Chapter 8 - The Wolf at Bay
Mara threw herself over Lila without a second thought, shielding her child's small body with her own back.
"Don't shoot her!" Mara screamed, her voice cracking in hysterical panic.
"Kill me, take everything, just spare my baby!"
"Quiet, servant," Viktor barked, his eyes fixed entirely on Damian, who was slowly rising from the floor.
Viktor smiled with arrogant delight as he watched his cousin struggle to remain upright.
"You should have died six months ago, Damian," Viktor mocked, casually gesturing with the gun.
"The council was tired of your old-fashioned rules.
No narcotics near schools, no human trafficking through the docks, no cooperation with federal authorities.
You were choking our profits to satisfy your pathetic ghost of a conscience."
Damian stood at his full height, his broad shoulders squared despite the agony coursing through his veins.
"The council didn't sanction this hit," Damian said, his voice dropping to a dangerous baritone rumble.
"You forged their signatures, Viktor.
You always were too greedy to think three steps ahead."
Viktor’s smirk vanished for a fraction of a second, replaced by a twitch of nervous rage.
"It doesn't matter what they sanctioned," Viktor hissed.
"In ten minutes, you will be dead.
The coroner will find high levels of toxic digitalis and declare that your damaged heart finally failed during an unfortunate robbery.
And as for this maid and her mute brat..."
Viktor cocked the hammer of his revolver with a loud, mechanical click.
"They will be buried under six feet of wet concrete at the new terminal pier."
Lila peeking out from beneath Mara’s arm, looked at the heavy crystal chandelier hanging directly above Viktor’s head.
The shockwave from the earlier grenade had cracked the ornamental plaster medallion holding the brass chain to the ceiling.
She looked down at the nine-millimeter pistol resting on the floor beside Mara’s knee.
Lila reached out, grabbed the cold metal grip with both hands, and tugged hard on her mother's skirt.
Mara looked down in shock as Lila pointed the weapon upward toward the ceiling, her tiny eyes bright with fierce intelligence.
Damian caught the movement from the corner of his eye and understood instantly.
"Viktor," Damian said suddenly, taking a heavy step forward to draw his cousin's complete attention.
"Look at me when you kill me, you coward."
Viktor turned his eyes toward Damian, raising the revolver to Damian's chest.
May you like
"With pleasure, brother."
Before Viktor could pull the trigger, Mara grabbed the gun from Lila’s hands, raised it toward the ceiling, and pulled the trigger three times.
