14. Luka
Chapter 14
Luka
“ Y ou lied to me?”
The hurt in my dad’s voice mixed with the pained look in his eyes has me dropping my gaze. I’ve always put my family first, and this is the first time I’ve ever dared to put something, to put someone ahead of them, but the truth is I’d do it again in a second, because Lara comes first now. She’s my life, and knowing she’s alone and scared and possibly hurt is slowly killing me.
“I needed to get her away,” I say, raising my eyes to my dad’s. “I was going to tell you everything. I just wanted her safely out of the way first. I didn’t want her to find out about her dad like this, about what he did.”
I scrub a hand through my hair and watch my Uncle Danil. He’s on his computer, tracking her phone and combing through the nearby CCTV footage to try and find out what happened to Lara. As soon as I’d realized she’d been taken, I’d called my dad, and he and my uncles had raced over, no questions asked, but I know I’m going to have to answer for what I’ve done when this is all over. I’ll worry about that later, though. Right now all I can think about is getting Lara back.
I turn at the squeal of tires right as Vitya brings the SUV around the corner and parks next to us. I’d called him, wanting to know what had happened when he dropped her off, and he’d immediately turned around and come back. He and Svetlana jump out and rush over.
“What happened?” I ask, and he barely flinches at my harsh tone.
“Nothing. I walked her to her door just like you asked, and I watched her go inside. I didn’t leave the hallway until the door was shut and I heard her lock it. There was no one around, no hint of anything suspicious.”
“She was fine,” Svetlana says. “I swear, Luka, there was nothing going on, and she was fine when we dropped her off—happy and safe. She wasn’t worried or scared when she walked into that apartment.”
I nod, trusting them both to have picked up on it if something was off. “Then they took her after you left, which means it’s only been about thirty minutes.”
Pip gives a soft meow, reminding me that I’m still holding him. I pass him to Svetlana, and she immediately cups his small body to her chest and kisses his head.
“Take care of him for me. Lara’s going to want him when she gets back.”
She nods at me, both of us refusing to believe that any other outcome besides her safe return is a possibility.
“Get my daughter’s ass out of here, Vitya,” my Uncle Vitaly says as he walks over to us. “I don’t want her anywhere near this. Take her back to the apartment. Stay there and don’t let her or my wife out of your sight.” He gives his daughter a hug and kisses her head. “Listen to him, Sveta. Now is not the time to be stubborn.”
“I know the drill, Dad.” She hugs him back and then goes to stand by Vitya. She likes to test boundaries and push buttons, but we all know how serious this is, and Sveta is a lot of things, but she’s not stupid. She remembers the last time we went through this, when Natalya was taken and Vitya was almost killed, and she knows our focus needs to be on finding Lara and not worrying about whether or not she’s going to listen and stay inside where it’s safe.
She looks at me and pets Pip’s head. “I’ll keep him safe for Lara. ”
“Thanks, Sveta,” I tell her before Vitya grabs her arm and leads her back to the SUV.
They drive away as my Uncle Danil walks over to a line of cars and starts looking around. He squats, glancing under a green Toyota, and when he stands back up, he’s holding a phone. I don’t need to get closer to know it’s Lara’s. A sinking feeling hits my chest. My dad grips my shoulder, squeezing it and reminding me to keep it together.
My Uncle Lev asks, “Can you think of anyone who might have something to do with this?”
I nod. “Yeah, someone in the Lebedev family, someone who might’ve survived.”
“Impossible,” my Uncle Matvey says as my Uncle Danil looks up from his computer and shakes his head at me and says, “No way, Luka. We killed them all. We made damn sure of it.”
“But you didn’t know about Lara,” I tell them, and I can tell by the way my dad looks away and my Uncle Matvey curses under his breath that they’re not happy about having missed something.
“The Lebedev Bratva is dead,” my Uncle Vitaly insists. “The reason we never noticed Lara is because she was raised in secret and had nothing to do with her dad’s business or Bratva. Had she been, we would’ve found her a long time ago.”
