cutting the maid’s zip-ties. She froze, her back turned to him, the suppressed pistol still gripped firmly in her hand.
""Sarah?"" Nikolai called out softly, a dangerous edge sharpening his voice.
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Clara stirred, groaning as she gained consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, landing first on Sarah, then on Nikolai. A look of sheer horror crossed Clara’s face.
""Nikolai... look out!"" Clara gasped. ""She's not Sarah!""
