I did say it would be the new year before I got to post the next chapter! And forgive me for some of the darker themes in this chapter.
aaaaaa
The cloudless sky was ablaze in an array of oranges and reds. Streaks of dark orange twisted and curled around shades of pink and pale blue of the fading sun. It was reminiscent of the winter sunsets back home when Florian would roll over to his back and just watch as the light faded into a star-studded vastness. Niko's eyes were transfixed on the setting sun trying to let happier memories surface within.
For when the car stopped, he would have to sink back into his inner killer.
'To be Kenny…'
Aleksei exchanged a worried glance with Georgi in the front seat. Their boss was unusually silent, even if he didn't normally talk much, this was a new level of uncomfortable for them. Georgi had been rather solemn looking when he exited the building carrying their rifles. A quick conversation had let Aleksei know that Kate was suffering, and Niko was doing his best to help her find her center… And that he might be losing his friend and partner.
The Bratva was in disarray and things were shifting rapidly.
Georgi lifted his eyes to the rearview mirror to see if his boss was ready to talk or not. They needed to go over their mission and how they were going to approach the apartment unit. Most rides on their way to take someone out was filled with details, escape routes, how the LCPD would respond if they got caught- but he was almost scared to break the heavy atmosphere in the four-door sedan.
"You do not have to seek permission to talk Georgi. I can feel you looking at me and squirming in your seat." Niko turned his head slightly from being pressed against the cool glass window to lock eyes with his second in the mirror.
"I am concerned- that's all boss." Georgi wiped his hands along his jeans to rid them of the balmy sweat that kept forming.
"What is there to be concerned about? We break down the door, shoot them in the head, and then leave- yes?" Niko scoffed and shifted around to face forward in the backseat. He had originally wanted to capture and beat the information out of the handler, but with how lethal and dark he felt now he was in no mood for pleasantries.
"Pakhan? If I may?" Aleksei slowed to a stop at the traffic light and looked over his shoulder to Niko, flinching at the menacing glare he received. At Niko's lift of his eyebrow, he swallowed and turned back around to focus on the red light, "If this person has information on Alexi then I feel we should try and get it… Before killing them."
"Our end goal is to rid the world of him and hopefully bring peace to the underground community." Georgi added checking out his window for possible tails or enemies. He was so unsettled and felt on edge going into this job.
"I have a feeling they won't be so forthcoming with that information." Niko crossed his arms and darted his eyes to the side, landing on a family bundled up to fight the cold. The sight of the woman holding an infant swaddled up in thick blankets and a puffy coat tugged at his heart. Her warm eyes were locked onto the young life in her arms and if he tried hard enough he could envision Kate looking the same…
"We may not have Nicholas anymore to provoke said information from someone, but I am sure we can manage to get the handler to speak." Aleksei spoke as he moved the car forward with the green light. He did not want to waste the opportunity to gain the upper hand. If things were truly meant to end with Alexi's death, then he wanted to ensure they did everything they could to end the fight before it got worse.
"I'll get him to talk…" Niko muttered and went back to watching the streets as they drove down the main road toward Beachgate. Comrade's bar caught his eyes and he scowled at it. Bitter memories wanted to surface with the run-down façade of the building. 'So much has happened since the first time I entered that hell hole…'
"Are we going stealth or guns blazing?" Georgi undid his seatbelt when Aleksei turned down Shinnecock Ave and maneuvered into the parking lot of the high-rise apartment building. Casually the car rolled into a parking spot in the back of the lot, away from the main windows and doors.
"Keep everything concealed for the time being. We are here to see friends. Nothing more. Jacob should meet us in the lobby." Niko snapped his seatbelt off and flung the door open, not waiting for them to exit the vehicle or make their area assessment. He readied his rifle in his arms and started on a direct path to the building.
He did not care how the next few moments played out. He was tired, stressed, and just wanted to get back to Kate… She had nearly fallen off the cliff when he got them back into Kenny's apartment. While her sobs had lowered in volume, the shaking, trembling, and weakness he felt when holding her concerned him to the ends of the world. She was not okay, and he needed to remedy it.
"Pakhan wait!" Georgi called out as he chased after Niko, rifle carelessly flung around his body.
"This ends now." Niko barked out as he entered the automatic sliding doors to the apartment complex. Little Jacob shoved upright from the wall and immediately matched his stride toward the elevators.
"Me breda- There is someon' else in da unit. Sounds female." Jacob shifted his glasses up his nose and drew his pistol seeing how Niko was openly carrying and not caring who saw. He waved at a couple of his men to set up a perimeter and to keep civilians from using the elevators or stairs.
"Has anyone entered or left since you and your men got here?" Niko braced his hand against the elevator doors to give his two men time to enter the lift. They quickly darted inside and kept their gaze on the ground to avoid his wrath. His blood was pumping away inside him, and he was more than ready to simply kill the handler and be done.
"No. I have someon' outside the unit." Jacob worriedly glanced to the other two men he recognized within Kenny's organization. Something was clearly off with Niko, and he shifted on his feet feeling the dread seep into his skin.
