J͟͟͟͞͞͞e͟͟͟͞͞͞n͟͟͟͞͞͞n͟͟͟͞͞͞i͟͟͟͞͞͞e͟͟͟͞͞͞.
To many, I am a myth.
The 'Kiss of Death', a hired killer, revered by some of the greatest criminal organisations in the world. Trained by the bratva themselves, without conscience, without mercy.
The per...
I step off the plane and walk beside Sasha to the Range Rover parked a few feet away. The humid heat clings to my skin, wrapping around me like a blanket.
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Her outfit ^
Sasha gets in the driver's side and I hop in beside him. Three Elite climb in the back, all clutching rifles to their chests, their expressions serious and focused.
The sun is just starting to drop below the ragged skyline of Juarez in the distance. The address we're going to is Rafael's mansion, a few miles outside of the city. Nicholai insisted that we land and go straight in before anyone could get word of our presence to the cartel.
I glance at Sasha, but he keeps his eyes firmly on the road. The city is a mess of graffiti-covered buildings, pothole filled roads, and general disarray. This is cartel country, where the daily number of murders is higher than some countries have in a year. These streets may look like a city of people going about their business, but it's a war zone with the cartels continuously fighting for ground.
Our convoy of cars winds through the streets that lead out of the city, dropping into a valley that runs between the ragged dusty hills of the Mexican countryside. We come to a stop on a dirt road about a mile from Rafael's main gate. We get out and go to the back of the car, arming ourselves with weapons. Sasha's gaze meets mine and he gives me the tiniest nod.
Altogether we have twenty Elite, which is more than I hoped he would bring, but you roll with the punches Nicholai gets out of the car behind ours, his suit no less suited to the dusty desert of Mexico than it is to the icy expanse of Russia. He glances around his assembled soldiers, all clad in black and armed to the teeth.
"Ваша миссия состоит в том, чтобы войти в комплекс и забрать ребенка. Убить всех. {Your mission is to go into the compound and retrieve the child. Kill everyone.}" His eyes meet mine, and I know he's making a point, because everyone includes Soojin.
"Не подведи меня. {Do not fail me.}" He says without looking away from me.
We turn and start walking towards the compound. Sasha and I are running point. The rest of the soldiers follow us. The sun beats down on us and sweat trickles down my back as we make our way up to the compound. As soon as we near the perimeter fence, we take cover behind a small rise of earth.
"Охранники. {Guards.}" Sasha says to me.
One of the others hands me a made-up rifle and I pull the stand down, resting it on the top of the ridge. Staring down the sights, I line up both guards, focusing the crosshair just to the left of the first guy's shoulder. I have to be accurate here. Deep breath in, hold, squeeze-squeeze. Two shots fire off in quick succession and both guards go down. The shots have more cartel soldiers rushing towards the gates, and I fire at them too, watching them drop one by one.
"Идти. {Move.)" I shout.
Sasha leads the band of Elite to the front gate, breaching the compound. This is where it gets complicated.
"Вы двое, {You two,}" I signal to two of the Elite. "Со мной. {With me.}"
Sasha nods as he continues on with the rest of the group. I take the two and split off, moving through the house until I find the stairway that leads upstairs.
I ascend the stairs, gripping my pistol. Reaching in my front pocket, I quickly screw a silencer onto my gun. I tune my senses to the two men walking behind me, hearing every muted footfall, every drawn breath. We reach the top of the stairs and walk down the hall, passing a couch scattered with cushions. I whirl around, yanking the knife from my thigh holster and throwing it at the same time as I grab one of the cushions, shoving it against the face of the guy on the left. I knock him off balance just enough that he staggers to the wall. I spot the flash of steel and bow my body away from him just as I press the gun against the cushion and pull the trigger. A muted pop sounds. The tip of the knife nicks across the skin of my stomach before his body falls to the floor.
I glance down at the blood seeping through my tank top and sigh before retrieving my knife from the other guy's skull.
Following Rafael's instructions, I find the last door at the end of the hall. Rafael's office. He's not here, but the windows have a full view all around the compound.
My mission right now is simple: remove the Elite and clear the compound. I tried to persuade Sasha to turn them, bring them to our side, but it was too risky. We couldn't let anyone know that we weren't with Nicholai. Elite loyalties run deep where he's concerned.
I glance out each of the windows until I spot the group of four Elite crossing the courtyard, guns raised. I rest my rifle on the windowsill and line up the shot. All four of them are down within two seconds.
All that training, all those years of fighting, and they didn't even have the dignity of a decent death. They died as they lived, as cannon fodder for a mad man.
