Bloodbath of the Fallen Crown

11

"Looks like it's two floors. Doesn't have any cameras. Only way to know who's inside is by going in." We were behind a bush, a few meters away from the warehouse.It didn't look to have windows either. "They also have ID card entry. One of the guards went in with the card. From what I can tell, it locks from the inside too. So, even if we're able to get in, without a card we can't get out."

"Crap. So, how do we get a card?"

He smiled and pulled one out. "I took the liberty to tackle one of the guards who seemed to be going home. He's dead somewhere behind the trees. Took his card. I also took the walkie. We don't know German, but, you know, just in case."

"Wow," I teased. "You're smarter than you look."

He shrugged, a silly smile on his face. "What can I say? I'm more than just a gorgeous face."

That you are.

Oh, no. Shut up.

"Anything else?" I asked. This was no time for stupid thoughts or distractions. "We can't afford any fuckups."

He seemed serious for a moment. "We can't get caught. This is government property. If we get caught it's not just a shooting match, it's jail time."

I scoffed, "even without this we have enough to receive sentencing in the afterlife."

"We could get tried with terrorism or something," he sounded worried. "If you get caught you'll be tortured and exploited."

I shrugged, "a war will break out. I doubt they'd risk that much."

"Yes, but if Italy and Germany end up going to war for this, it'll be close to impossible to come get you. And, this mafia has the government on it's side. We don't. Not entirely, anyway."

I sighed, "we won't get caught. We'll be careful. Let's just focus on getting something useful today. Come on. We have around five hours before daylight."

He nodded and we got out from behind the bush. I still felt the pain of the hits from the night before, so if it came to running... well, let's hope it doesn't.

It was pitch dark. We could barely make out the actual streets. The weight of the guns were tiring me and, for some odd reason, my father was on my mind.

I hadn't told him that I was coming to Germany. He had already so much to worry about with his healing. Still, he must have found out by now. I wish I could be with him right now. Holding his hand and telling him how much mom had gotten better, even though we both knew she was just as unconscious as the last time.

That was the next thing I will tackle when we rescue Veronica. I will figure out who the fuck had the nerve to attack the Capo. Yet, I have a pretty solid guess.

"Come on!" Nicolas whispered at me. I hadn't even realized the door was open and he was holding it for us. 

I shook my head to clear the thoughts. Focus. Many lives are on the line.

We made our way inside the dark warehouse. I felt all my sense heighten. The pounding of my heart got faster and the blood in my veins pumped stronger. 

There wasn't much noise. All I managed to hear was the soft buzzing of the lights. The only thing I could see was a long hallway stretching in front of us.

"Where do we go?" Nicolas walked to a door and swiped the card, but it declined.

"We need to figure out what we are looking for now that we're here. We can't blindly roam around."

Nicolas nodded and stood in front of me. "Your in-ear is working right?"

I nodded, "yep. You want to split up?"

He thought for a moment. "No. Not yet. We should get a brief idea of the outline of this place."

I walked ahead, watching out for anyone who may be roaming around. "From what I can tell, there is only two floors, no basement. I'm pretty sure the second floor isn't more than just a surrounding balcony thingy. Like a watch area. Anything we need may be in the center of the place."

"Which most likely means it'll be swarming with guards. If it's where all the important stuff is."

"Exactomundo," I responded. "We should just split up now. Have eyes on each other. Besides, something feels off. This place is big, but hollow. You should be able to hear nearly everything. Yet..."

"There's nothing," he finished. "No sounds of doors, footsteps, machines, nothing. And no one came when I killed the man."

I turned to him briefly, "you sure this is the place?"

He gave me a flat look. "I don't have the luxury of messing up."

I sighed, "let's just look for anything useful. Keep me updated on everything and have your gun out at all times. Shoot first, questions later. I'll take the second level."

"I'll keep going this way."

I walked away, heading for the stairs down the hall. I held my gun out. Something seemed awfully wrong about this.

I looked around carefully as I went up the stairs. I was right. The second level was more of a watch area. There were barely any doors to go into. Each one had a small window, but nothing important inside. Just more drugs. I saw a few gun models that were shockingly expensive. Over the fence, I could see a few parked cop cars and ambulances in the lower level. That seemed off to me. Other than that, nothing else.

I heard a click in my ear. Connection lost.

Fuck, Nicolas.

I looked around, trying to find a way to him. This place was huge. 

"Shit!" 

My head whipped in the direction of the sound. It was fast, but I saw two figures crashing into the wall.

I was ready to run to Nicolas when a string of shots rang out. I fell the the floor when a few of them hit above my head, chipping pieces off the wall. 

I looked through the fence at Nicolas, who was fighting with a man twice his size. He was up against the wall, one of his lips already busted.

"Nicolas!" I picked my self up to run, but plummeted right back to the ground when someone pulled me down from my hair.

I groaned when my head smacked against the concrete. Instantly, the throbbing began and my vision was spilling over.

I didn't even get a chance to get up before whoever it was, got on top of me and began pounding on my face. I felt the blood slowly rush down my face, the taste of it getting in my mouth.

A series of shots rang out, startling my attacker. I took it as an opportunity and punched them straight in the nose, unbalancing them. I pushed them off me and reached for the blade in my pocket.

"Who would have thought? Anastasia Bianchi in the flesh and blood."

I spat out the blood that was settling in my mouth, then looked to the woman who had spoken to me. "Darling, don't be so corny."

She laughed, "still a bitch, I see."

That caught me off guard, but I was able to mask it. "Do I know you?"

I tried my best to focus on her face. Dirty blonde hair. Tall. Porcelain white skin. Didn't ring any bells. 

She laughed again. "You used to. Back when you were not only a bitch, but a broke one too."

Still nothing. "You sure you're not just a fanatic, sweetie? Always nice to meet a fan."

She took out a blade of her own and grinned. "We used to share Ash Myers."

I couldn't mask that one. Ash? Who the hell would I have shared... ah, fuck.

Brittany Riggs.