Chapter ten

           "Would you believe me if I said that it was just a lucky shot?"

           Kazimir just looked at me and said, " I am former KGB , you just shot the perpetrator from a respectable distance holding a gun that was customized improperly in a grip that would make any professional laugh his ass off, with a stance more appropriate for swing dance than shooting ,using a glock nineteen, a gun notorious for it's inaccuracy and recoil which you then proceeded to set in the semiautomatic setting which is used to spray bullets without caring were they landed and you somehow hit the same spot fifteen times. No I will not believe that it was just a lucky shot."

          Sergei just laughed until he started shaking which quickly reminded him of his injury and cut his laughter short. Kazimir quickly bent over Sergei's injured leg and started to inspect it,

           "The leg seems alright, the wound might look bad because it bled a lot but it is actually pretty light. I have a first aid kit in the car along with some antiseptics, I will bandage you up and you should be right as rain. You wouldn't even have to go to the hospital. Ms Sophia let me take the gun , this is not something you can explain but I still have some people in the KGB who owe me a few favors so I should be alright. If anybody asks I shot the perpetrator as he attacked the two of you."

           I immediately complied with his instructions but Sergei was doubtful, "Are you sure Kazimir, I am pretty sure I was shot in my leg. It feels serious, maybe I should get a doctor to look at it."

          Kazimir sighed dramatically and said,"Didn't I just say I was from the KGB? Am I not getting through to you? If there is one thing I know it is gunshot wounds, and that my friend is not a gunshot wound. I mean think about it, why would the man shoot a person he wanted to kidnap? The most likely scenario is that you saw the muzzle of the tranquilizer gun that is laying there next to the body and panicked losing control of your motorcycle and crashing which is probably how you got that wound. Now if you are done second guessing me I have to go get bandages for your leg before you bleed to death."

         I looked at Sergei and he looked back at me with a painful expression on his face, not of physical pain but the kind of pain that is caused by excessive embarrassment," Don't you dare do it Sophia, if you value our friendship don't you dare do it!"

         I tried, God knows I tried. I am sure I busted two ribs trying to suppress it but I just couldn't stop it in the end. I started laughing my ass off," You weren't even shot.......HAHAHA......you panicked and fell from your bike...HAHAHA.....oh god that was pathetic, I always knew you were a whiny baby but that was ridiculous."

        Sergei just looked down and said," You are never going to let me forget this are you?"

         "What do you think? But all joking aside you know what this means right?"

          "*sigh*... What?"

          "I just saved your ass from getting kidnapped. This is worth like twenty girls. I won't have to do your homework this month and it should cover me for at least four more months."

          "You know you have a serious problem right?"

          "Oh shut up cry baby."

        *             *           *

          When the cops arrived they put us all in handcuffs until Kazimir made his magic phone call and we were all suddenly free to go. We got into the Bentley, which was looking less than pristine with the driver's side window missing which reminded me,

         "Hey Kazimir , how did you bust the window? I thought they were bulletproof."

         "No, the Mercedes is bulletproof. The Bentley is just tinted."

          Well that was news to me , but I had more important things to talk to him about, "Kazimir, you cannot tell mom and dad about what just happened, especially mom."

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          Kazimir took his eyes off the road to take a look at me, "And what exactly did happen back there?"

          Sergei also looked curious, "Actually that is something I would also like to know."

          I took a deep breath and started talking," What I am about to tell you is so incredible that you will probably not believe me if I just told you, so I am going to start with a demonstration," I put my hands over Sergei's injury so that they could be sure that it was me doing what was about to happen then I concentrated on it a little and healed him. For a second there was silence in the car. Sergei looked flabbergasted and just kept looking for his wound as if he could find it if he looked hard enough. What surprised me though was Kazimir's reaction, instead of a bewildered look he had a contemplative expression on his face.

         "Kazimir, you seem much calmer than you should be,"

          "Oh, I'm quite shocked but you can't work in some of the places I've worked in and not come into contact with some very strange things. There have always been whispers of the supernatural in the KGB, this just confirmed some of my suspicions."

          Sergei was much less calm, " Well I don't know anything about this so Sophia can you please explain what is happening because I'm starting to freak out here."

          I told them that I had the power to heal and a few other things(I didn't tell them the full breadth of my power, that would be stupid) , then I told them everything I knew about the Atelli. I told them what they were, how they hid among us using the faces of the people that they have taken over but on the inside they would be twisted and monstrous versions of themselves.

         Kazimir looked at me again, "How do you know so much about them ? According to you this things haven't spread much yet, what is your connection to them?"

         "Mom is one of them Kazimir, I'm pretty sure the company she works for, Fairweather Tec, is controlled by the Atelli."

          "How long Sophia, how long have you known?"

          "Since the very beginning."

          "And you didn't think to say anything?"

          "Before today would you even have believed me?"

          "Alright , fine you are right. If you had said anything before all this you would have only exposed yourself to danger, but if what you say is true she is a threat to Andrei and needs to be eliminated."

           "I already thought of that , won't work. If we kill her it would only attract their attention to him and put him in danger. I've been doing some research on the internet and all the Atelli I saw have normal looking families, I think it's part of their cover to conceal their true identities. As long as he is part of her cover story dad is safe. I know it is a terrible thing to do but unless we are willing to live the rest of our lives on the run and being hunted by the Atelli we cannot kill Marina."

          Sergei was finally able to speak," Your mom is one of those things? Ms Marina? But she is always so nice......wait , did you say Fairweather Tec? That's the name of the company that has been buying up property at the docks recently, father thought that it was suspicious that they started around the same time as the attacks but he checked them out and their company was legit. Why would they want the docks?"

         Kazimir answered him,"Why would anyone want a dock? To take something out or bring something in. The docks here in St Petersburg are low key, barely monitored by anybody except the mob. Take out the mob and they get a place were they can import or export virtually anything that they want."

         The question was what would the Atelli want to smuggle so badly that they were willing to compromise their cover to get control of the docks.