25. Vadim
25
VADIM
NIGHT
I watch as Freddy walks into the warehouse casino, trying to ignore my instinctive disgust for the man. Our conversation yesterday revealed depths I hadn't expected.
It doesn't excuse his treatment of Lacey, but it makes him more... human.
"Anything?" I ask into my earpiece.
"Usual crowd," Freddy mutters, his voice coming in and out as he fumbles his AirPod. "Some of these serving girls look no older than sixteen."
"Focus," I remind him sharply, though I make a mental note about the underage servers. "We need to identify anyone who acts like police. That's the priority right now."
"Any tips on that?"
"Just anyone who looks like they haven't a worry in the world in a place like this," I tell him. "Should stick out like a sore thumb."
I look down the street and one of my boeviki gives me a nod. They're in position at every exit, ready to go in and do violence to save Freddy if needed. Normally, I don't work with someone I despise to protect someone I love.
But after seeing Lacey make peace with Freddy, I owe it to her that he comes home.
"Wait," Freddy whispers. "By the high stakes tables. Guy in the blue jacket keeps flashing smiles at everyone, like he doesn't have a care in the world."
"Baggy shirt?" I ask.
That's usually the sign of someone who keeps a concealed weapon on them.
"Oh yeah, big time."
"That's a likely candidate," I tell Freddy. "Go exchange that necklace and see if you can sit down next to him."
"Got it," Freddy responds quietly.
I hear Freddy's footsteps approaching what must be the cashier's window. Then comes the jingle of diamonds on chain as he takes out the massive necklace.
"Where'd you get this, Huang?" the cashier asks, voice thin and reedy through my earpiece.
"My sister," Freddy says, following our script perfectly. "That soft-hearted idiot brought me to stay with her husband. Figured I might as well get something out of it to cover what I owe."
Even though what he says is a lie, I can't help feel my blood starting to boil at the way he refers to Lacey as a soft-hearted idiot.
The silence that follows stretches so long I start to think we miscalculated. My hand tightens on my gun, ready to signal my men to move in.
"Well," the cashier finally speaks, "this more than covers your debts. Here's an extra hundred grand. Good luck."
I allow myself a small smile. Kirsan's people are taking the bait. Good. That's step one.
Suddenly, I hear someone calling out towards Freddy. Then, the distinct sound of bodies moving in closer.
"Where do you think you're going, Freddy?" a gruff voice demands.
"Officer Mackland!" Freddy's voice rises an octave. "Just settling up some debts..."
Perfect.
My smile widens. The pieces are falling into place.
"Get out of there," I order into my earpiece. "Make up any excuse."
"I really should get going," Freddy stammers. "I got dinner plans and?—"
"Those plans can wait," Mackland's voice growls through the connection. The menace in his tone makes my jaw clench. "Do you really think we'd just let you walk out of here with a hundred grand in your pocket?"
"No, really, I need to?—”
"I said. Sit. Down." Mackland's voice drops lower. "Or do we need to do this the hard way?"
Freddy's breathing gets faster, more panicked. "Please, I just want to?—”
The sound of a scuffle comes through—flesh hitting flesh, a grunt of pain that must be Freddy. My hand tightens on my gun.
And then, a new voice comes on. One that sends ice flooding my veins.
" Privyet, Vadyusha."
Sayanaa.
A sickening crunch follows, then static. The connection dies.
"Move in, now!" I bark into my radio, already running toward the entrance. "Secure Freddy. Grab both Mackland and that crazy bitch."
My men emerge from the shadows, weapons drawn. As much as I despise Freddy, I won't let him die.
Not when his death will now break Lacey's heart.
I burst through the door, gun raised, heart thundering. The scene hits me like a punch to the gut—Freddy on his knees, face bloodied, with a shotgun pressed to the back of his head.
But no sign of Sayanaa anywhere.
My finger squeezes the trigger the instant I spot the man holding the gun. The shot rings out in perfect synchronization with his own.
