Never one to drink very much, Steve totally abstained from alcohol when the wedding party reached the old castle for the brief wedding party reception. He escorted Gwen to the various food stations while he observed his surroundings. He thought it odd that the wait staff wore heavy work shoes that were badly in need of polish. He had imagined that the wedding of the son of the Russian President would have more rigorous standards.
As Gwen, with a plate in her hand, stepped up to the man carving steak, Steve noticed the man's nervous actions. His hands shook slightly while perspiration seemed to roll down his neck and face, even though the room was air conditioned. He was also doing a rather poor job with the cuts of meat in his charge.
Steve heard a sudden, loud yell, but he kept his focus on the man positioned between him and Gwen. Although Steve was very alert, he was still caught off guard when the man suddenly made a lunge for Gwen. He had grabbed her bodice with his right hand and pulled Gwen toward him as he brought the knife in his left hand upward and directly toward Gwen's chest.
Steve slammed his fist hard into the man's shoulder, causing the knife to miss its mark. The attacker clung to Gwen's gown as he staggered backward, ripping most of it from her upper body. He quickly regained his balance and started for Gwen again. Without any compunction whatsoever, Steve drove the butter knife he had recently been using into the man's throat and pushed him away.
"Steve! Look out!" warned Gwen as another waiter moved in from behind. Steve kicked his new assailant in the knee to slow down his approach. When he turned to face the man, Steve was faced with another carving knife being utilized as a weapon. The man suddenly lunged forward in an attempt to stab Steve in the lower stomach. Steve parried the attempt with his left arm. That move momentarily left the man off balance. Before he could recover, Steve slammed him in the jaw with his right foot. The knife wielding man went over backwards, cracking his head on the stone floor. Steve saw blood begin to seep across the stone as he turned his attention to the bedlam in the banquet room.
It was immediately apparent that all of the wait staff, male and female, was intent on killing the members of the wedding party. Two of the bridesmaids were already slumped on the floor, as well as a very bloody groomsman.
A burly man pulled his knife from the chest of a downed bridesmaid and turned toward Steve. Watching the man closely, Steve wrapped his tuxedo jacket around his left arm. He used it to blunt the man's attack. As he blocked a thrust with his left arm, Steve felt a fist smash into his right eye. Knowing that time wasn't a luxury he had, Steve once again used a kick to back the man up. Before Steve could pursue his advantage, someone struck Steve from behind with a serving tray.
Unwilling to take his eye off the man he was fighting, Steve dared not risk a glance backward. From the corner of his vision, he saw Gwen move in to engage his attacker, allowing him to concentrate on his immediate adversary. The attacker rushed him, swinging his knife back and forth as he moved. Once again, Steve parried the knife thrust, although he felt a burning sensation on his left arm under the jacket. Deeply concerned about Gwen fighting with a knife wielding man, Steve ignored the pain and drove a fist into the man's face. Blood spurted from the man's nose and he staggered slightly. Seeing his opening, Steve grabbed the man's knife arm and forcefully pushed the blade back into his body. When he felt his fist come in contact with his assailant's stomach, Steve yanked the knife upward and into the man's heart.
Still worried about Gwen, Steve dropped the already dead body and swung his attention to the struggle behind him. He was relieved to see Gwen holding another woman by her hair as she delivered several vicious jabs to her face. Gwen released her grip and as her opponent began collapsing to the floor; Gwen delivered a hard, barefoot kick to her jaw!
Steve once again assessed the situation in the room. Two of Vlad's groomsmen were in the Russian Army. They had apparently teamed up to take three male and two female assailants out of the conflict. To his left, he saw Vlad struggling with a large man wielding yet another knife and he quickly moved in that direction. Anna was cowering behind her new husband, her white gown covered in blood. Before Steve could reach them, the man plunged the knife into Vlad's chest! Steve approached the attacker from behind. He simply grabbed the man's head and viciously twisted it. Gwen heard the bones break as the man dropped in a heap.
Vlad was clutching the knife in his chest when the only assailant still standing, a woman, swung a heavy serving tray like a horizontal guillotine that struck a vicious blow to Vlad's throat. She was pulling it back to deliver another blow when Steve's right foot connected with her jaw. Her head bent back at an unnatural angle as she dropped the large tray and collapsed to the ground.
Steve quickly grabbed Vlad and lowered him gently to the floor. Blood leaked from his upper chest, but Steve was more concerned about the fact that the son of the Russian president was turning a dark blue as he now clutched his throat.
"Get me a sharp knife and a straw!" demanded Gwen as she dropped down by President Novokov's only son. Steve scrambled a short distance to pick up a steak knife, and then removed a plastic straw from a drink glass. He quickly returned to Gwen and knelt next to her as she took the knife from his hand. Steve held Vlad's hands away from his neck as Gwen ran her fingers over his throat. Once she was satisfied that she had found what she was looking for, she carefully made an incision. Then Gwen took the straw from Steve and cautiously slid it into the small opening she had made in Vlad's neck.
Suddenly a loud gasp came from the straw as air once again found its way into the young Russian's lungs. Within seconds, his coloring began to improve. That was the moment when Russian police poured through every door of the dining room with guns drawn and pointed everywhere, and at everyone!
Gwen's friends and family had been enjoying delicious hors d'oeuvers, excellent wines, and very good beer as they waited for the actual reception to begin. They were seated at a two large tables not far from the bar. As they enjoyed the food and drink, numerous Russian dignitaries smiled and nodded to them. Those that knew English would stop and exchange greetings. Everyone was having a good time, when police suddenly entered the large dining hall and closed all exit doors.
They shouted orders that caused the guests to become extremely agitated. "Please tell us what's happening," implored Paula to a young man that had been chatting in English with Stephanie. Paula's stomach had begun to spasm nervously as she felt the anxiety level in the room increase by the second.
"There's been a terrorist attack on the wedding party! We're in lock down until it's determined if we are safe here. There have been fatalities."
Paula felt icy fingers squeezing her chest as her breathing became labored. Ted pulled her close and tried to console her. Jason and Chip did much the same with Lisa and Kate. Ashley began sobbing in Richard Drake's chest while little Ingrid became increasingly frightened. Jared was the first to comment as he wrapped an arm around Naomi.
"Okay, we know that there was an attack. Haven't Gwen and Steve been involved in them before? Don't they always pull through? We need to hope for the best here. I know that Steve will protect Gwen with his life."
"We have these international cell phones," pointed out Naomi as she held up her phone. "Let's call them!"
