Code of Silence

Untitled Part 32

FIVE YEARS AGO - RUSSIA

Oliver sat on the side of the tub as Felicity proceeded to tell him about what she had done. The men had taken her to a warehouse, where she was placed in a room, a TV monitor set up with a direct line to Oliver. She had watched as he was taken to enemy territory and left, his mission to kill a strong rival of the Bratva. She was told that Oliver's death was guaranteed and she was the only one who could stop it.

Oliver sucked in a breath as he remembered that day.

She continued to tell him that she was taken to the building where the enemy had been tracked and given a gun. She had exactly 30 minutes to find the man and shoot him or Oliver would die. Her eyes filled with determination as she remembered moving quietly through the building, her heart racing, her nerves on edge, sick to her stomach. It was the most scared she had ever been in her life and for a brief moment she had thought she would buckle. But she hadn't and as she remembered her strength for him, she looked up at Oliver and gave him a soft, smile.

"But the thought of losing you was even worse Lev. I knew I had to kill him. I had to make sure he didn't hurt you. So I shot him.", she said matter of factly.

Oliver dropped to the floor beside the tub and looked at her, agony written all over his face. "You were the one who shot him!" He thought back to walking into the room where the enemy had been tracked and finding him already dead on the floor, a gunshot wound to his head.

"I had to Oliver. I couldn't lose you.", she said.

That had been the defining moment for Felicity. She felt stronger, more in control. She knew at that moment that she would do whatever she had to do to protect those that she loved. And the feeling was euphoric. There was no one, not even her father that could hurt her anymore. She had killed. Her first kill, and it had been for the man she loved.

PRESENT DAY

Oliver approached Felicity slowly, cautiously. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was somewhere in her head, her anger at her father pushing her actions. Noah looked up at Oliver with fear in his eyes, trying to get help. Oliver ignored him.

"Felicity!", Oliver said softly.

She turned her eyes slowly to Oliver, finally registering his presence.

"What happened? Where are Zoya and Slade?" Oliver's heart was still pounding in his chest.

"Slade has gone after Zoya. It seems one of my father's men was able to sneak into the house and make it up to her nursery.", Felicity bit the last part out and then slapped her father hard across the face. "By the time Slade made it upstairs, Zoya was gone." Felicity was shaking with rage and Oliver felt his own anger rising to match hers.

"Does Slade know where she was taken?" Oliver asked in a panic.

"Yes, I was able to convince my father it would be in his best interest to tell us where she was taken." She gripped the knife tight and a tear slid down Noah's cheek.

"How did you......", Oliver said and then he looked at Noah's lap. There was blood everywhere and realization dawned. She had cut her father's groin.

Oliver leaned down into Noah's face and his look was deadly, "You had better pray that Slade retrieves our daughter safe and sound or I swear to god I will skin you alive."

***

Slade crept slowly into Noah's home, his eyes and ears on alert for any sound, his gaze hard with deadly intent. They had Zoya. They would die. He could hear her crying and moving toward the sound he looked into the room and saw Zoya laying on the couch, pillows piled around her and the man that had taken her pacing as he talked on the phone.