Butterfly

chapter one

aponi

The first thing I saw when I woke up was the stark white ceiling and I wondered where I was. All I remember before passing out after a Russian slit my throat was stealing a car and calling for help at an old gas station, I was too late to save my unit but I had to try and save myself.

At those memories, I tried to bolt up when I noticed that my throat hurt and I wasn't breathing on my own. I pulled on the tube until it came out and I gagged and tried to take deep breaths. I pulled out my IVs and set my feet on the floor, pushing myself until I was wobbly standing like a newborn calf. I looked around the room before pressing the call button on the monitor.

Only minutes later, a nurse runs in and looks at me before gasping and running back out. Thirty seconds later, the same nurse runs back into the room with a doctor as well. The doctor looks me over before approaching me with water in his hand.

He hands me the glass with a straw before speaking, "Aponi, do you know where you are?"

"Hospital," I croaked, trying to clear my throat. "How long have I been out?" I was dreading the answer.

"You've been in a coma for only three weeks. It was touch and go for awhile. When your backup arrived, they found you with your throat cut and you were bleeding profusely; it is truly a miracle you are still alive. You had a guardian angel watching over you, soldier."

I nod and attempt a smile but I'm sure it looks more like a grimace. My whole body hurts, but it was to be expected—I was kept and tortured by the Russian mob boss for three months. He cut, burned, and branded most of my body and I'm sure I look horrific.

I'm brought back to reality when the doctor starts to speak again, "I've contacted your superiors and they should be here soon. I don't believe they called your brother because you were on a classified mission and a classified base, but as soon as you are ready to leave, we can call him and let him know you are coming home."

I can only slightly nod in response because it's a lot of information to take in. My brother wasn't informed that I was almost dead, how do I explain that to him? How do I explain why I haven't been able to answer any of his letters? How do I explain that I have a psycho Russian mob boss on my ass because he's obsessed with me because my superiors sent me out on a death mission.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear—my superiors walked through the door, Sergeant Adam and Lieutenant Chris. I brought my hand up to salute them before attempting to speak, "Sergeant Adam, Lieutenant Chris."

"Aponi, good to see you awake. We have news," my sergeant starts.

Chris speaks up when Adam pauses, "You are the only survivor from the mission. We know you just woke up and you went through a traumatic experience but we need to be ready, so we apologize."

I glare at them because at this point, I don't even care if I'm dishonorably discharged after they sent my team and I out on a suicide mission. "You apologize," I croak before chuckling. "I was tortured for three months and had to watch my brothers die because of your stupidity, and you apologize?" I shake my head.

Chris sends me a sympathetic look, "Aponi-"

"No. That won't make anything better. I should be dead right now, they cut my throat. They burned my body and they branded me and now I will still have to worry about the crazy fucker coming after me because he was obsessed with me. The only reason they tried to kill me was because you were coming for me. You don't get to be sorry, and you shouldn't have been able to make a mistake like that."

"Aponi, you are being honorably discharged," Adam cut in before I could ruin my throat even more by screaming at the pair.

I nod my head weakly before standing up again, "Good, now get out and call my brother. I'm leaving for the airport to get the hell out of wherever this is."

Chris nods his head before pulling out his phone and demanding a plane and a car to bring me home, Georgia. "It's done, Ms. Oblonsky. Thank you for your service and your bravery. The United States Military apologizes about their mistakes."

"Your mistakes, boys. Yours." They sighed and nodded before leaving the room. I had nothing with me except for a new uniform they provided me with so I put that on before leaving the room.

*****

Hours later, I was exiting the private plan the United States had sent for me. There was another blacked out car waiting for me on the landing strip. I was informed on the plane by Chris and Adam that they had called my brother but left out details on why I was coming home, only telling him that I would be home within a couple of days, although the plane had arrived fairly quickly, and we arrived in Georgia, so it shouldn't take but a couple more hours to see my brother.

I walked to the car, completely ignoring my former superiors and close the door. I told the driver the address I had memorized from the letters when he had told me he had joined a motorcycle club and was actually the enforcer of it.

I was happy that he had gotten his life back on track in the last ten years and made a new family while I was gone. He wrote that he had two best friends who were the President and the Vice President of the Night Riders Motorcycle Club and I'm thankful that they were there for him while I wasn't.

I must have fallen asleep because next thing I know, the driver is shaking me awake at my door with my bad in his hand. I take it from him and salute him, knowing he was in the military before getting out and walking up to the iron gates in the front that surround the property.

There were three boys that looked around my age or younger that were looking at me before one asked my name.

"Aponi Oblonsky, Ivan's sister. He was told I would be here within a couple of days but they were rushed." The dark-haired boy nods before muttering into his walkie-talkie and getting a response. The gate buzzes open behind them and I nod before walking forward. It was at least another half-mile before I got to the front door of the building that my brother lives in.