"Perfect." Niko whispered below his breath and checked his rifle for bullet count and firing mechanism. He would kick the door down and corner the weasel. Taunt them and force them to give him what he needed to know. He did not feel in the mood for drawing things out.
"Pakhan… I strongly advise one of us go in first. Last thing I would ever want to do is give Kate the bad news-" Georgi started but snapped his mouth shut when Niko's ire was directed his way.
"I will go in first. I will train my gun on this asshole. And then I will kill him for the absolute traitorous bull shit he has committed against us and my people!" The doors dinged as the floor they needed was reached and he stalked out into the hall, nodding as each of the Yardies' men bowed their head in respect. Clearly they were not going to the let handler leave easily.
"Niko! Wait!" Georgi called out in Russian and took off after his boss, regretfully moving Jacob out of the way. Niko was unbalanced and chaotic. A force that needed to be tamed before it set fire to everything around it. "Would Kate love the man who is about to murder someone in cold blood without finding out about the true enemy?!" He planted his feet in the middle of the hallway and stared at the back of his boss, "Think about it. She stayed your hand over Boris. Would she not want you to think clearly and navigate this better?"
"What Kate feels, and thinks, is not something you know or understand. This handler sent people out into the city to kill her family- MY FAMILY! Gerry is dead. Kate was almost killed! Avia is clinging to life. Bernie is fighting to survive! I will not let this… this… Piece of shit to live another second because I have reservations!" Niko spun on his heel and pinned his second with a raw, fury filled look- before twisting around and kicking the door inwards to the unit the handler occupied, rifle raised and at the ready.
"Well it is about damn time Niko." A very familiar feminine voice drifted out into the hallway with a slight amused undertone.
"You skin them alive yet?" Niko seethed as he moved past Karen and into the unit to land his eyes on a bound and wheezing man in a desk chair in the center of the living room. Plastic sheets covered the floors and surrounding furniture. 'IAA has upped their tactics I see…'
"Eh. We are warming up to the idea. Figured I'd work first and second base good before getting to the good stuff." Karen shrugged and walked behind Niko to stand at his side in front of the handler, "I mean… This is only the first date after all." She tugged on the sleeves of her uniform shirt that was tied around her waist. Blood stains saturated places on her fatigue pants and she popped her neck to loosen the knots she felt. Her hands lifted to kneed at one spot that had yet to leave her be.
"Our first date was spent with me halfway believing I was drugged, and you were fishing for details." Niko rolled his eyes before surveying the damage she had inflicted on the handler. Varying sizes of cuts and bruises littered the pale skin of the handler's chest and back. His arms had deep gashes along the forearms, and he schooled his features to not wince at how one of them was freely bleeding.
"That would be the second or third. We went bowling on our first date... Remember? Or is your memory a little fuzzy?" Karen huffed and smirked at Niko from the corner of her eye, "But yeah. It's amazing what some nondetectable chemicals can do to loosen the tongue and get the words pouring out. I swear you went on and on about… What was her name? Mia?" She turned fully toward Niko and crossed her arms, completely ignoring the two Russians who entered the apartment and Little Jacob.
"Mila Tadic." Niko glanced her way before squatting down to be eye level with the man he had been wanting to kill just moments ago, "And who do we have here?"
"His name is Paul Jackson, a native Texan, who happens to love money and guns more than the average redneck. Branched out about a decade ago to help people put wet work teams together. Random people or semi militia type units that could execute rather dangerous and perilous missions. Turns out he picked the wrong people to fuck with!" Her anger burned to life, and she kicked his kneecap, earning a strangled whimper in return.
Niko held his hand out to stop her from striking the bound man again, "Do you know who I am?"
The bleeding and injured man struggled to lift his face in order to see who it was that was speaking to him. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth and mixed with the sweat that trickled down the side of his face. He was breathing shallowly and loudly, as if his lungs were halfway filled with water. Niko shifted his eyes toward Karen for an explanation and she only lifted a shoulder before dropping it, as if that would be justification for his condition.
"You- You are the one the Albanian's want dead." Paul rasped as he spit out the fluid in his mouth.
"Manners, asshole! This is Pakhan! Leader of the Petrovic Bratva!" Karen slapped the tied-up man across the face and pulled her pistol from the waistband of her military pants, "Now answer his questions or it's the pilers again!"
Niko lifted from his lowered position and spotted a dining chair close by. He dragged it around and spun it to be facing backwards from the bound prisoner. With a silent sigh Niko dropped down into the chair and draped his arms over the back of the chair, darting his eyes to Georgi and Aleksei.
"Take your positions and stand guard. I doubt anyone is going to interrupt the IAA from their work, but you never know." Niko evened his voice out and kept it light and warm, which only freaked out Kenny's men more.
"Pakhan? Is she to be trusted?" Georgi eyed Karen from his position just inside the door and felt a weird sense of knowing come over him. He had seen her picture somewhere before and his mind was having trouble placing her face to his memory.
