Chapter 28 28

Chapter 28 28

GEORGIA

The statement sent a chill down my spine, my heart exploding with fear. The gunshots continued and everybody in the hospital began to scamper around.

"Terrorist attack," the voice on the speaker blared. "You are advised to remain calm, help is on the way."

"But we can't listen to that!" Emily said. "Vanya has come to get my sister. He's going to kill her or force her to have more babies. Please, we have to do something!"

Rhys, who was scrolling through his phone, suddenly turned to us and heaved a frustrated sigh. "These are the days I miss Calvin. He would have gotten a solution since. I don't have any ammunition and I only have my driver and one bodyguard. We are outnumbered."

"We've given up the evidence of his crime. All you need to do is find Vanya and return them to him. It doesn't have to be a bloodbath anymore."

"You have a point, Tiana, but the problem now is that Vanya might have decided to stay back. This assignment might have been delegated to him, and would they listen to me? No!"

"We can't stay here and keep wasting time," I snapped. "We need to check on Shaniah and see if she's okay."

I didn't wait for a response. I pushed the door open and, with Emily beside me, started running to the mental facility. The words were printed green, and I could see the nurses scurrying about to get the mentally impaired people to peace. There were screams everywhere. As I looked around, some of the patients were already suffering from panic attacks, some were convulsing and some had their suicidal tendencies triggered.

This was not good. Vanya didn't have to be this insensitive. Invading our homes would have been better.

"There," Emily yelled pointing at a private ward. "Shaniah is inside."

I glanced around to find Rhys and Tiana running to catch up with us.

"We were just about to go into Shaniah's room," I said to them. "I don't think anyone is guarding it."

"Okay good. Let's go."

Are those words, Rhys started running and we followed behind him. Soon he got to the door and kicked it open. The door flew apart, and we rushed inside. It was wide, luxurious, with large glass windows that gave a direct view of the city below. The room was dishevelled, clothes, baby things, books, and paint brushes scattered across the floor.

In the corner, Shaniah sat on the ground her head buried between her legs and a few feet away from her was Vanya himself. He was not arguing with her or trying to manhandle her as I would have expected. Rather, Vanya was covered in blood, with a large bullet hole in the middle of his chest. Somebody had shot him and it wasn't Shaniah. It couldn't have been.

"Vanya!" Rhys screamed in horror, "Who did this to you?"

Vanya opened his mouth to speak but he choked and blood spluttered out of his mouth.

"Oh no. Who did this to you? Just hang in there, you'll get help. A doctor will get here and treat you."

"Georgia." He turned around and looked at me. "This is not a good sign. I told my men to remain outside; they couldn't have shot him. Nobody could have come here."

"What if it is one of the guards?" Tiana suggested.

"No," Rhys shook his head distressingly. "Vanya was shot with a unique pistol, only mafia men possess that weapon."

"But what are we going to do, we can't let him die!"

"Okay, Georgie."

Rhys drew a long breath and started to scramble around while Vanya remained at the window, writhing in pain and trying to force the bullet out of his bleeding chest.

"What are you doing now, Rhys?" I screamed, my heart was pounding with fear, and the smell of blood was traumatising me. This was not the plan, none of this was supposed to happen! Tiana and Emily had joined Shaniah in the corner of the room and were helping her feet. But it was then that I saw another shock, she was pregnant again!

"I'm trying to look for evidence or whatever he can use to administer first aid... Yes," he suddenly bent over and picked up a roll of unused toilet paper.

"This should collect all the blood while I remove the bullet. Emily get your sister to safety, Tiana, go to the main building and get one of the doctors. Now Vanya," he started walking towards him. "We've been enemies for as long as I can remember but I'm under the Bratva code to get you out of this pain. It hurts to see you in this much pain and I cannot call it your retribution. My wife has surrendered the results of her investigations. No article will be written, no police invited and certainly no need for this insensitive invasion. But we he to make sure you're safe. I'm going to need you to stay calm, the bullet is lodged somewhere between your bones and your muscles. It can't only be me removed with precision. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes," Vanya stuttered, managing to breathe. "Just get this thing out."

"Okay then."

Rhys folded the paper rolls into a thick wad and stepped forward, but something unexpected happened at that moment. A gunshot sounded out of nowhere. It went straight into Vanya's neck. The impact sent him out of the window and down to his death thousands of feet below, the shattered glass raining along with him.

Time stood still as we watched Vanya's body fall in slow motion until all we could hear was a small thud and the sound of his spinal cord snapping.

★★★

The invasion ended after news of what befell Vanyaa's went round. But things didn't become easy for us, the instant Vanya's men saw that he was dead, they rushed into the hospital and started chanting.

RHYS MIKHAILOV HAS KILLED THE SCORPION. THIS IS A SACRILEGE, AND BLOOD WILL FLOW! RHYS MUST DIE!

"Did you hear that, Georgia?" Rhys asked me slowly, and the toilet paper was still in his hands. "Do you hear the brothers calling for my head?"

"But you didn't Vanya." My lips quivered. "Someone had him shot with a machine rifle. It was a deliberate attempt, and you know nothing of it."

"But how am I going to procure my provence, dear wife? I'm the one Vanya came to invade, I'm his enemy. I was even the last person with him."

"Well, I don't know about this. We need to get out of here. The mob is coming for us!"

After a lot of scampering and hiding, we were finally out of the hospital.

We were able to get the twins out of the hospital. And for security reasons, we decided not to return to our house. Rather, we headed to one of Rhys's mansions in the neighbouring cities. All happened in slow motion: sirens replacing the heavy gunshots, firefighters rushing to the destroyed buildings and the sight of the paramedics wheeling out Vanya's misshapened and broken body.

Neither of us could speak for a long time. Tiana led Emily and her sister into of the bedrooms, while I stood behind. Rhys stood by the window, his eyes watching the rain trickle into the window. With each second my heart drummed harder in my chest. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. This was not the plan.

"I hope you're happy now," he began slowly. "You face finally put me in trouble."

"What! What is that supposed to mean? You didn't kill Vanya, anyone would believe that."

"No, he said the entire underground has been divided into two parts. The first half are in support of me. They still see me as the head capo but a major part of the other half are followers of Vanya. They have been working to have me deposed so that he can be installed. What do you think they would do to me?"

"But you didn't kill Vanya." I insisted. "Someone wanted him dead and they waited till the invasion to pin the case on you. All you need is some investigations!"

"Will you shut the fuck up!" He threw a fist at the window, breaking it into pieces. Then he turned to me, his eyes bloodshot, his breathing laboured, blood draining from his fist.

"You think this is one of your silly games huh? My life and my position are being threatened as we speak. Do you think you'll get the chance to find anything before we're killed? I warned you to stay out of this case, to stay at home and engage in other things but you refused. We're both going to die!"

"But this is not my fault! I was only seeking justice. Any one of those women could have been me!"

"Maybe then, I would have been happier." Rhys snapped. "You've never brought me anything but distress, right from the time I met you!"

"We should say goodbye then," I said. "Let's put an end to this accursed union."