“And killed her?” I can’t help but ask.
“Yes,” my Uncle Matvey says without hesitation.
“If she was running his Bratva,” my dad clarifies. “And if she was, then she wouldn’t be the girl you fell in love with, Luka, so stop looking at us like that. You have no idea what her dad and uncle have done to this family. Just because we told you the story doesn’t mean you know all the details, and it sure as hell doesn’t mean you know what Alina looked like when we found her or how long it took before she could even sleep through the night without waking up screaming.”
“Or how long it took before she could even eat or feed herself,” Uncle Matvey says, looking at me. “Even now, after two decades, she still has the occasional nightmare. There’s a lot of things that he did to her that you don’t know about, Luka. You’re just going to have to trust me when I say it’s worse than you could ever imagine.”
“Okay, so if it’s not the Lebedev Bratva, then who could it be?” Val asks, trying to diffuse the situation.
“I don’t know,” my dad admits. “We haven’t seen any signs of there being another Bratva in the city, and as far as I know, no one else knows about Lara being Osip’s daughter.”
As soon as he says it, I remember our visit to Lou’s. “Someone else knows,” I quickly say, and when they all turn to stare at me, I add, “Lara found a business card in her mom’s closet. It was to a topless bar near Pink, and we went there asking questions. She was desperate to find out who her dad was, and we thought this guy might have some answers.”
“Did he?” my dad asks, and I can tell he isn’t thrilled about me questioning some guy without backup, but in my defense I’d had no fucking clue her dad was a goddamn sex trafficker. I’d had every reason to believe he’d just been a guy who’d gotten Lara’s mom pregnant and then died. There was absolutely no reason to involve the Bratva.
“He remembered her mom,” I tell them, “and her dad. All he knew was that Osip did something that put him on your radar and that you killed them all for it. He said he didn’t want to know what it was, that he wanted nothing to do with any of it.”
“Do you believe him?” my dad asks.
“Yeah, he was scared shitless, even after all these years, but it’s possible he knows more,” I admit. I’m pretty good at judging when someone is lying to me, but maybe I’m wrong, maybe I missed something and Lara is paying the price for my mistake. The thought sickens me.
My dad pins me in one of his don’t bullshit me stares and asks, “Did you know who Osip really was before we told you about him tonight?”
I have no desire to lie to my dad again, but I’m also not going to waste precious time filling him in on details that can easily be explained later. “I found out tonight, just a few hours before you told us. ”
He raises a brow at that but knows better than to press for more information right now. Instead he just says, “We’re not done talking about this, Son. After we get Lara back, we’re having a family meeting.”
I don’t bother arguing that after we get Lara back I’m wrapping my arms around her and never letting go, so the meeting is going to have to wait. He’ll figure it out soon enough.
“Let’s go,” my Uncle Vitaly says, smacking my dad on the back as he walks by. “I know where the club is. If he doesn’t know where she’s at, then maybe he’ll know someone who does.”
On the drive to Lou’s, my Uncle Danil keeps working on his laptop, but I can tell by his angry scowl that he’s not finding anything. Niki gets the same look on his face when he gets stumped and can’t figure something out on his computer.
Ignoring just about every traffic law, we get to Lou’s in record time. I drive around the building and then back my car up so the bumper is kissing the back door, effectively blocking Lou in the building in case he decides to do something stupid like run for his life.
Max and Val stay by my side as we enter the shitty building with our dads right behind us. The club is busier than the last time I was here, but still just as depressing. The girl on stage is working hard, and she perks up when she sees us, but our faces must say it all because she quickly looks away, concentrating on the men nearest the stage, doing everything she can for the pitiful tips.
“God, this place is a dump,” my Uncle Vitaly mutters from behind me.
“Not interested,” I hear my Uncle Matvey growl when a topless waitress walks over to him.
“Danil and I will guard the front,” my Uncle Lev says.