"Captains I'd like to introduce you to my ex-girlfriend, Michelle." Niko flicked his finger in Karen's direction, not once letting his eyes leave the panting man in front of him, "She has apparently learned a few new tricks since I last sparred with her."
"Pleasure. But maybe you should stick to getting answers since I don't think he's got much blood left to lose." Karen nodded her head to the two men she didn't recognize and tucked her gun back into her holster. Her knees popped as she squatted down at Niko's side to meet her eyes with her new assignment, "Isn't that right Mr. Jackson?"
"I feel sorry for you if she is your ex…" Paul coughed horribly and lifted his head enough to scowl at Niko.
"I'm not." Niko placed his chin on top of his crossed arms, "Now I am going to ask you a couple of questions- Some of which I already know the answers, other's I need the answers to, do you think you can manage that?"
"Why would I ever… Why should I give you anything?" His eyes unfocused for a split second before he turned his head to the side to spit out more blood, "Doubt I'll make it to sundown."
"Ooo! This is one I can answer. May I?" Karen smiled, though it had a rather dark look about it, and looked up to see if she had permission from Niko to speak.
"Have you been working on your Russian or Serbian?" Niko asked her trying to hide the shudder that wanted to shake him with the shadows he could see in her blue eyes. 'Wait blue? I thought her eyes were brown…'
"I know some. Not enough. But with your permission I'd like to play my hand?"Karen had tripped over the dialect of the Russian language but would do as he asked if she could. Her boss had yanked her from her training and got her on the first flight out of LS. He had been rushed, urgent, and had a desperation in his voice. It was all she needed to simply drop everything and dash off to Liberty.
"Go on." Niko nodded to her and held his hand out to help her stand up. She looked tired, but there was a fury he could see building over her body. And he thought he was pissed off…
"Thank you. You asked my friend why you should give us anything. Welp let's just say the IAA is very interested in a little ranch style home just outside of Odessa. Where a Mrs. Jackson is currently rocking little Tate to sleep and praying that his older sister Norah stays in her room reading." Karen moved to the kitchen counter and picked up her laptop, clicking a couple of buttons before turning it in her arms to show a live feed of a typical neighborhood home. One of the front windows was uncovered and a female shuffled back and forth with a baby nestled to her chest.
"Wouldn't be too hard to raid the place, magically find some illegal fully automatic weapons and a pound or two of heroin and drag your wife and kids to an offsite location. More than likely your wife will cave first in order to protect the children from having to go into foster care. Now I ask you again; Where is the rest of your team and who hired you." She shoved the laptop in front of Paul and lifted her eyebrow, counting down in her head to when she would snap the lid closed and call her team on the ground in Texas.
"You have a beautiful looking family. I would hate to see what IAA has in store for them since you killed mine." Niko leaned forward some in the chair to see what Karen had displayed. He was somewhat disturbed that the IAA would stoop to that level, but maybe it was a bluff just to twist Paul's arm into helping them.
"How can you have the IAA on beck and call?! You are a criminal…" Paul glued his eyes to the image of his wife cooing to their son and calming him to lay down for the night. The burn behind his eyes forced him to look away and toward the man who casually rested on a dining room chair in front of him.
"I am many things. I have many titles. I have far reach… But I would gladly give it all up just to have Gerry back." Niko used some of the words Kenny had spoken to him when he woke up in the hospital after the ambush at the church. The look of loss that ghosted across the Kingpin at the mention of his son was not one he could easily forget.
"Gerry… is dead…?" Karen whispered the words in Russian and stumbled back a step or two.
Niko immediately recognized the shock and disbelief in her voice. The softness and hesitancy with the foreign words stabbed at his heart- he did not mean to give her the news like that. The laptop clattered to the ground, and he shoved upright to catch her as she dove forward to strike the bound man.
"I'll kill him! Let me GO!" Karen screamed in a rage and thrashed around in Niko's arms, trying to break free to pummel her fists into the smirk Paul was sporting.
"Captains! Take her out in the hall and keep her from getting inside the room. I will handle the interrogation from here! Jacob go with them." Niko struggled for a second as she used her full weight against him, but he spun her around and hooked one of her legs over his arm, awkwardly lifting her up like a child who was throwing a temper tantrum. Georgi and Aleksei took either her arms or legs and carried the screaming and enraged woman out into the hall, Jacob trailing behind them looking lost.
"Your family is as good as dead now." Niko pulled his pistol and fired a round into Paul's knee. A satisfying scream ripped from his throat and Niko began to pace back and forth in front of the slowly dying man.
"Please… They have nothing to do with this!" Paul whimpered from his hunched over position.
"And my family does?! Who hired you." Niko tapped his pistol against his hip and glanced around the room to see what all Karen had brought with her to torture the man. A rolled-out sleeve of knives caught his attention on the dining room table, and he walked over to them.
"I do not get the client's name. Too risky for them and me. I was given instruction to get a highly trained team of people together to wipe out several targets within Liberty City. That they would be high priority and difficult to get alone… I was wired five hundred thousand dollars up front and that someone named Robert Welsh would be in contact shortly." Paul gasped and panted trying to catch his breath.
