PASSION AND PUNISHMENT

Chapter 5

NATALYA IVANOV

Parking the SUV at a safe distance we get out of the car. I check my Guns and another glock at my back and adjust the knives hidden around my thigh and one right above my ankle. Lana steps out of the passenger seat and opens the back door removing her briefcase. She opens it , "Good luck, sis. Ill be on my position. It'll take me exact 4 minutes to assemble my rifle , ill inform u and then u can start you rampage " , she says wih a wink and walk discreetly around the building towards the back staircase. Its been 10 years and im loving my life. I have everything i could've wished for, a family, cousins, exciting missions, everything. 10 years ago, when daddy, i mean, the suit man brought me to california to live with him, i was over the moon. But also scared thinking what if his family didnt like me? What if they didnt accept me ? But i was wrong. Not only did i gain a father but also an elder brother, a younger sister and another elder brother, both cousins. Dad had a younger brother, who had two children, Anton and Svetlana. He was right that id get along well with her niece. She's been my best friend and the best confidant i could ever ask for. I was never treated as anything but their own and that filled my heart with warmth. I went to the same school as Lana as she was only a year younger than me. Although having two elder brothers can be a bit too much, but i love them too. I would do anything for my family. Needless to say, when i came to know that dad was the pakhan of the russian mafia, i was a bit scared. But it didnt sway my trust from my family, dad and my brothers started training me and at the age of 18, i swore loyalty to the bratva. Dad said that he had no intention of letting me and Lana sit at home just because  we were girls, so he trained us to be just as good as our brothers and even sent us on solo missions sometimes.Today me and Lana are here on a mission sent be dad. One of our warehouses were attacked and after some research we came to know that the Romanians were after it. The Romanians were always confined in and around the area of Los Angeles. So it was surprising that they would try and defy the bratva. From what i know, the south California comes under the bratva and the north california is owned by the Italians. The romanians have never before tried to expand in california or even step on the sand of california without our permission so with this act of theirs , its clear that they're stupid enough to make enemies with the bratva. We came to know one of their hideouts after one of their soldiers caused a brawl in public and left a trail right to their hole. What an idiot.

I tie long black rags on my knuckles which are still sore from a match with Nikolai, my elder brother. Gosh.. He's a literal beast. He's the only one i haven't been able to defeat in a sparring match. Ofcourse as the next head of bratva, he has to be unbeatable. Taking the safety off the guns in my both my hands, i raise and adjust the black mast over my face hiding my mouth and nose, only keeping my eyes visible. One rule that the Ivanov children have to follow is that we have to keep our identity concealed whatever the situation or place. As a result of that, no one outside the inner circle of the bratva knows the gender or even the exact number of children Artyom Ivanov has except everyone knows that he already has a powerful heir ready to take over from him at any time. Not gonna lie, i love the aura of mystery and absolute power dad carries around him. People cower with sheer intrigue and fear in front of him. ' Never let anyone know more that what they need to know about you' , this was one of the first teachings he gave me.

Fixing my earpiece , I tiptoe towards the front staircase of the run down building. Just as i climb the first two stairs, Lana talks over the earpiece, "In position. Im on a window of the second floor and have a clear view of the interior. Four people near the entrance, three on first floor, three near the staircase and two in the main hall. There maybe more. It seems like they're having some kind of meeting. "
" Okay. Finish off the ones near the staircase for me. Ill handle the ones at the entrance. We will capture the ones in the main hall." i load my guns and stand at the entrance door. Just when i hear her rifle go off, i shoot the lock on the door and open the door with a loud slam. I see bodies falling down near the staircase on my front right and as the men near entrance get distracted by that, i shoot two of them straight between the eyes, one of them notices me and trains his gun at me. I run to my left and dodge two bullets, lunging at him i hit the butt of my gun on his forehead and kick his hand as he loses his gun. Another bullet whooshes past me as another man starts firing bullet at me. Shooting the one lying in front of me in his chest, i run towards a pillar and taking cover, dodge a few bullets. As he comes in view, he falls down on his knees and topples down lifeless .
" Ive got this, go after the two men in the main hall, they're trying to escape." Lana says as i take the stairs and and enter the main hall. " Thanks Lana " , i say affectionately.