The same old bartender is working tonight, and he watches me walk past. I ignore the shout he gives when I head down the hall to Lou’s office, pulling my gun out while Max and Val do the same. I don’t bother knocking this time. I raise my foot and kick the damn door in, and when I see the young blonde on her knees, noisily sucking away at Lou’s old cock, I momentarily wish I’d stuck with the niceties. It would have spared me from having to witness Lou’s cock shrivel up at the sight of us.
“Oh my god!” the woman yells when she sees our guns. She scrambles to the side, holding one arm up and using the other to cover her bare chest.
“Get the fuck out,” I tell her and then put all my focus on Lou, who looks like he’s trying really hard to not shit himself.
“Put your fucking cock away,” Val tells him. “No one in here wants to see it.”
“No one out there does either,” Max mutters. “How much did you have to pay that poor girl, or did you just threaten to fire her if she didn’t get on her knees?”
Lou quickly tucks himself back in his jeans and then reaches a shaky hand for the pack of cigarettes on his desk. I move my gun from side to side and frown at him.
“I’m disappointed, Lou. You’re trying to quit, remember?”
“Fuck that,” he mutters, eyeing our guns and reaching for his lighter.
“If you light that, I will shoot you.” He pales at my words. I smile at him. “You’ll thank me later, if you live that long.”
He drops the cigarette. “Jesus, man, I didn’t do anything.”
“Someone took Lara,” I tell him right before I glance over and see my dad and Matvey. They’re hovering in the hallway because the office is way too small for all of us.
“I had nothing to do with that,” he quickly says. “I swear I haven’t seen her since the day you came in with her.”
I step closer and rest my hands on his desk, the side of the gun pressing against the cheap wood but still pointed at him. “I don’t believe in coincidence, Lou. We came in here asking about her dad, and now she’s been taken. No one else knew who her dad was. It all points back to you.”
“No fucking way,” he groans. He looks from me to my cousins and then finally to my dad and uncle, two of the original members of the Bratva, and when he realizes who they are, he shakes his head and grows even paler. “I’ve spent my whole life staying as far away from you all as I could get. I’m a coward. We all fucking know it. No way in hell would I go after one of your girls.”
He focuses on Max when he adds, “And I didn’t force that girl to blow me. That’s how big of a coward I am. I don’t want to risk an angry boyfriend coming after me. I offer the girls money for shit like that. They know I won’t fire them if they say no.” He gives a harsh laugh that sounds forced because of how scared he still is. “Most of them do.”
I switch to Russian and look at the others. “I believe him. He’s fucking pathetic, too stupid and too big of a pussy to attempt something like this.” In English I ask Lou, “Who else has been working here a long time? Who else knows who Lara is?”
It’s almost painful to watch him try and think, to conjure a name when he’s so scared and using all his willpower to keep his sphincter clamped shut.
“Come on, Lou,” I say, encouraging him. “You can do it. All I need is a name.”
“You going to kill him?” he asks.
“If he’s involved, yes.” When he hesitates, I add, “or I can just torture and kill you. Your choice.”
He caves in record time, surprising even me. I’ve barely gotten the words out before he’s saying, “Roger, the bartender, he’s the only one who’s been here long enough. He knew Chloe. He must’ve recognized her daughter.”
“Damn, Lou, you’re a real shit friend,” I tell him, but he doesn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. Lou would throw his own mom at our feet if he thought it would spare his own life.
If I wasn’t so worried about Lara, I’d laugh at the look of betrayal he gives me when I raise my gun and aim it at him.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me if I told you,” he yells at me like I’ve just broken a pinkie promise we made.
Instead of answering, I point my gun at his raised hand and pull the trigger. The music is so loud in the club that I doubt anyone heard it, but even if they did, my uncles are guarding the door and no one is leaving until we let them. Lou lets out a high-pitched scream, eyes wide as he stares at the hole in the center of his right hand.
“Maybe that’ll help you quit smoking,” I tell him as he tries like hell to staunch the blood that’s pouring from his hand. “Thanks for your help, Lou, and I sincerely hope for your sake that I never have to see your ugly face again.”
