Russian Roulette

Chapter Sixty: Score No Longer Kept

---Isador---

Isador's heart skipped a beat when Aurora looked him up and down. *She knows... Oh shit she knows...* He went a little pale for a moment before pulling himself together enough to quietly speak. "Yeah, he really does... I'll get him to a bunk..." He was however very irritated by the hairless ass' insertion of himself. He had a feeling that man did not want to mess with the little girl. Her glance felt like it sliced into Isador. *Oh yeah, she knows... She wants you to know she knows, too.* He couldn't help but stifle a laugh at Kyle's reaction to her completely throwing his identity out into the open for all to know--although Isador had a small feeling a few people knew already. He felt more relieved when she walked off in search of Ghost and Eko. Isador had a few thoughts on where they were currently. That didn't matter to him in that moment though, what mattered was Aleksei. Slowly and carefully he situated Aleksei so he could pick him up--bridal style. He may have only been an inch or so taller than Aleksei, but for him it was enough.

Isador moved Aleksei to a bed, and laid him down carefully. Rolling him ever so gently onto his side, Isador lifted Aleksei's shirt to take a look at the wounds from the liger. He grabbed a first aid kit from it's small shelf on the wall by a fire extinguisher. He worked fast, gently cleaning the wound being mindful of the fact that Aleksei was not currently capable of denying medical aid. *Even if he was I would wrestle his exhausted ass to the floor and do it anyways.* Isador laughed a little at himself, applying some ointment to the gashes before struggling to bandage the wounds. Once he was sure the bandages were secure, he placed Aleksei onto his back. Moving quickly, he darted to the kitchen and made a quick snack for Aleksei--grabbing a bottle of water on his way out--. He moved a crate closer to the side of the bed and waited for Aleksei to wake up. His mind was starting to race. Whoever that girl was... he was terrified of her. And not because she was some big scary person-- no it certainly wasn't that. For him, it felt as if she had control of whether he lived or died. *What if she told Aleksei? What if he already knew? What would they do to him?* He clasped his hands together and watched Aleksei as he lay unconscious. The fear subsided a bit then, as Isador felt that lovely warmth flood back into his chest. He truly loved Aleksei, he definitely knew that for sure. Isador didn't know how he could prove that. That good feeling got taken over by anxious worrying.

Aodhan laughed a bit at Eko, answering his questions unbothered. "Yes, I've shot a few tanks. Gotta test the buggers before they can move onto the sale process. No, no doomsday. Can't make money if you destroy everything..." He trailed off as Aurora walked up, just her confidence gave her Aodhan's respect. He didn't say much as he watched the girl work, it was refreshing to see someone so young confident in her skill set. The air raid siren however caught him off guard, causing him to slightly flinch. His mind wandered for a moment, and he snapped back to see the tanks pulling out. He was hopeful for this plan, he really was. Those tanks certainly would attract attention, that was for sure.

"Me? Nah, not really. My son on the other hand, he is." Aodhan smiled a bit, enjoying a moment of small casual conversation. He didn't have many casual conversations, even before this war. He wasn't a super social man. He enjoyed watching Aurora work, and gave her space to do so. Aodhan was rather happy to see the tanks roll back into the building. Aodhan gave a nod to the men, and turned to walk off. He didn't want to get in the men's way, they certainly had this handled.

Isador was still sitting completely enveloped in thoughts. A very distant look was in his eyes, his hands still clasped together as he sat waiting for Aleksei's waking moment. He felt numb. Isador hadn't been this anxious and worried in a very, very long time. And weirdly enough, it was not because Aleksei was unconscious in front of him.

---Aleksei---

Aurora watched Isador from certain distant before making her way over, "He's tough, he'll be fine." She said as she wrapped her hands behind her back as she stared at the still unconscious Aleksei, "Aleksei loves you, you do know that, right?" She didn't bother to glance at Isador as she spoke. This child knew what she was doing, she liked the feeling of the tension in the room, she liked to make him nervous. She wasn't a sweet innocent darling, she had a gift, a gift that made her feel powerful and in control. She loved that feeling. It made her feel bigger than she actually was.

As Jerome's guys took the truck back to the mansion, they got a call from Jerome himself, "Did you guys get it?" Jerome asked through the phone and his men smiled at each other, "Hell yeah, they didn't even put up much of a fight. Looks like the government stopped caring about this hell hole." The driver spoke as they began to go down that familiar long, dirt road, the eerie silence and environment did not phase them, they felt successful. They felt like they were winning and in truth, they were. When they arrived at the mansion they were greeted with rounds of applause. The truck was parked inside of the garage, and everyone came into the dining room to celebrate. A beautiful party, with delicious catering and elegant decorations. Jerome stood on the stage happily as he addressed his drivers.

"Look at what we got here, men who knows what they are doing. First, we kill Cole, then we send Aleksei into hiding, the government has abandoned this state and many other mafia and gangs are too small to challenge me. I AM the king of the world." Jerome smiled as a waitress brought them drinks. Jerome swiftly took a glass of champagne and waited until everyone had their own glass, finally he raised a toast.

"To being so damn good at winning." Jerome smiled as he raised his drink up into the air and just as he did...

BOOM!!!

An explosion went off, one so big that it was able to cover a 1-mile radius, everyone could feel the heat of the blast. Anyone who was unfortunate to stare at the explosion would have gone blind for a few seconds. I don't think that is what Aleksei wanted and Bald Assassin knew it, he decided to take a stand and use a more...excessive explosive device, one that not only costed the lives of those in the mansion but the lives of some civilians as well. Regardless of Aleksei intentions and how he feels after he wakes up, Bald Assassin Kyle celebrated his good job. No one would survive that.

Something tells me that Aleksei is ahead of this race now.