Fatal Attraction

Chapter 1: Falling For You...Literally

Stuffy.

That's exactly how I would describe my surroundings. The Miami heat is blistering on a good day and being holed up in an air duct was not helping, whatsoever. I was so going to kill whoever dreamed up this idea. I didn't even see another human being, let alone someone we would consider an enemy, so why the fuck did they stick me up here? 

I was reminded yet again that I was stuck in a duct when my leg began cramping. I tried to shift my weight from one hip to the other, but it only ended up making things worse. Did you know that you can't move all that much when you are laying on your stomach in a 40-inch metal tube? Yeah, neither did I, until now.

I sat for another minute or two, trying not to think about the all the spider webs five inches from my face and waited for something...anything...to happen. I peered out the vent for any sign of the life in the vacant warehouse 30 feet below me. Finally, I heard it. Gunfire off in the distance and it got closer and closer as the B Team lured those assholes right into our trap.

Finally! I could feel the adrenaline rush through my body as I adjusted my sniper rifle up onto my shoulder and eased the barrel through the now open vent. Once I was certain that I was  still pretty unnoticeable, I braced myself for the action. 

And just like that, chaos ensued. Four men burst through the door, running like hell. They threw random shots out behind them; not caring where they went or if they hit their target. I sighed at their rookie mistake, "Дураки (fools)." They know better than that. Now, we'll have to go hunting for those bullets to prevent the cops from tracing them back to us.

The warehouse came alive with activity as 15 more men stormed through the door, guns blazing. Perfect. I shifted closer to my gun, taking careful aim.

Inhale.

I placed my finger on the trigger.

Exhale.

A loud bang erupts and rings through my ears and time freezes as I watch the red head towards the back of the pack drops like a rock as my bullet found a new home between his eyes. And then...World War III erupted.

Yelling and screaming and gunfire exploded throughout the warehouse as I found another target. And another. And another. More of our men began to flood the building, surrounding the remaining men. They were being picked off, one by one. As their number began to dwindle, so did their confidence. I could see them begin to panic, searching for possible escape routes. I snickered as I saw one take off for an unguarded rusty door.

"You messed with the wrong family, гном (leprechaun)." I pulled the trigger, then watched him collapse exactly like his comrades.

Within minutes, the firefight was over and it was evident that one side came out victorious...us. Silence swept across the warehouse. Well, at least I assumed it did, as my ears were still ringing. Not seeing any more threats, I pulled my rifle back into the duct and shimmied it back into its case. I scanned the warehouse one last time to ensure that it was safe to leave, then began to army crawl my way to the exit.

As I neared my exit vent, I heard raised voices, one in particular sounding way too familiar. I peered out of the vent and saw my older brother, Daniil, arguing with another man, who I'd never seen before. Oh god, what's he gotten himself into now?

"Forget it de Reyes, it will never happen!" Daniil spat. Knowing him and the size of the vein in his forehead, I knew he was about 5 seconds shy of clocking this guy in the jaw.

"I don't need your permission, nor am I negotiating with you. Either go find your father, so I can talk with the real Don or shut the fuck up." The stranger retorted with a faint Italian lilt.