Chapter 13 - THE VIPER'S NEST
The Petrov family operated out of a massive, heavily fortified shipping warehouse on the southern docks.
It was raining heavily by the time Victor’s convoy of black SUVs pulled up to the perimeter fence.
Lena sat in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, wearing a Kevlar vest over her dark clothes.
Victor had tried to make her stay at the estate, but she had fiercely refused to hide while her brother's attackers were breathing.
"Stay behind me, and do exactly what I say," Victor ordered as he loaded a fresh magazine into his assault rifle.
"I am not a child, Victor," Lena replied, checking the safety on her handgun just like he had taught her.
Dmitri gave the signal, and Victor’s men simultaneously cut the power lines to the entire warehouse district.
The docks plunged into total darkness, illuminated only by the flashes of lightning in the stormy sky.
Victor kicked open the side door of the warehouse, leading his strike team into the belly of the beast.
The gunfire erupted almost instantly, echoing loudly over the sound of the pouring rain.
Lena moved carefully along the walls, her heart pounding as she watched Victor systematically eliminate Ivan's guards.
He was a force of nature, moving with a lethal grace that terrified and fascinated her at the same time.
Suddenly, a hidden shooter opened fire from a catwalk above, pinning Victor and Dmitri behind a stack of wooden crates.
"We are trapped!" Dmitri yelled, firing blindly upward to keep the sniper's head down.
Lena realized she had a clear angle on the catwalk from her position in the shadows.
She raised her Glock, her hands surprisingly steady as she remembered Victor's words.
No hesitation.
She aimed through the darkness, held her breath, and squeezed the trigger twice.
The sniper cried out in pain and tumbled over the railing, crashing violently onto the concrete floor below.
Victor looked over his shoulder, his eyes wide with shock as he realized Lena had just cleared their path.
"Move!" Victor commanded, surging forward to breach the main office at the back of the warehouse.
He kicked the wooden door off its hinges, finding Ivan Petrov frantically trying to open a metal safe.
Victor shot Ivan in the knee without a single word, sending the large man crashing to the floor in agony.
"It is over, Ivan," Victor said coldly, pressing the hot barrel of his rifle against Ivan's forehead.
Lena walked into the room, stepping over the broken glass, her expression completely unreadable.
Ivan looked up at her, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
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"You think killing me will stop this?" Ivan laughed, clutching his bleeding leg.
"You have a rat in your house, Victor, and they are going to finish the job for me."