"Keep talking. I don't know how long my men can keep her from knocking down the door and calling her partner in Texas." Niko thumbed one of the throwing knives and looked over his shoulder at Paul. He felt strangely calm at the sight of blood and the pleading, begging stare of the man tied up on an office chair. Usually there was a small sliver of nausea that pitched in his stomach when he'd have to torture people in the past, but now? He couldn't find it in him to care.
"Robert showed up at my house with a briefcase of information on you and the McReary's, I hadn't even begun to start my research on the job and here is this kid telling me what the client wanted. They did not care who all I put on the team, just that one of them had to be a… I think her name is Tirana? I don't know why she was integral for being on the team." Paul nodded forward as his vision darkened for a second.
"She is property of Alexi. Keep going." Niko leaned into the dining room table and glanced toward the apartment door as he heard Karen give off a slew of curse words in Russian, her anger and pain making them sound correct and less butchered, "My ex is extremely vicious when upset. Tick tock Mr. Jackson."
"I booked his flight to LC from LS since we didn't want anything to come back to Texas. And I was given forty-eight hours to assemble the team, get them on their way to LC, and then fly out myself to oversee the operation. I typically never take on the handler's role- I pay someone for this. I haven't held a gun or used a weapon in over ten years. I'm retired." There was a thick level of remorse that floated with his words, and it caused Niko to frown.
"If you are retired why are you here?" Niko crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. None of it made sense to him. So far it sounded like this man had absolutely zero connection to anyone in his life.
"My daughter… She has spina bifida. We need cash to get her to another country that has this new surgery option. It also would get her the wheelchair she needs. After I retired from the army I started working in the oil fields. It pays alright, but my wife's first pregnancy forced her to be on bedrest for most of it and she lost her job because of it. So I did what I knew and started bringing in extra cash." Paul sighed and attempted to twist around to see the live feed of his family's home. If he was going to bleed out, he wanted to at least see his wife one last time.
"I can… Relate to resorting to what you know to get by. But someone is dead, and others are near death. Someone has to be held responsible. If you give me the information I need I will have someone get you the medical attention you need… And you can get back to your family. But if I ever catch wind that you are back to putting assassination teams in place, I will have IAA destroy you." Niko heavily sighed and looked up at the ceiling wishing he knew how to feel or act. Had this been a year or so ago he would've already shot the man to death and moved on… Now he was debating who he would task to get Paul help and get him out of Liberty.
"I do not know the client's name. I got an encrypted email and phone call. Robert was my main contact with who was paying me. You can have my laptop and phone to see what all you can recover on them…" He struggled to look up at the man he had been charged with putting a team together to kill. Hope wanted to soar inside him, but Niko had made no move to get help or follow through with his words.
"It's a start. When were you first contacted?" Niko picked up a clean dish towel and the throwing knife and walked toward Paul, stopping just in front of him.
"A week ago today. It was last Friday afternoon; I was on break at work, and I got a call on my cell. It was strange because I normally have no cell service out there. I went home early to get started and tell my wife I would be on the job site for a little longer, and that's when the wire transfer came through to our bank account… I can give myself first aid if you free one of my hands." Paul flinched back some when Niko knelt down to tie the towel around his gunshot wound.
"I will shoot you in the head if you try and attack me." Niko glared up at Paul and used the knife to cut one of the zip ties free from a hand.
"In bad shape, wouldn't be able to stand up to make a half assed attempt." Paul muttered as he worked the towel over his knee and hissed in pain at the pressure.
"You didn't think it odd that they sent you money to your bank account without offering that information out?" Niko used the back of the dining room chair to stand up before lowering down into it. If he was to believe everything he was hearing, it struck him weird that they had found Paul, wired him money, and nearly rushed their plan into action.
"I did. But I also know technology is getting scarier and hell we needed the money. What creeped me out was when Robert showed up the next day on my front porch. That was a little harder to brush off with the wife. There was this evil glint about Robert. He had this vibe and I made sure to conduct the meeting outside of the house and away from the kids." Paul put as much pressure as he could on the wound to slow the flow of blood.
"He… For what it is worth, he is dead, but yeah. Freckle face went dark somewhere in his life." Niko scoffed at the oversimplification of Bobby.
"He didn't stay very long, and he landed in Liberty Sunday afternoon. I joined him and the chick Monday. I haven't left this apartment since Monday. I um… I saw the news about some apartment in Holland? That was not part of the plan. I have their notes and belongings in the bedroom." Paul nodded toward a closed door indicating where Niko could locate the team's personal items.
"Georgi come in here- but keep my ex out there in the hall with Aleksei." Niko raised his voice and waited for his second in command to enter the unit. The door jerked open, and Karen barged in, anger flared her features, and she stalked toward Niko and her target.
Once more Niko shot to his feet and caught her around her waist as she tried to unholster her gun, "Michelle listen to me! Calm down right this second or I am going to order you to leave the building." He fisted a hand in her hair and yanked her face in his direction to get her to quit shooting a murderous stare toward Paul. He spotted the heated lust that used to flow from her when they were intimate at her apartment and he lessened his hold of her, "He is giving me what I need to know. You will either join me in listening or you will stay in the hall with my men. Do I make myself clear?"