He’s still whimpering when I turn and leave his office. The music blaring through the small club seems to have hidden the gunshot from the strippers and customers, but I know Roger heard it. When I reach the bar, there’s already a faint sheen of sweat glistening on his face, and the dirty shirt he’s wearing isn’t doing shit to cover the sweat stains blooming at his armpits. My uncles are still standing near the door, watching to make sure our backs are covered as we walk over to the bar.
When no one says a word, I raise a brow at him. “Aren’t you going to ask us what we want?”
His eyes dart between us, not believing for a second that we just stopped in for a drink, and when he starts to move one hand below the counter, I say, “Hands where I can see them, Roger. I won’t ask again.”
He knows he doesn’t have a chance in hell of reaching whatever gun he has hidden under the bar before we get our hands on him, so he slowly places them both palms down on the counter. I walk around to join him, not looking forward to the part where I have to actually lay my hands on him. Even from a few feet away, I can smell his sour body odor.
He looks over his shoulder and growls at me, “I didn’t do anything.”
“You did,” I tell him, “and I’m going to fucking kill you for it. You get to decide how quickly you die, though. Tell me what I want, and I’ll make it quick. Lie to me, and I’ll make it last for hours, maybe even days.”
When a couple of guys walk over to try and get a drink, my dad blocks their way and shakes his head, making it clear they need to stay the fuck away. They quickly turn around and go back to their table in the corner.
A loud noise has us all looking towards the dark hallway seconds before a very pale Lou appears. He’s wrapped his bloody hand in paper towels and is clutching it tightly to his chest as he races past, too scared to even glance our way. He must’ve tried the back door, and when he couldn’t get it to budge, he decided speed walking was his safest bet.
My uncles laugh and step aside, allowing the man to race past so he can go to the hospital. We all know he won’t say anything to the police. He’s way more scared of us than he is of them.
Once Lou is gone, I put all my focus on Roger. “Decided yet?”
He grips the bar and continues to sweat and stink up the air around us.
“I’m losing my patience,” I warn, knowing every second that passes is putting Lara further away from me.
“A long time ago, shortly after Chloe quit, a guy came in one night. He had a few drinks, watched the girls, and then we started talking about all the rumors that had been going around. I mean, everyone around here knew some shit was going down. An entire fucking club burnt to the ground and people kept turning up dead.”
“Get to the fucking point,” I tell him.
“He told me that he knew some people who would be very interested in knowing if any of the Lebedevs survived, said he’d heard a rumor that Osip had been coming in here and fucking one of the girls. He gave me his number, told me to call if I ever heard anything and that I’d be paid a lot of money if I did.”
He looks over at me, and I can tell he’s begging me with his eyes to show some compassion, to try and see it from his point of view, but fuck that. He sold my girl out, and he’s going to pay for it with his life.
“Come on, man,” he tries again. “I didn’t know Chloe was pregnant when she left. When you came in the other day, it was like I’d seen a ghost. She reminded me of Chloe, and I knew she had to be her daughter, and then I saw your tattoo.” He sighs and drops his head like the weight of what’s about to happen is too much for him. “I’d forgotten all about that damn number, but when I saw her, it all came back to me, and I figured what the hell. I wanted the money. I wanted to get out of this dump and retire. ”
“Well, now you’re going to die in this dump,” I say. “Tell me the number. Who the fuck did you call?”
“It’s right there,” he says, nodding with his head towards the right side of the bar so he can keep his palms where they are. “It’s the white card by the stack of coasters under the counter. I don’t know his name. He told me it was Phil, but he sure as hell didn’t sound like a Phil.”
“What do you mean?” my dad asks.
Roger looks at my dad and uncles. “I mean he sounded like you guys.”
“A Russian accent?” my Uncle Matvey asks.
“I guess so,” Roger says.
My Uncle Danil quickly grabs the card and leaves so he can work on tracing it while I grab the back of Roger’s shirt and haul his ass away from the bar and over to the room that’s marked Storage .
