Page 34 of Dark King Daddy

A shot cracked through the dark.

Not suppressed. Close.

A body hit the floor near the east stair. Heavy. The guard.

I seized Ksenia’s wrist and pulled her into me.

“Down.”

Another shot.

Muzzle flash split the corridor. A man came through the east service door wearing a Volna maintenance jacket. The jacket was wrong. Too short through the shoulders. Stolen.

He fired toward us.

The round struck wood beside my head.

I drove Ksenia behind the stone pillar and covered her with my body as plaster spat from the wall.

“Stay here.”

I drew my weapon.

The attacker advanced because he believed darkness belonged to him.

It did not.

A red emergency light flickered near the floor, weak but sufficient. I saw his outline pass the Birch Room door. Saw the pistol extended ahead of him.

I fired twice.

The first round turned him. The second took him through the upper chest. He hit the wall, slid down it, and left a dark streak behind.

Three soft pops came from inside the Birch Room.

Suppressed shots.

My father.

I reached the door.

The electronic latch had locked when the power failed. I drove my shoulder into it. Nothing.

Anton ran from the direction of the Samovar Room, phone still in his hand.

“What happened?”

“Inside.”

I aimed at the latch.

“Back.”

I fired. Metal burst from the frame. I kicked beside the handle. The door gave inward.

The smell reached me first. Gunpowder. Blood. Tea.

Mikhail lay on his side beside the table. One hand pressed to his chest. Blood moved between his fingers in steady, bright pulses.