Page 36 of Her Darkest Possession (Baryshev Bratva #2)

ANATOLY

A bright glow of the fire lights up the sky long before the front gates of the mansion ever come into view. Thick black smoke billows into the night sky as snowflakes dance and twirl in the night.

I can hear the flames crackling even from here, and they sound almost as loud as the chatter of rifles between my men who've already arrived and the Volkov stragglers fighting to keep us out.

The car screeches to a halt and I jump out before Roma even puts it in park.

"My Pakhan!" Kusma runs up to me, blood splattered across his face and hands me a rifle. "The Volkovs have the front sealed off."

"Where's Vassily? Has anyone seen him?"

"We haven't been able to reach anyone inside."

My stomach drops as I dial his number. It rings endlessly, no answer. I try again with the same result.

A hail of gunfire rips through the air, bullets cracking overhead. Kusma and I duck down just as Roma slides into position besides me.

Is Vassily dead? Did I order my little brother to his death?

And Indigo.

Is she still alive?

As Kusma stands up to fire a burst from his rifle, I dial Indigo's cell next. My hands are shaking so badly I nearly drop the phone. But unlike Vassily's phone, Indigo's goes straight to voicemail.

"Nothing from Indigo either," I look at Roma.

"Maybe Vasya got her into the panic room," Roma suggests, his eyes reflecting the flames. "That room is completely shielded from all cell signals. Try the landline."

I punch in the number, holding my breath as it rings once, twice...

"Anatoly?" Indigo's voice comes through, breathless and terrified.

My knees nearly give out underneath me. She's alive! She must've made it into the panic room. That means she's temporarily safe.

The crushing weight that had been compressing my chest lifts, allowing me to draw a proper breath for the first time since departing from the precinct.

"Indigo! Are you okay? Are you in the panic room?"

"Yes," she answers. "I'm here with Amara and Svetlana. But Anatoly…" Her voice breaks as she pauses. "Vassily is dead. Lola shot him in the head."

I close my eyes briefly, as devastating news hits me.

Vassily. Gone.

After we just started the path of returning to the same side again. And at Lola's hand. Grief claws at my insides, threatening to hollow me out completely. But I shove it away.

There will be time to grieve later. Right now, I need to focus on saving Indigo.

I force my eyes open and see my breath tumbling up into the wintry air.

The snow is starting to come down harder now.

"Listen to me," I say. "Stay put. I'm coming for you."

"Be careful," she says. "I see at least twenty that on the security monitors before they started burning everything."

I glance at the burning mansion, flames now licking up the east wing where our bedroom was. The place I'd held her just hours ago.

"I'll get to you, I promise," I tell her, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the panic threatening to overwhelm me. "That panic room is built to withstand anything. It's fireproof, and has its own separate air system. You'll be safe in there."

"For how long?"

"As long as necessary," I say firmly. "Trust me."

More headlights cut through the darkness behind us. Three cars pull up, and relief floods through me as more of my men spill out, rifles ready.

"More of our people are arriving," I tell Indigo.

Roma taps my shoulder, pointing toward the mansion's upper windows where Volkov shooters have positioned themselves. A muzzle flashes, and a stream of cracking bullets snap through the air over our heads, forcing us to scatter.

They've got the advantage of elevation working for them. And we have no idea where they might've set up more ambush points.

My men look at me, waiting for my orders.

"Indigo, I need your help."

"Anything," she responds without hesitation.

"How many screens are still showing live feeds?"

"Three are working. The one marked north, south, and east," she answers. "The main entrance one is gone, so are the ones for the cliffside and the west."

My mind races as I imagine the layout of the house in my head. It's an exercise that father has made me do time and time again since I was a kid.

I never thought that tonight will be the night I'll finally put that exercise to use. I can't send my men blind into places where Indigo can't give us information about. The straight route to the west is blind. If we try to go there, we'll get slaughtered.

We'll have to take the long way around.

"How many men do you see on the north and east camera feeds?"

She's quiet for a moment, her breathing audible over the line as she checks the monitors. "I see... six men by the east side, near the garden entrance. And three on the north side by the service door."

I motion to Kusma, beckoning him closer. When he crawls over to me, keeping low to avoid the steady thump-thump thump of gunfire overhead, I point toward the western perimeter of the property.

"Take six men and circle to the north entrance. Go wide through the tree line, then close in fast. Three targets. Can you handle it?"