Freddy crumples forward as my bullet tears through the man's arm.
"Open fire!" I roar as guards come pouring from the corners, guns blazing.
But I'm already moving, focused solely on the bastard I just shot. He's trying to scramble away, clutching his bleeding arm.
I tackle him hard, slamming him into the grimy floor.
"Mackland?" I snarl.
"What's it to you, wise guy?"
Good enough.
Gunfire erupts around us. My men continue exchanging fire with the other casino guards. The air fills with the smell of gunpowder and the sound of screams. But something pulls my attention away from Mackland's pained face.
Movement.
I look over at Freddy's prone form. His chest rises and falls in shallow breaths. There's a horrific gash along the side of his head where the shotgun blast grazed him, but he's alive.
Relief floods through me, not for Freddy's sake, but for Lacey's.
The thought of Lacey steels my resolve. I turn back to Mackland, who's trying to reach for a backup piece with his good arm. I slam his wrist into the floor before his fingers can close around the grip.
"Don't even think about it. You're coming with me."
Around me, the sound of gunfire starts to die down as my men gain control of the casino floor. The remaining guards drop their weapons, knowing they're outmatched.
"Clear!" Mikhail calls from the back room.
"Clear here too," Anton echoes from the stairs.
I haul Mackland up by his collar, ignoring his pained grunt. "Bind him," I order two of my men. They quickly zip-tie his hands behind his back and march him outside.
My phone buzzes. A text from the second team: "We got her."
Good. Sayanaa's capture means we can finally end this.
I look down at Freddy's crumpled form, watching the blood seep from the gash along his temple. His chest rises and falls in shallow, uneven breaths.
I quickly unknot my silk tie. The fabric is too fine for this kind of work, but it's better than nothing. I wrap it around his head, trying to stem the bleeding while avoiding the torn flesh where the buckshot grazed him.
"Mikhail! Anton!" I call out. "Help me get him to the car."
The two boeviki rush over immediately. Together, we lift Freddy as carefully as possible, as a pained groan tumbles from his lips. His skin has gone pale and clammy under the harsh fluorescent lights.
Outside, the night air hangs heavy around us. I watch as two of my other men roughly shove Mackland into the back of a black SUV. The corrupt cop struggles against his restraints, but stops when one of my men presses a gun to his ribs.
"Easy," I tell Mikhail and Anton as we maneuver Freddy into the backseat of my car. "Watch his head."
We lay him across the leather seats as gently as possible. His blood keeps coming. I don't care about the car.
"Drive," I bark at the driver as I slide in next to Freddy. The engine roars to life.
"I got you, Freddy," I say, and his eyes twitch. "I got you, Freddy! Stay with me!"
Freddy takes a raspy breath. It's coming out shallower than before. Panic seizes around my throat.
I grab my phone and dial Demyon. He picks up on the first ring.
"Get Dr. Volkov over to Pankration," I snap without preamble. "Head wound, potentially critical. As fast as you can."
"On it," Demyon replies and hangs up.
Freddy's breathing grows shallower. I press my fingers to his neck—his pulse is weak but present.
"FREDDY! STAY WITH ME!"
I burst through Pankration's doors, Mikhail and Anton carrying Freddy between them. The tie around his head is soaked through with blood.
"This way!" Demyon waves us towards the sitting room. "Dr. Volkov's still twenty minutes out."
Lacey and Megan rush forward, faces going pale at the sight of their brother. Dr. Chen steps forth immediately, medical instincts taking over.
"Put him on the table," she commands. "I can stabilize him until the surgeon arrives."
My men lay Freddy down carefully. Dr. Chen immediately starts examining the wound, calling out orders for supplies. Her daughter Bianca runs to fetch them.
"What happened?" Lacey's voice trembles as she watches, her fingers tugging at the necklace around her throat.
"Sayanaa was there," I tell her, watching Dr. Chen work. "She must have anticipated that we'd try something like this. She had Mackland waiting with a shotgun."