'Good Lord I miss those hands…' Karen swallowed thickly and flicked her eyes back and forth between Niko's, wishing her want of him would just die out already. It was like being held by Gerry all over again- The image of Gerry's devilish eyebrow lift as he pushed her buttons as they escaped the prison forced the tears to the surface. "It's not fair…"
"I know. I know…" Niko softened his grip and steadied her on her feet, "You good?" At her small nod he turned to Georgi, "Paul here has been very forth coming with information about the attacks. Can you call for a medical team to tend to his wounds? He is to be treated and sent back to Texas once I am done with him."
"As you have asked it, so it shall be done." Georgi thumped his chest and exited the unit, closing the door behind him. He would find everything out later and did not want to be around the crazy IAA agent. He rubbed over his cheek where she had managed to get a lucky punch in.
"Keep going Paul. How did everyone know where we would be?" Niko reclipped the clasp on Karen's sidearm and lowered back down into the chair he had been occupying. He would watch her closely to keep her from killing Paul. 'Just need a few more things explained then I can let her do whatever she feels is needed for retribution for Gerry…'
"Tirana got spooked the morning we were meant to start scouting. Rambled on in a language I don't know or could identify. She offered to go it alone and send back the info. Wasn't given much of a choice as she bolted from the unit. But she managed to locate most of everyone's apartments or house. Robert joined her for a time before he went radio silence on us."
"Someone, I don't know who, broke the news about Bryce's affair. It was too good of an opportunity for our sniper to get a clean shot at Francis. As we were putting plans into motion and different from the original course of action, Tirana called saying Kate and Mallorie were in the park but were being followed by a security team. Everyone dispersed and headed to their target locations, using the offered help here in Liberty to reach the end goal." Paul kept his eyes on the woman who had been torturing him for over a day. He did not trust her to not come at him the second he was done airing out all the details of his assembled squad of hitmen.
"I wonder who broke the news story. It was what got Kate out of the apartment and in the park with Mal…" Niko mused and thought back to everything that happened right before the multiple attacks. He was at the fight club with Luis- "Who all was a target that you were being paid to help kill?"
"On the nightstand is the list of names, known addresses, and photos." Paul refused to look anywhere but at the female that now stood behind Niko's back.
"Michelle would you mind?" Niko could see the distrust and anxiety on Paul the longer she hovered around him.
"Fine…" She spun on her heel and marched into the bedroom to find the papers and photos. Not like she hadn't already done a quick once over of the place in-between beating sessions. She had located a couple of laptops, cell phones, wallets- but nothing with damning evidence on who had sent them to LC.
"So uh… Since I'm pretty sure I am only asking this because I have like no blood in my body anymore- how the hell did you two ever date?!" Paul's head bobbed a little with the effects of blood loss and he tried to see straight to pin Niko with a look of astonishment.
"Know your target fully before sending out a kill squad. That has to be rule one in your line of business. Tell me something Paul, did you know who Kenny Petrovic was before answering the phone call last week?" Niko folded his arms and fought the amusement at seeing the man act almost drunk as he looked under the towel at the wound.
"Sure. I mean, everyone, knows of him. Maybe not like where he lives or how he made his fortune, but even out in the oil fields we heard the name here and there." Paul shrugged as he wiped around the bullet hole to see if the bullet had come out or not.
"And did you know about the plot against him? Or was your assignment to take him out or just me?" Niko took the photos from Karen as she moved back to his side. He flipped through a couple of familiar looking faces; Francis, Roman, and him standing outside the church on Roman's wedding day – Him and Kate sitting in the window seat of Galina's coffee shop – Gerry on the back porch of the McReary home laughing it up with Packie and Gordon-
"You were the target… No one is stupid enough to go after Kenny." Paul scoffed out a half laugh half groan.
Niko paused in looking through the photos to stare at Paul, "Aleksei, Georgi!"
The apartment door opened again, and his two men entered the unit looking uneasy about the situation. Georgi shuffled forward like a kicked puppy to lean into the dining room table and Aleksei casually moved to be at Paul's back.
"I know you might be a touch lightheaded, but Paul? I need you to answer me honestly; Who was your original target that the client wanted you to take out?" Niko felt Karen's hand land on his shoulder in a silent question as to why he was pressing this matter.
"Niko Bellic and Kate McReary. By any means necessary. Family, friends, coworkers are fair game and will have additional funds added to the reward. Five hundred kay would be given up front for getting a team assembled and any additional costs will be worked through a contact. If you are able to make them suffer for a longer duration of time before the final blow, one million will be delivered to your home outside Odessa." Paul rattled off the automated phone call he received and swayed slightly as his vision spun.
Niko looked up toward Aleksei and slanted his eyebrows, "Were you ever given instruction to go after Kenny Petrovic?"
"Nope." Paul popped the P and slumped back in the office chair.