“Fuck,” he groans. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Do you really need me to answer that?” Opening the door, I shove him in and then shut it behind us. It’s a small fucking room, and his sour smell clings to every goddamn inch of it. The bare bulb above us gives off plenty of light, and when I pull my knife out, Roger’s will to live finally makes an appearance. He lunges for me, but I knew it was coming, and I’m more than ready for him. We’re way too close for him to get any real leverage, and when I twist, taking the brunt of his weight with my shoulder, he gets off balance and starts to fall.
He grunts on impact, and there’s no way in hell he’s going to be able to get up in enough time. He knows it. I can see it in his eyes—the hope that quickly dwindles and dies out.
I bring the sharp blade down with all the force I can, burying it in his heart. “This is for Lara,” I tell him, giving it a twist. He groans as his eyes widen in horror. Death is rarely instant, and as much as I’d like to keep my knife in his chest so it’ll last longer, Lara is my first priority, not this stupid fucker, so I pull it out. Without the blade in place, blood flows freely from the large wound and he loses consciousness in seconds. I don’t bother to wait around for him to bleed out. He’ll be dead in minutes, but I don’t have the time to waste .
Stepping out of the storage closet, I shut the door behind me and immediately meet my dad’s eyes. I give him a quick nod, letting him know it’s over. My Uncle Vitaly is patting some guy on the back and motioning towards the bar that’s now missing a bartender. As I walk by I hear him say, “All you have to do is serve drinks. You can keep any money you make and feel free to take all the liquor bottles you want when you leave for the night. All you have to do is keep your fucking mouth shut.”
“I won’t say a word,” the guy promises, shaking his head for emphasis.
My uncle laughs and smacks the man’s shoulder. “Of course you won’t, Sam.”
I don’t have to ask to know that my Uncle Vitaly has already taken a picture of the man’s driver’s license, so unless he wants a late-night visit from us, he’s going to keep his goddamn mouth shut.
We leave Sam to his new bartending duties and walk out of the club, heading straight to the SUV Danil is in. When I see the annoyed look on his face, I know I’m not going to like what he’s about to say. I ask anyway.
“Find anything?”
He looks at me and shakes his head, clearly pissed off at being stumped like this. “I’ve done everything I can think of, but I can’t find out who it belongs to. I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s like he’s put up decoys, so when I try to hack into it, it sends me on a wild goose chase.” He lets out an annoyed sigh. “This is going to take a while, Luka.”
“No,” I tell him, shaking my head and digging my phone out of my pocket, already tapping Niki’s name as I’m telling his dad, “Niki can do it.”
My uncle starts to argue, but I cut him off. “He hacked into your computer.”
He has just enough time to say, “The fuck?” when Niki answers the phone .
“We need your help,” I tell him while his dad says loud enough to be heard over the phone, “You hacked into my computer?”
I expected some anger, but there’s only a stunned sort of respect in his voice right before his eyes widen and he says, “Tell me you didn’t open the file with your mom’s name.”
“Tell him I avoided that one like the plague,” Niki says in my ear.
“No, he left it alone,” I tell my uncle, who visibly relaxes at my words and mutters a quick, “Thank god.”
I tell Niki we’re on our way and jog back to my car with Val and Max. All I can think about is Lara and how it’s taking way too fucking long to find her.
“We’re going to find her,” Val tells me when we race through yet another red light.
“We have to,” is my response, because that’s the only outcome I’m willing to accept.
“Niki will get us an address,” Max says from the backseat, nothing but confidence in his voice, because as good as his dad is, there’s no denying that Niki is even better. “We’re getting her back, Luka. We won’t stop until we do.”
I know he means it. They both do. They’re more than my cousins, they’re like my brothers, and they have my back just like I will always have theirs. We’re going to find Lara, and not a single one of us will stop until we do. Whoever took her is going to die a very painful death. They’ve just fucked with the wrong goddamn family.
It doesn’t take long to get to the apartment building, and as soon as I’ve cut the engine, we’re piling out, already pushing the button for the private elevator when our dads pull in. We don’t wait, just get on the elevator as soon as it opens and head up. I know my uncle has already texted Niki the number, and I’m counting on it not being a long wait. I’m not sure how much longer I can last.