Kusma nods, determination hardening his features. "Consider it done, Pakhan."

I watch as he selects his team with quick, definitive gestures, and then they disappear into the darkness.

"South camera. What do you see there?"

"I count about six men at the—" A sharp yelp comes through the line. "They just shot out the camera!"

"Fuck!" I snarl.

The Volkovs are being strategic, taking out our eyes systematically. The fact that the cliffside and west wing cameras were already disabled tells me exactly where their heaviest forces are positioned and where they want me to make my main attack.

They're not stupid. I'll give them that.

"You're doing great, Indigo," I tell her, trying to keep my voice steady despite the rage and fear churning inside me. "Stay on the line with me, okay?"

"I will."

I wave Roma over, and he ducks down beside me as another volley of gunfire passes overhead.

"Roma, take two teams and secure the ventilation shaft access by the cliffside.

We can't let the Volkovs take it. If mother really gave all the information about the mansion to Lola, then they'll know how important that is.

You'll be going in blind, and odds are good that the Volkovs are already there. "

Roma nods grimly. "And you? What will you do?"

"I'll coordinate the assault from here. Shift forces to where they're needed most."

I motion towards another two men, and when they over, I point at both their earpieces.

Both of them gives those up without question, and I hand one to Roma.

"Keep in touch. Call me if you need more men. That ventilation shaft is our main priority. We need to take it. And if we can't, we need to keep the Volkovs from damaging it. Eto moi prikaz."

Roma holds my gaze for a long moment, and then he nods.

"Good luck, brother," he says, clasping my shoulder briefly before turning to gather his team.

"Indigo, stay with me," I say, tightening my grip on the phone. "Kusma is headed to the north entrance with six men. I need you to be my eyes."

"I will," she promises, her voice steadier now. Having a task seems to focus her.

"Let me know the moment you see anything. Either our men taking out the Volkovs or the Volkovs getting more backup."

"I'll do that," she says.

"And Lola? Do you see her?"

"Last I saw her." Indigo's breath catches slightly, but her voice is steady and even as she speaks. "Was right after she shot Vassily. She was in the west wing starting the fire."

Before I can ask more, Indigo cuts in urgently, "The east cameras just went out!"

"Fuck!" I snarl. "Focus on the north entrance then. That's where our men are headed anyways."

The line goes quiet for a moment, just her breathing coming through. Then her voice rises, tight with tension. "I see them! The Volkovs are firing at something! That must be Kusma."

I strain my ears, trying to hear gunfire from that direction, but the sounds of battle are coming from all sides of the property now.

"One of the Volkovs just went down!" Indigo reports. "The other two are taking cover behind the windows on the right side."

"Stay on the line, I'll call you back," I tell her, then dial Kusma.

He answers immediately. "Da!"

"Two Volkov men behind windows on right side facing out. Shift fire."

"Understood."

I switch the call back to Indigo. "What about now?"

"They're both down," she says with something like grim satisfaction in her voice. "Your men got them."

Hope surges through me. We have our first entry point.

I quickly relay to Kusma, "North entrance is clear. Move in now."

"Moving in, Pakhan."

I wait, listening to the crackle of the connection. Then suddenly—rapid gunfire erupts on the other end, followed by shouts.

"Kusma!" I yell. "Kusma!"

Nothing. Just the sound of continued gunfire. Fuck, they must've been ambushed from either the west or the east wing as soon as they got in.

With so many cameras taken out, there are too many fucking blind spots and ambush points.

Just then, my earpiece crackles to life.

"Tolya..." Roma's voice comes through, ragged and breathless. The sound of gunfire nearly drowns him out. "The Volkovs... they've got at least ten men at the cliffside. Heavy resistance."

I swear under my breath. This confirms it. Lola must have learned about existence of the ventilation shaft from mother. The one place we absolutely need to control, and they've gotten there first.

"They're setting explosives," Roma continues, his voice rising with urgency. "Near where the shaft exits. And they've set up a fucking machine gun. We can't get close enough—"

A deafening BOOM cuts through the night, so powerful I feel it in my chest even from here. The ground beneath my feet trembles slightly. From the cliffside, a plume of dust and debris rises into the snowy night sky.

"Roma! Report!" I bark into the earpiece.

Static hisses for several agonizing seconds before Roma's voice returns.