"Then who went after Kenny before I took over?" Niko asked no one in particular in Russian. Now nothing made sense. Who wanted him and Kate dead so badly they risked a bunch of other people's lives without knowing Kenny would come to Niko's aid? Things had escalated quickly when Gerry, Kenny, and Roy formed their alliance- and now it was such a front of power, no one would be dumb enough to keep attacking them.
"Georgi do we have medical enroute?" Niko noticed how faded Paul was becoming and wanted to keep him alive for more information at a later time. He doubted he would be clear headed enough to give him correct answers to his questions.
"They are in the lobby." Georgi read the text message he got from Jacob and looked up in time to see Niko shift on the chair in front of Paul.
"Send them up here to help Paul. He is to be kept alive and well till he can travel home. I will want to talk to him again once he is lucid." Niko stood from the chair and walked into the kitchen area needing something to drink, "Aleksei start asking around, carefully, about who would only target Kenny and not me, and who would target only me and not Kenny. There is some kind of disconnect that I'm missing in all this…"
"Of course Pakhan. I will also check in with Anton to get an update from the compound. He did not report in during the last scheduled update." Aleksei bowed his head once and headed out into the hall. He was mildly concerned with the lack of communication from their home base, but figured if Anton was with Kate, she would be keeping him fairly busy.
"Georgi call Kate and check in. I will join you in the lobby once I see Paul is getting tended to. Have Jacob and his men start taking all the papers and personal belongings to the compound. I want it all to be looked over by our men before calling Francis and Ron." Niko switched to English when he noticed Paul had passed out.
"Yes boss. Do you need anything else?" Georgi shifted from foot to foot wanting to make sure his boss was okay. He had gone from murderous manhunt to so at ease within the apartment unit that he was getting extremely concerned. His own emotions were suffering from a weird bout of whiplash between Kate, Niko, and his own realization that he was done with serving Kenny.
"I'm good." Niko lifted a bottle of vodka he found in one of the cabinets and dismissed his men. Something was stirring inside him, and his mind was telling him to take a minute to breathe and just sip on the fine vodka he held in his hand. Things would be explained in time and Alexi would be found soon- with or without the help from the handler. He narrowed his eyes at Georgi when he hesitated to move out of the apartment.
"I may have only met you a few days ago… But I am here if you need to talk or work through some things. I have seen that look many a time on Kenny after a long-fought battle. I am here to serve. Do not push us all away and grow cold like the man who forged the Bratva." Georgi raised his fist to his chest and thumped his heart slowly before walking out of the unit to do as he was asked.
The fridge opening and shutting knocked Niko from his darkening thoughts, and he turned to see Karen popping open a bottle of beer, "So you really are in charge of Kenny's organization… Damn. Gonna lose that bet to my boss." She took a heavy swig of the cold liquid and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"So it seems." Niko slightly lifted his hand to once more take in the odd appearance of Kenny's ring on his finger. He looked up when some of Jacob's men and Jacob entered the unit to start carrying boxes and items out of the unit. A doctor in a pair of scrubs dashed over to Paul and immediately starting barking orders to people to render aid.
"How'd… um- Kate take it?" Karen leaned into the counter next to him and bit her tongue when she almost said princess. Her eyes scanned over the room and people that came and went. She was exhausted, but it felt good to be standing at his side again, and the relief at seeing him alive and moving was doing weird things to her heart.
"We are working on it. It's been… This past week has not been easy." Niko unscrewed the bottle cap and lifted the glass to his lips, "And that's putting it mildly."
Karen snorted and took another gulp from her beer, "My boss sent me here right after you called him. Info kept coming in from different sources and half of it was incorrect. He alerted LCPD once we got ahold of our contact within Interpol. The sniper is wanted for several crimes in LS and abroad. Apparently he dated Natalya before she permanently moved to be with her cousin." She rolled her eyes and looked up at Niko's face when he paused in taking a swig of vodka.
"Well he's dead. Bled out before me. Wish I had done more damage to him knowing he was involved with Natalya." Niko lifted the bottle and drank in several shots worth. It was unsettling to know he had once more been the one to end someone involved with the Rascalov clan.
"Wish I could filet the jackass who killed Gerry…" Karen groaned angrily and rubbed at her eyes, "Fuck!"
Niko placed the glass bottle down on the counter and dropped a hand to her shoulder. He didn't think there was much between Karen and Gerry, but maybe he was wrong. What he wasn't prepared for was for her to turn into his outstretched arm and hug him. It was an awkward side hug, and he could feel the tremors that shook her shoulders.
"I came back for New Year's. It was only for twenty four hours as I was due back at HQ for training new recruits. But he and I had a few calls here and there and I um… I told myself not to. But when have I ever listened to myself right?" She let out a haggard breath and closed her eyes in order to just surrender herself to whatever comfort Niko would give her. So much was tumbling around. All she knew was there were enemies after Niko and his friends through Robert and now she was finding out Gerry had been the casualty.
