Project: Hero

Chapter Twenty-six

I could see that he meant it. His eyes are full of anger. It makes him look bitter, twisted and cruel. Nothing at all like is brother. The brother who moves in front of me and shields me.

“It’ll be alright,” he murmurs, barely moving his lips.

I don’t believe him but I can’t find the words to tell him so. If we are about to die, I don’t want to argue with him.

“Last chance Miss Stone, marry me and I’ll let you keep my brother as a little pet. I might even leave your pathetic city alone,” Dragonov speaks to me but looks straight at his brother.

“I will never marry you,” I spit despite Sergio telling me to agree.

“Then you’ve just killed you both,” Dragonov’s finger curls around the trigger.

Sergio spins round and kisses me deeply. He’s saying goodbye and I am too. He strokes my cheek with a finger, closing my eyes for me. I open them again, I want him to be the last thing I see.

There’s a gunshot but it’s confusion that Sergio’s eyes widening. He lets me go and spins round. I see the fallen form but don’t recognise it. Sergio does and he roars in anger.

Dragonov doesn’t react but quickly changes his tactics when Sergio punches him in the nose. The older brother runs out the room screaming for the guards to come.

“Kotey! No!” Sergio cries, ignoring the fact that the guards are coming.

“Blair,” Kotey breathes. “Need … see…her.”

Sergio nods and scoops him up. The boy looks even more like a ghost than ever. He is so pale and blood pools out of the hole in his stomach. My hands get covered in his blood as I try to stop the flow. Kotey shakes his head and pulls my hands away. He holds them tightly.

“Look after him,” he makes me swear. “Thank you… ask father about brother.” I don’t know if it is just his failing breath but the way that sounded was that he and I had the same father.

Sergio barely resists as guards pick him up and manhandle him. He is held between two guards and doesn’t fight. He is held like that until Dragonov and my father enter the room. Dragonov is acting like the victim.

Beside me Kotey draws a rattling breath and then lies still. I knew I had a brother but Kotey looks nothing like me and it’s common knowledge my brother went missing. What I don’t get is why he would tell me this on his death bed, unless he knew it was the truth.

“You are in league with these … people?” My father asks.

“Yes,” I answer holding my head up high. “I don’t love Dragonov, I love Sergio.”

Dragonov is a good actor, I’ll give him that. His face falls perfectly and he looks betrayed. Sergio rolls his eyes at his brother and receives a punch to the stomach from one of the guards.

“But what about all we shared?” Dragonov asks.

“We shared nothing!” I spit back.

“You lied to me?” the man who is my father asks.

“No, I neither denied or confirmed it. You didn’t ask me. You just assumed because the head of your guard said so. You should’ve believed your daughter.” Then I pause and look at Kotey’s body. “You are not just my father. You are his as well. You are a liar!”

His face contorts into a scowl, “I was prepared to give you mercy but you will be thrown in the dungeons with the rest of your kind.”

He has his guards hold me down while he unlocks me. I don’t have time to see to my ankle as I am hauled off to the dungeons. Kotey is thrown over a guard’s shoulder. Sergio is dragged and our captors walk in front of us. Dragonov bounces until he remembers he’s supposed to be the victim. My father barely even looks at his children as he throws Kotey and I in the cell. Dragonov gives a mocking bow as Sergio is thrown in.