121 - Benjamin Scott

121 - Benjamin Scott
Benjamin Scott

I hear the gunshots aimed in our direction, and even though my mind is focused on what's happening, my heart aches with anxiety, not knowing how my little devil is faring inside that room. I know Oleg won’t be able to reach my wife, but I’m certain he won’t stop trying to break down that door.

“Don’t worry; we’ve already taken down half of his men,” Oliver says, firing another shot.

“How did he have the guts to invade our territory?” Jackson asks.

“Desperation, no doubt. After all, every Russian wants him alive!” I say, hitting the driver in their car.

“It doesn’t matter if they couldn’t get him; I’ll kill him for hurting the reason I live!” I add, reminded of how much Camilla means to me.

I land a shot on another of his men, hiding behind a few cars in the parking lot that I hadn’t noticed when we arrived.

“Two down!” my uncle says.

“Take the one on the left, Oliver…” I instruct.

I point at the man on the right, hiding behind a car door. He grew overconfident and left his legs exposed. With a precise shot, I hit him, watching as he falls to his knees. I seize the opportunity and shoot him in the head. The man collapses, leaving my path clear to go rescue my little devil.

“Let’s go!”

I rush to my car and see Oliver running to his, along with his soldiers. I watch them get into their vehicle and follow Victor, who hurries to start ours, ready to take us back home.

My anxiety grows as I see Jackson making a call to Amelia.

“Are you okay?” he asks. “Is Sophia with you?”

He exhales in relief, which soothes me as well, one less problem for us at the moment. My sole concern now is my wife and my four children. Fear gnaws at me, knowing that today I might meet my four children for the first time.

Who would have thought my wife’s pregnancy would turn so turbulent over these almost seven months? My fear now is knowing that our quartet will soon be inside incubators while I’m desperate to learn how my wife is after being shot.

Lost in my thoughts, we arrive at the mansion. The gates are crushed, and numerous soldiers lie scattered across the lawn. Even the guard dogs we keep to protect the family have been killed.

Judging by the level of violence at the property’s entrance, Oleg isn’t here alone, there must be at least twenty men with him. What puzzles me is how he managed to assemble so many people outside his country.

And more importantly, how did the Stepanovs fail to notice a plane full of Russians leaving their borders?

“He’ll die here…” Jackson says.

“You can count on it!” I reply.

Victor drives the car closer, and we spot some of Oleg’s men running across the lawn, heading for the house.

“Speed up and run them over,” I order.

The car hits them, and the jolt of running over their bodies makes me laugh. It’s exactly what I needed, with the rage I feel, I crave the sight of blood from everyone in my house who dared hurt my little devil.

“Sir, I’ll get us as close to the house as I can,” Victor says.

I nod, my gaze fixed on my house as we draw nearer. Anger boils inside me, knowing I’ll have to kill many men in my own home just to reach my wife.

I grip my two pistols, seeing Jackson do the same as he turns to me.

“I swore loyalty to my leader and his family. Let’s go rescue your little devil; we’ll deal with the aftermath later!”

I nod in agreement, and we exit the car cautiously, scanning our surroundings. Miraculously, none of Oleg’s men are in sight, which feels odd.

Considering the destruction at the complex’s entrance, there should be many of them. We enter my home through the front door, eyes locked on the corridor where Camilla is.

“First him, then her!” Jackson says beside me.

I shake my head, even knowing it would be wiser to kill that bastard first rather than expose my wife to his line of fire. Oleg must be hiding somewhere, just waiting.

“This is my house, and in my house, I am God…” I glance at Victor and Oliver as they arrive.

“Split up. Find that bastard and kill anyone with him. Leave him alive, I want him alive.”

I see everyone nodding in agreement, and we separate. I knew that in the hallway where Camilla was, he wouldn’t be, since there’s only a powder room and the panic room, which is locked from the inside.

We all split up. I watch Jackson heading upstairs toward the bedrooms, Oliver heading toward the kitchen, and Victor scanning the living room. It doesn’t take long before he appears beside me.

