Last Snow - Eric van Lustbader [157]
Something flickered in Alexsei’s eyes, some disturbance or doubt roiled up by Batchuk’s words. In that instant of doubt or hesitation Batchuk lunged at him, slapping him across the face so hard that Alexsei, totally unprepared, reeled back against the door frame.
Batchuk ripped the pistol from his hand. “You’re a buffoon, Alexsei, a patsy. I used you to get to Nikki. Do you really think I’d be friends with someone like you, someone who lets his wife be taken away from him?”
Alexsei, enraged at both his rival and himself, came at Batchuk, roaring like a bear. Indolently, almost carelessly, Batchuk swiped the barrel of the Makarov across Alexsei’s face.
“That’s right, she was going to leave you, leave your poor, pathetic life behind to be with me.”
Alexsei would not stop, he continued to grapple with Batchuk until Batchuk had no choice but to take Alexsei’s head in one hand, his neck in the other, and twist in one powerful motion that broke the vertebrae.
DYADYA GOURDJIEV, glancing briefly down at the handguns he, Annika, and Jack had placed on the carpet of the drawing room, heard Batchuk say, “Now sit down, all of you, and I’ll outline the situation.”
As they sat, Batchuk continued, “The two guards are dead, the others are away with the dogs, so that leaves just us, not that I have much time, but then killing doesn’t take much time.”
“Whatever you do, leave the girl out of it,” Jack said, indicating Alli. “She has nothing to do with this.”
“She’s here, isn’t she, she’s seen my face.” Batchuk shook his head. “No one is exempt.”
“Oriel, your battle is with me, let the others go,” Gourdjiev said sharply.
“I told you I was coming after Annika, I told you she had overstepped even your protection, did you think I didn’t mean it?”
_____
“HE’LL COME after me, I know it,” Nikki said as she lay in the hospital room.
“Have no fears on that score,” Gourdjiev said soothingly, “I’ll protect you come what may.”
“And the child.”
Gourdjiev took her hand. “Of course the child, she’s the product of your and Alexsei’s love.”
Nikki closed her eyes. “He’s coming soon, Papa, when I’ll be weak and helpless.” Her eyes flew open. “Oriel has an instinct for knowing when people are most vulnerable. Promise me you’ll keep her safe.”
“I swear, Nikki, calm yourself.”
“Her name is Annika, I want to call her Annika.”
She was a perfect baby. Gourdjiev remembered holding her in his arms, so tiny, so pink, so Annika, and the world seemed all right again. But then five years later everything came undone, Nikki had killed herself, Annika was gone, and Gourdjiev knew that he had failed daughter and granddaughter both.
“I HAVE an instinct for knowing when people are most vulnerable,” Batchuk said, “and now that I’ve caught up with you both it’s time to end our decades-long game of charades.”
“I prefer to call it a game of cat and mouse,” Gourdjiev said.
“Call it whatever you want,” Batchuk leveled the machine pistol, “it’s over.”
At that moment, Alli moved.
“Keep still, girl!” Batchuk shouted so loudly that Alli jumped and he almost shot her.
Jack took a step forward, Batchuk swung his machine pistol around, and Annika rushed him. She buried her fist in Batchuk’s belly while Jack wrested the Pernach away from him.
“His left arm!” Gourdjiev shouted, leaping to his feet. “He’s got a dart launcher!”
Indeed Batchuk, through eyes streaming with tears, struggled to level his left arm at Gourdjiev. Jack knocked it sideways an instant before the dart was launched, causing it to embed itself harmlessly in the crown molding that joined wall to ceiling.
“Let me go,” Batchuk said. Though he was being restrained by Jack, he addressed Annika, as if they were alone in the room.
“Why would I do that?” she said. “You’re a monster.”
“It’s your grandfather who is the monster. I swore never to talk about it, never to tell you, but what are oaths now, in the end the promises we make all fail, they’re meant