He felt himself clench at her nearness, but her pain over Gerry's death was working his own guard down. With a twinge of regret he let his arm lower to hold her to him and let her grieve, "Karen… I am sorry. I was not prepared to be attacked. I should've been aware of what was coming." He offered what little he could. He wasn't prepared to have an entire hit squad descend on Liberty and take such drastic measures to eliminate them all. He thought he was doing good by reaching out to Bernard and trying to get ahead of it all…
"Ugh! I hate this shit. I thought I'd just go back to being some mid-range agent within the IAA and now here I am! And look at you! Thought you'd fallen off the map to play house and next thing I know I'm hearing chatter that you'd taken over for Kenny Petrovic." She let out a watery sounding laugh and clung to his frame.
"I never intended this to happen." He rubbed his hand across her shoulders trying to calm her down some and to keep from making a scene. The Yardies kept glancing their way as they came and went within the apartment. Even Jacob was letting his gaze linger maybe a second or two longer than was needed.
"No… No. I know. Can I see Kate?" Karen wiped her face with her hand to remove any evidence she had let a few tears free. She was a rising agent and needed to keep her cool in front of others. She was already embarrassed enough about being carried out of the unit by two men she didn't know over finding out Gerry had been killed.
"You… Can. But she isn't in the best mood. How long are you in LC for?" Niko tucked some of her longer hair behind her ear without even thinking about it. He stilled once his brain caught up with his body and his eyes locked onto her sorrowful expression- before she did her best to hide behind her walls and training.
"I am here till whoever targeted you is dead. That was the last mission report I got from my boss. It's been a day or so since he contacted me." She lifted her hand and trailed her fingers over the back of his, the cool metal of the ring caught her attention, and she grabbed his hand to get a better look at Kenny's ring.
"I haven't been able to get ahold of him either." He let her turn his hand to see the ring that felt like a lead weight against his body, "Do you need a place to stay?"
"Might make my job easier if I am able to watch over you and be closer to the action. Kenny's men are really good at not being spotted or trailed. Was dumb luck I was able to track down Paul over there. He and I have been getting acquainted within this apartment for far too long." She rolled her eyes and picked up her beer, finishing it off quickly, "And I could go for a decent meal."
The doctor managed to get Paul on a stretcher and hauled him out of the apartment, dropping them both into silence and privacy. They stared at each other for what felt like an hour before shifting out of each other's personal space.
"Niko… I. You have power now. You have everything at your fingertips. I'm not sure what help I can offer. I'm flying dark here. What exactly am I about to walk in to?" Karen lowered her voice and studied the man at her side that would take a small sip here and there from the vodka bottle.
"You're guess is as good as mine. Someone set a trap for Francis and me when we went after the hacker Natalya used. I am almost certain it was Robert who attacked Ron and I and was in the middle of scouting for information. He cornered Kate on the street outside her therapist's office. And because of what was said and done with Kate, Gerry asked us to join him at the table meeting. Next thing I know Robert has gone and killed Kenny's entire interrogation team and I get thrown into the position I'm in now." Niko let out a long breath and dipped his head as the weight of the world landed on his shoulders.
'This is too much and is getting out of hand…'
"Sounds like one fucked up affair if you ask me." Karen laughed at Niko's surprised chuckle, the one she told herself she didn't miss. She reached out and grabbed the vodka taking her own swig of the sour tasting liquor, "But we will figure it all out. You got a computer I can use to start making a timeline?"
"Back at the compound. I'm sure dinner should be almost ready by the time we get back." Niko took the bottle back when she handed it to him, and he downed another large gulp. It was doing wonders at lessening the maddening thoughts that shoved at him.
"Oh? Is Pakhan asking me to dinner? Well I most certainly will have to think about it…!" She crossed her arms under her chest and shook her head, "Been a long time since someone took me out. I haven't been on a date for a while." Her lips curled in a side smile, and she batted her eyelashes at him.
Niko smirked at her attempt at flirting, "Karen- When Pakhan demands something, there is no thinking about it." He let out a couple of chuckles before taking one last shot from the bottle.
"Oh so it isn't just a bedroom thing with you?" She squealed and laughed loudly when he barely attempted to shove her away from him, "Oh come on! That was funny."
Niko shook his head and let the smile cross his lips, "Yeah alright. Maybe. Come on. If we don't meet my second soon he will come looking." He gestured to the apartment door to get her to start walking.
"You like it? Don't you?" Karen picked up her sleeve of knives and rolled it back up to secure the buckles.
"Like what?" Niko headed over to the door to be able to open it for her. He was feeling more grounded now and was looking forward to seeing Kate and checking in on her. He longed to have her body tucked to his as they shared another delicious meal and lost themselves in their own little world for a time.
"The title. Power. You know? Being Kenny?" Karen threw the shoulder strap over her body and set him with a look that screamed she knew when he was lying or not.
"The truth?" Niko watched as she walked up to stand within his personal boundaries, keeping just enough distance to be considered appropriate, but had the ability to not be with one forward motion. The tilt of her head had him flashing back to their dates spent at the bowling alley or Comrade's bar. She would soften her eyes and have this way of just tearing down his walls, digging whatever she wanted out of him.
