Angel

Part Eight

Fuck. It was too early for this. I stood outside my apartment building, downing the last of my coffee before tossing the disposable cup into a nearby bin. Rafael called and said he was on his way. Finally, his sleek sports car coasted to a stop by the curb. I went to the back passenger side door and opened it, quickly sliding in. Rafael glanced at me but didn't say anything. I knew I would owe him one for this. We drove to the agreed upon meeting place and parked by the curb.

It looked like a nightclub. We all climbed out and made our way in. There were some workers inside, cleaning up and getting the place ready for tonight. Two giant men wearing all black came down a set of stairs to meet us. They both looked like they had been on the receiving end of a pretty harsh beating. I wondered if they were the two that had attacked Mr. Ronaldo.

"Leave your bodyguard here." One stated firmly. Rafael's bodyguard opened his mouth to protest, but Rafael held up his hand, stopping him.

"We'll be fine, Kane," he said, glancing at him, "unless Ivan's father wants to start a war with mine...they wouldn't dare harm me." The two Russians just smirked at us but said nothing.

"Wait with the car," Rafael said simply, "we won't be here long." One of the Russian bodyguards motioned for us to follow him upstairs. He led us down a long corridor with the other bodyguard trailing behind us. We all came to a stop outside a set of heavy, wood double doors.

"You need to be searched." The dark-haired Russian stated. Rafael and I glanced at each other before raising our arms at the elbow. The bodyguard behind us started patting us down one at a time.

"Attento alle tue maledette mani, stronzo (Watch your damn hands, asshole)." Rafael muttered when his backside was roughly kneaded. I grit my teeth when I received the same treatment, trying to stop myself from slamming my elbow into the guy's nose. He just leered at us after he was satisfied and opened the doors, motioning us inside. We stepped into a large office.

There was a desk across from us with darkly tinted windows that overlooked the nightclub below. A small sitting area was on one side and a bar opposite it against the other wall. Heavy, purple velvet drapes lined the walls and the floors were a polished black marble. Two chairs sat empty in front of the desk. I recognized Ivan as he stood to the right side of an older man who sat behind the desk. They had similar features, so I assumed he was Ivan's father. Ivan was just an indulged man child, but his father...he was more of a threat. There was a ragged scar across his right eye, leaving a milky white iris. He looked relaxed sitting at his desk, but I knew he was aware of everything and everyone around him. He motioned to the two chairs in front of him.

"Come...sit." He said, his voice heavily accented.

"I'd prefer to stand." I stated simply. He shrugged, not bothered about pushing.

"I suppose some introductions are necessary," the man said, "I am Boris Volkov...you know my son, Ivan." All this meaningless chatting was getting on my nerves.

"My boss was attacked last night," I said, "he said a couple of your men came looking for me...why?" Boris looked at me quietly for a few minutes. He was studying me.

"Straight to business then." He said simply. I shrugged, mirroring his earlier gesture.

"I think we both know the reason for my sudden interest and why you're here." Boris stated cryptically. I saw Rafael glance between the two of us with a confused expression.

"Chto vy nadelali (What have you done)?" I asked, switching to Russian.

"Mne prishlos' poprosit' nekotorykh iz moikh luchshikh lyudey sobrat' lyubuyu informatsiyu. Ty dovol'no dotoshnyy (I had to get some of my best men to scrap up any information. You are quite meticulous)," Boris replied, "tvoya babushka byla ochen' druzhelyubna, no i ne ochen' pomogala (your grandmother was very friendly but also not very helpful)." I felt my shoulders tighten unexpectedly.

"It would be in your best interest to leave things alone." I said quietly, switching back to English.

"You know that's no longer possible." Boris stated simply. Rafael stood quietly, his eyes narrowed watching me.

"What is it that you want then?" I demanded.

"I'm certain you already have an idea," Boris said, "but if you must know...I could utilize your skills."

"I'm no longer in that line of work," I stated, "so if that's all, then we'll be on our way." I went to turn when the next words out of his mouth stopped me dead in my tracks.

"I received a very interesting call last night from one of my colleagues," Boris said, "I sent out your picture for him to circulate amongst his associates and I was surprised when I was contacted by a young man claiming to know who you are." A slight tremor started up my spine and it felt like ice water was flushing through my veins.

"A fellow countryman," Boris said quietly, "Alexei Nikolayev." The floor felt like it had been ripped out from beneath my feet. I was having trouble hearing over the roaring in my ears.

"I can not guarantee your grandmother's safety," Boris went on, "unless you are working for me, of course." I was moving before anyone had time to register it.

My hand grabbed the butterfly knife hidden in my pocket as I whirled around to face the bodyguard behind me. I plunged the knife into his chest and kicked him back. I pivoted and grabbed Rafael's arm, slinging him behind me to the floor as the other bodyguard started reaching for his gun. Using my forward momentum, I launched myself at him and drove my knife into his neck. He cried and frantically reached up to cover the wound on his neck as he fell to his knees. I grabbed the gun from his holster and spun around, aiming it at Boris. I fired a single shot, hitting his left shoulder. He cried out, lurching back in his chair. I charged forward and slid across his desk, slamming into his chest and knocking him back into the wall.

"Merda (Shit)." Rafael muttered as he climbed to his feet.

"What did you tell Alexei?" I demanded leveling the gun at him. Ivan rushed to his father's side, trying to help him sit up. Boris groaned in pain, clutching his injured shoulder.

"He asked for a meeting...said you two had unfinished business," he choked out, "he arrives tomorrow."

"Where is the meeting being held?" I asked.

"Warehouse...an abandoned one I own out by the industrial district." He replied.

"We're done here." I stated, jumping off the desk. Boris nodded.

"We're done." He mumbled. I glanced at Rafael, motioning for him to follow. We made our way back outside without any problems, but I walked right past his car.

"Milo," he called out, hurrying after me, "wait...what was all that?" I didn't answer and just kept walking.

"I knew you were different, but that," he went on and raked a hand through his hair in disbelief, "I've been around men like that my whole life...but that...you were," he sighed, "who are you?"

"It doesn't matter." I replied bluntly.

"Hey," Rafael said, gently grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop, "are you ok?" It wasn't until then that I realized how much I was shaking. It felt like my whole world was about to implode. My vision began to tunnel as I started to crash.

"Milo?" Rafael asked softly. I glanced up and saw the concern etched on his face. Then the last thing I remembered was the sidewalk rushing up to meet my face before everything went black.

A/N: I don't really comment at the end of the chapter but I just wanted to thank my amazing, awesome SO for helping me with the action part! And I hope yall enjoyed it!