Something was drawing me toward the office. I didn’t know what was happening, but with the gunshots echoing from the direction of the bedrooms, I was certain much of the chaos Oleg had caused was coming to an end.

I notice the office door closed and glance at Victor, who opens it slowly. I wanted to look inside and figure out what had happened, to hear the desperate screams of the Russian who would lose his hand for daring to touch my wife after she had given herself to me.

“You’re a murderer, that’s what you are!” I hear a voice I didn’t expect.

I stretch slightly and see Gianni standing there, the window shattered, his hands gripping Oleg’s neck as the man struggles to break free of the wolf’s hold.

“What’s happening in my house?”

I shout, grabbing the attention of the two men. I look around my office and see two other men dead on the floor.

“I came looking for you, to ask for help speaking to my niece!” Gianni says.

I glance at Oleg, who looks terrified, trying to free himself. I smile and move closer to them.

“But when I reached your woods, I was surprised to see these men breaking into your house, so I decided to act when I heard a gunshot,” he says.

“I almost killed that bitch. Because of that whore, I had to change my plans…”

Oleg begins to speak, but with Gianni tightening his grip on his throat, he starts choking.

“I’ll help you with your niece; hand him over to Victor. Now I need to tend to my wife!” I say, moving closer to Oleg, who collapses to the ground.

“You’ve allied yourself with monsters?” Oleg asks with a sneer as I crouch down.

“Monster? No, that’s you. He’s a friend I trust would never hand over a woman to a man against her will just to close deals!” I say, feeling a deep certainty within me.

“When everyone finds out this exists, no one will accept an anomaly like this living among us…”

“That’s where you’re wrong. The only ones who want their death will soon be dead themselves, and after that, anyone who poses a threat to my friends!”

Yes, the wolves are my friends, and within my home and my country, they will live peacefully. If I hear of any bishop persecuting my friends, I will personally punish them,” I say, pointing my pistol at his head.

“Are you going to kill me here?” he asks, dripping with sarcasm.

“Kill you? Not yet. I want to have some fun with you and avenge my wife!”

I stand and strike his temple with the butt of my pistol, knocking him unconscious. I look at Victor, who appears with two more of our soldiers and takes him away.

“Do you think you can help me?” Gianni asks, and I see deep sadness in his eyes.

“Of course, I thought you’d already spoken to her!” I say, watching him shake his head.

“No, but we’ll talk later. Go find your wife…”

He doesn’t have to say it twice. I leave the office and stop in front of the panic room, with my uncle beside me, as anxious as I am. I type the code, and the door opens.

The scene before me is one I know will haunt me for a long time. I step into the cramped space and see Miley crying over my wife.

“She passed out some time ago… I pressed on the wound, but it won’t stop bleeding,” she says.

I look at my wife’s bare body and see our babies moving inside her. Panic consumes me as I crouch down to lift Camilla into my arms. Carefully, I pick her up while Miley pulls a robe over her to cover her nudity.

“Victor?” I call out, hoping he’s nearby.

“He’s not here. What do you need, Benjamin?” Oliver says, appearing at the doorway.

“Take us to the hospital and find out where my father-in-law is…”

I miss the man who should be at my wife’s side and refuse to believe he’s been hurt in this madness.

“Are you okay, my dear?” I hear my uncle ask.

“Yes, I entered as soon as the door opened and pulled Camilla out, but I wasn’t fast enough,” Miley says.

I don’t stay to hear the rest of their conversation. I climb into the backseat of the car with Camilla in my arms and see Oliver take the driver’s seat, phone in hand.

“We’re heading to the hospital with Camilla. Tell them to look for Andreia; we haven’t seen her at the mansion…”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Sophia. She’s just left the panic room!” he says, and I return my gaze to my wife’s delicate face.

I feel the car begin to move, my eyes fixed on her face, which is smudged with bloodstains.

“I love you. Don’t you dare leave me; I wouldn’t know what to do without you…”

I plead, feeling the tears stream down my cheeks. I place my hand over her belly and feel our babies move.

“Hold on tight. Daddy will do everything he can to save our queen, my loves…”