"You know I only like the truth. Lies is what got us in this mess." Her eyebrows slunk down as she spotted the white bandage on the side of his head. 'Has that been there the entire time?!'
"No. Lies is what got you into this mess. I never lied to you Michelle. And to answer your question- I absolutely hate it. I hate what it has done to Kate and her family. I don't like knowing people's lives are being ruined and ended because of what has to be done within the Bratva. I am tired of the killing, stealing… Just everything." He felt his heart lurched with the thought that Kate was suffering alone in Kenny's apartment while he talked things out with his… 'With your ex.'
"Hold on to that hate. Because if it starts fade, you will give in, and that will be the end…" She whispered the words and leaned up on her toes to place a kiss to his cheek, "You carry such a burden. Always have. I think it's time you shed some of it and head toward that brighter future you longed for." They had shared one conversation early one morning when he actually stayed the night and he had confided in her that he longed for a family of his own. When he had left her apartment later that morning she wept for the man she knew she was about to betray.
'He is a good man under all this armor and pain…'
"I am… The future is getting closer." He slipped his hand over her cheek to cup her face before placing a tender kiss to her forehead, "Thank you for finding the handler and taking one of my burdens away. Now I do believe I owe you a meal."
"As you have asked it- well demanded it, so it shall be done!" The pride swelled in her chest as she let the Russian flow from her mouth and spotted the recognition of the words on Niko's face. Her smile only grew as he pulled her into a hug and she returned it full force, "Thank you Niko. I feel bad for saying it, but I have needed this for a long time."
"I think we both needed to have some form of closure. And it is good to have friends. Thank you for rushing out to Liberty to help me. I know your job is what it is. But you dropped everything at your boss' call and jumped right back into my messed-up life." He squeezed her once and let her go, hand dropping to the door handle to shove it open.
"As I have said it many times… I am sorry for how things ended. And I am sorry I was unable to stop the attack against everyone. I will miss Gerry greatly. Just as I have missed everyone since waking up in the hospital." Her smile dropped some and she turned toward the door no longer wanting to dwell on the past and mistakes that directed her life back to Niko.
"We will have time later… If you need it, to talk things through. I'm sure you have a million questions, as do I, but I really need to get back to the compound and check in on Kate." Niko opened the door for her and waited for her to move out into the hall.
"There is never enough time Niko Bellic. I think we both know that to be true." With a depressed sigh Karen exited into the hall only to nearly run into the body of Georgi.
"Sorry Ma'am!" Georgi caught her shoulders and went on the defensive when she broke his hold and drew a knife to attack him with. He slapped her wrist to the side and jabbed his hand under her arm to lift it into a painful position within the shoulder socket. He used her delay in reaction to turn her to the wall and pin her with his own knife pressed to her throat.
"Georgi!" Niko nearly shouted at seeing him fall back into his everyday training.
"Sorry! Sorry! Just a little on edge…" He immediately released his hold on her and backed away to give her a chance to recover.
"Jesus Niko… One of these days I am going to force you to train us in the IAA so I can possibly win a freaking fight against you!" Karen stroked over her arm to alleviate the dull ache that formed within her muscles. She glared over her shoulder to the… 'Well hello handsome!'
"Karen meet Georgi. My second in command. Georgi meet my ex-girlfriend and IAA agent. She also answers to Michelle." Niko easily caught her jab in his direction and maneuvered her around to be facing Georgi, "I don't think you two have had the chance to be introduced properly."
"It is definitely Karen. Karen Daniels." She extended her hand out to the gorgeous blonde, young looking man that had a rather boyish smirk on his face, "It is nice to meet you."
"Ahhh so you have dated someone who speaks Russian! Not bad looking either Pakhan!" Georgi teased Niko and gladly accepted her outstretched hand in greeting, "Are you to be joining us this evening?"
"I maybe got half of what you said. I am still learning the language. But Pakhan has promised me dinner. And after spending the better part of a day knocking sense into Paul, I could use a hearty meal and a shower." She blushed at his smile and the glint in his eyes that betrayed his thoughts.
"What is the check in update?" Niko ignored the back and forth over the top flirting between Karen and Georgi and asked the question that was burning a hole in his chest. 'Why hadn't Anton checked in and is Kate okay…?'
"How much of the language does she know? I don't wish to discuss things if she is not meant to know of our inner workings…" Georgi tucked Karen's hand into the crook of his elbow and started to escort her to the elevator Aleksei held open for them.
"Some but not enough to keep up or decipher quickly. I think common words and phrases she knows. Things the IAA would be listening for over the phone lines and emails. At least tell me Kate is okay. The rest can wait till we get back to the compound." Niko matched Georgi's pace and pinned him with a mild glare. He was avoiding the direct question again and it only added to the pit in his stomach.
"Yeah… So about Kate…"
aaaaaa
I'm going to cut it off there. Keep the suspense building!
Happy New Year everyone! May this year bring peace, health, money, and success to us all!
One Love!