Cutting It Rather Close

Ivan fixed the man with a cold stare, his voice low.

"How did you know we were here?" Dominik asked, still holding the gun to Ania's head.

"Are you questioning me?" Ivan's tone was sharp, with a hint of menace in his voice. "You're going to move that gun away from her and surrender at the count of three," he commanded, his blue eyes glimmering in the moonlight.

"One," he counted, his gaze unwavering.

Dominik's hand shook slightly as he continued to point the gun at Ania's head. 

"Two," he said again.

"Dammit, what's there to lose?" Dominik muttered, his finger tightening on the trigger, but he fired a millisecond too late. 

The sound of a gunshot rang out as Ivan dashed in just before the shot was fired, grabbing his hand and redirecting the bullet.

"My, you're cutting it rather close, brother," she said with an unfazed look.

"A thank you would be nice, don't you think? You would've been a goner," Ivan said with a chuckle while still holding Dominik's arm.

Ania rolled her eyes. "As if."

He struggled to pull his hand away from Ivan's grasp, but to no avail. Ivan squeezed his arm, instantly crushing his bones and making him drop the gun with a cry of pain. The three men pulled out their guns and pointed them at the two siblings.

"J-just let us go, please," one of them stuttered, fear evident in his voice. "We just wanted some of the money," another one added, his hands trembling.

The three continued to point their guns as their hands slightly shook. "Let you go?" Ivan asked, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. He glared at them before tossing Dominik at the wall next to him like he was just a rag.

He hit the wall with a loud thud before falling to the ground and squirming in pain.

"Who's paying you all to do this?" Ivan questioned them, his eyes narrowing as he awaited their answer.

"We don't know, we're just taking orders from him," one of them answered, his voice shaking as he pointed at Dominik.

"Then you're useless to me." Ivan said, his voice cold.

"Hey, I'm still here," Ania interrupted. She signaled to Ivan, indicating her tied-up wrists. With a sharp swish, Ivan cut the ropes with his suddenly stretched out claws.

"Take care of them, Ania," Ivan instructed, his voice calm but firm. He leaned against a wall next to their boss, who was on the floor, his expression unreadable. 

"Hehe," she chuckled, her claws stretched.

Feeling defeated, one of the men dropped his gun and knelt on the floor, resigning himself to his fate.

"Well, at least you're making this easy for me," Ania remarked before swiftly moving towards him. With a single slash, she severed his head from his body. Blood sprayed everywhere as his lifeless form collapsed to the ground and his head rolled to a stop nearby. Ivan winced at the gruesome sight.

"One down, two more to go," she said with a sinister chuckle.

"Can you make it a little less gory, kiddo?" Ivan requested, his expression showing his discomfort.

Ania rolled her eyes. "Fine. Who's ne-?"

Before she could finish, a bullet whizzed past her, narrowly missing. She evaded it and regained her composure, only for another bullet to follow. This one grazed her cheek, leaving a shallow wound. Ania growled in anger at the injury.

"How dare you!?" she exclaimed, her eyes blazing with fury.

The man attempted to fire another shot, but his gun clicked empty.

"Out of bullets? Ehehe," she chuckled, exchanging a glance with Ivan, who retrieved Dominik's gun and tossed it to her.

Ania moved swiftly, closing the gap between herself and one of the men with a speed that startled him.

Pinning him against the wall, she exerted her superior strength, holding him firmly in place. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger, ending his life with a shot through his forehead and let go of the body before the blood could flow out. 

Turning her attention to the remaining man, Ania stood tall. "Now it's just you. Stay still, and I'll make it fast and painless," she said calmly, her voice steady as she pointed the gun at the man.

The man attempted to hold up the gun in his hand, but his trembling hands betrayed him, and he dropped the gun out of fear. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his fear was visible as he suddenly wet himself.

Ivan's eyes widened, and he chuckled softly at the unexpected turn of events. "Well, damn, you scared him so much that he peed his pants," he said, shaking his head slightly in amusement as he looked over to Everly. 

Ania wrinkled her nose in disdain. "That's disgusting." Without warning, she pulled the trigger, killing the man immediately with another precise shot.

Ivan approached their boss, Dominik, who was still on the floor. "Scream, and you'll regret it," Ivan warned Dominik, giving him a terrifying look. 

Gripping him firmly by the arm, Ivan led him over to Ania's side."You did a great job today, Ania. You have my thanks," Ivan commended her with a warm smile.

Ania nodded, but she was not satisfied with mere words of praise. Her expression remained serious. "Just a thanks won't do," she replied, retrieving Ivan's card from her pocket. "One month," she stated firmly, holding out the card.

Ivan chuckled at her demands. "It's all yours," he agreed. "Let's go, I called a car before coming here."

Ania's face fell as she remembered something. "Oh yeah, that reminds me; I left my car back at the warehouse," she admitted, facepalming in frustration.

"Yeah, whatever, I'll just send someone from the pack to come get it for you," Ivan replied nonchalantly.

Together, they made their way to the waiting car, with Ivan making mental notes to arrange for Ania's vehicle to be retrieved later.

When they approached the vehicle, they were greeted by a member of the pack. The man bowed at both of them before he opened the car trunk.

"Get comfortable and don't try anything stupid," Ivan said to Dominik, and he tossed him into the trunk before shutting it firmly.