"Sayanaa?" Lacey's grip tightens. Something dangerous flashes in her eyes. "Where is she?"
"We have her in custody. She's being brought to?—”
"Take me to her." Lacey's voice carries an edge I've never heard before. " Now! "
" Zvyozdochka —"
"Don't ' zvyozdochka ' me, Vadim. That psychotic bitch just tried to kill my brother. Take. Me. To. Her."
I look into my wife's eyes and see a fury that matches my own. She's not asking as my wife or as the mother of my child.
She's demanding this as a pakhan's wife.
"Alright," I nod. "Follow me."
I guide Lacey down the narrow stone steps into Pankration's dungeons. The only light comes from old incandescent lights casting long shadows on the walls.
This place holds memories I'd rather forget—screams and pleas from Pyotr's victims that still echo in my nightmares.
Lacey's feet glide over the stone, each step measured with barely-restrained fury. Her shoulders are rigid and her jaw clenched tight. But it's her eyes that concern me.
There is no warmth to those amber-flecked eyes.
Only infinite anger and hate.
I've never seen this side of her before. The gentle woman who tends to her father has been replaced by someone harder, someone carved from ice and steel.
Someone like me.
We reach the heavy steel door at the bottom. I pause, my hand on the handle. "Are you sure about this?"
"Open it." Her voice could freeze hell itself.
Inside, Sayanaa sits bound to a chair bolted to the floor, her wrists and ankles secured with thick zip ties. Despite her position, her lips curve into that familiar twisted smile when she sees us.
"Well, if it isn't the happy couple," she purrs, her eyes glittering with malice. "Come to check on your new toy, Vadyusha? Or did the little thief want to thank me personally for giving her brother such a lovely parting gift?"
"You evil bitch." Lacey steps forward.
Sayanaa laughs as Lacey approaches, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "Didn't I tell you that last time we saw each other, little thief? I told you that we're going to have so much fun together."
The crack of Lacey's hand against Sayanaa's face echoes through the dungeon. The diamond on the ring catches her cheek, leaving a deep gash that immediately starts bleeding.
Dark droplets splatter onto the concrete floor.
Sayanaa slowly turns her head back, tongue darting out to taste the blood at the corner of her mouth. There's surprise in her eyes, but not fear.
Never fear.
"Did that make you feel better, little thief?" She grins, blood staining her teeth. "Your need to protect everyone around you... that's your greatest weakness. It's so predictable."
"Shut up!" Lacey's hand whips out again, snapping Sayanaa's head to the side. More blood joins the spatter on the floor.
But Sayanaa just laughs, the sound wet and gurgling. "Dr. Chen was such an easy mark to follow. But I never would have figured it all out if you hadn't brought your dear sister from that safehouse in Monroe straight to Pankration."
My blood runs cold as Sayanaa's grin widens.
"A few trips to city hall, some adoption records, and suddenly I finally learned the full story of you, Lacey McKinney. The unwanted baby, given up by her birth parents, taken in by the Huangs out of pity, but never accepted as one of them."
The crack of another slap rings through the dungeon. Sayanaa's head snaps back, but her laughter only grows louder, more unhinged.
"Is that all you've got, little thief?" Blood and spittle spray from her lips. "Come on, show me what you really want to do."
"Don't you want to hurt me? Don't you want me to suffer?" Sayanaa's voice drips with mock sympathy. "Don't you want me to pay the price for what I did to Irina?"
Lacey's whole body trembles. I step forward but Sayanaa continues.
"Did you know?" She clicks her tongue. "I was the one who gave Olga Romanovna the idea to have that doctor cut out the whelp in your belly. I wanted to kill that doctor's brat to strengthen her resolve. But she refused me that option. And where is Olga Romanovna now? Dead! Just like your mother!"
Lacey spins away from Sayanaa, and shrugs off my hand in one quick motion.
Before I can stop her, she reaches inside my jacket, pulls out my gun, the metal gleaming dully in the dim light, and presses it against Sayanaa's forehead.
"Don't you dare talk about my Mom."
A savage smile plays across Sayanaa's blood-stained lips. "Do it, little thief. Pull the trigger. Show me that you're worthy of being a pakhan's wife."
Lacey's hand trembles, the gun wavering against Sayanaa's forehead. My heart pounds as I watch the scene unfold. I know exactly what Sayanaa is doing—she wants to break Lacey by forcing her to become a killer.
To taint the pure heart that drew me to her in the first place.
Tears stream down Lacey's cheeks, dropping to join the blood spatters on the concrete floor. The gun keeps shaking. Her finger rests on the trigger but won't squeeze.
"Look at you," Sayanaa sneers. "You can't even do this one simple thing. You're so weak. A real pakhan's wife wouldn't hesitate."
Lacey's shoulders shake with silent sobs.
"You don't belong in this world," Sayanaa continues, her voice dripping with contempt. "You can't even kill to protect your own family. Not Irina. Not your brother. Not your baby. Not your dead mother's honor."
More tears fall as Lacey's grip tightens on the gun. I can see the war raging behind her eyes—the desperate need to prove herself against the fundamental goodness of her soul. If she pulls that trigger, something precious will die along with Sayanaa. Something that can never be recovered.
"Poor little orphan," Sayanaa taunts. "Always trying to find somewhere to belong. But you never will. You're too weak. Too soft."
I reach out and gently wrap my fingers around Lacey's trembling hand. " Zvyozdochka . This isn't who you are."
"Aw, how sweet, little thief," Sayanaa mocks.
I ignore her. "Lacey. Look at me."
Slowly, those amber-flecked eyes meet mine. Tears streak down her cheeks, but beneath them burns a fury I recognize all too well.
"From the moment I met you at Mrs. Klossner's," I tell her softly, "I saw how fiercely you protect those you love. You stood up to me—a complete stranger—to defend her business. You dropped out of school to care for your mother. You gave Freddy one chance after another despite everything he's done to your family."
"But there's a difference between defending and destroying," I continue, keeping my voice gentle. "Once you pull that trigger, there's no coming back. That first kill... it changes you forever. Haunts you. Lives in your nightmares. Becomes a part of who you are. It'll break you in ways you can't ever imagine. If you pull that trigger, then the Lacey I fell in love with will die too."
"Fuck you, Vadyusha," Sayanaa sneers. "How many people have you killed?"
I keep my focus only on Lacey. "You don't have to become like me. Like her. Like any of us. You don't have to prove to anyone else that you're a pakhan's wife, because the only person who needs to accept you in that position is me."
Softly, Lacey sniffles.
I wrap my fingers around hers, and feel how cold they've gone. "And I have."
Sayanaa's lips curve into a triumphant smile as she watches Lacey's shoulders slump. Her eyes gleam with savage victory, blood still dripping from the gash on her cheek.
"You're not the monster who is willing to kill." I whisper as I take the gun from Lacey's grip and press the barrel against Sayanaa's temple. "I am."
The smug satisfaction drains from her face, and her eyes widen with genuine fear for the first time since I've known her.
"Vadyusha, wait—" She starts stammering. "Please, I?—"
" Zvyozdochka ," I say softly, not taking my eyes off Sayanaa. "Walk away from this."
Lacey gives a small nod. Her footsteps echo on the stone as she climbs the stairs. Each step feels like an eternity until finally, the heavy door closes behind her with a dull thud.
"Please," Sayanaa begs, her voice rising to a desperate pitch. "Please don't do this! Please! I was wrong! I admit it! I shouldn't have done these things! But I did them because I love you! Because I wanted to show you that I was the perfect woman for you! I love you, Vadyusha! I?—"
I pull the trigger.
The gunshot echoes through the dungeon. A fine red mist sprays across the concrete floor.
And Sayanaa's body slumps forward in the chair.