My aunt is waiting for us as soon as the doors open. She takes one look at me and pulls me in for a hug.
“I’m so sorry, Luka.” She squeezes me tighter before letting me go and meeting my eyes. “You’ll find her,” she tells me, holding my gaze until I nod in agreement. She pats my cheek and blinks back her own tears. “No one will quit until you do.”
“Thanks,” I tell her, both of us turning when we hear the elevator doors open again and the others step out. I take advantage of the distraction and head for Niki’s room. Max and Val follow me, and when we find Niki, he’s focused on his laptop, fingers furiously typing away.
He doesn’t bother lifting his head when he says, “I’ve almost got it. Just a few more minutes.”
My Uncle Danil steps into the room and goes to stand behind his son, curious to see how he’s doing it. He watches the screen before shaking his head, unable to hide the proud smile on his face.
“Jesus,” he mutters, giving a soft laugh. “You’ve been keeping secrets, Son.”
Niki shrugs. “Is now a good time to admit that I’ve been hacking into our school and changing our grades for years.”
His dad laughs. “That sounds like something I would’ve done. I can’t even get angry about it.”
Niki sits back, and I know before he even says a word that he’s found something. The satisfaction in his eyes is impossible to miss, and his dad squeezes his shoulder and lets out another disbelieving laugh.
“Who is he?” I ask.
“Radek Popov,” my Uncle Danil says. He grabs Niki’s laptop, ignoring the look his son gives him as he quickly starts typing. A couple minutes later, he’s looking over at his brothers. “He works for the Turgenev Bratva.”
“Fuck,” my dad says, refusing to look over at me.
“Who the fuck is that?” I ask.
It’s my Uncle Matvey that answers. “When we killed off the Lebedev Bratva, it left a huge gap in the sex-trafficking world. The Turgenev Bratva stepped in to fill it. They don’t operate out of America. That’s why you’ve never heard of them.”
My heart nearly stops at his words. “So sex traffickers kidnapped my girl, is that what you’re telling me?”
“We’re going to get her back.” My dad turns to face me. “You have my fucking word on that. Vladimir Turgenev is the Pakhan, and we’re going to set up a meeting with him. He can either hand Lara over unharmed, or he’s going to have a war on his hands. He broke the rules when he came into our territory and took her. He knows that, and he’ll pay for it.”
My dad and uncles waste no time. My Uncle Danil and Niki track Radek’s phone to a remote cabin and then find Vladimir’s number for my dad. I feel helpless, like I’m just sitting on my ass, but my dad has always been the face of the Bratva, and we all know he needs to be the one on the phone. I pace the floor, unable to keep still while my dad sets up a meeting.
“We’ll meet you at the cabin in two hours, Vladimir, and Lara better be there. If she’s been hurt, things are going to get very bloody.” My dad scoffs out a laugh, his voice anything but soft when he answers. The tone is harsh, and I can hear the violence behind every word when he says, “You came into our territory, and took someone who’s under our protection. You fucked up, and you’re going to make it right, or my family will destroy yours. You have two hours.”
He hangs up the phone before Vladimir can answer and scrubs a hand through his hair.
“I’ll call Timofey and tell him to have everyone meet us at the cabin,” my Uncle Vitaly says, walking out of the room with his phone already pressed to his ear.
“Did he say she’s okay?” I ask, looking over at my dad.
“She is,” he tells me, “but he’s sure as fuck not happy about this. We need to get there and convince him that it’s in his best interest to hand her over.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Max asks.
My Uncle Lev grins at him. “Then we get to get really bloody tonight.”
“Sounds good,” Val tells him. He comes to stand next to me, nudging my arm with his. “Let’s go get your girl back.”
I nod and rub a hand over my stubbled jaw. I feel like I haven’t slept in days, like I’ve been hunting for Lara for weeks instead of hours. I feel like a man who’s had his whole world taken from him and now I’m completely adrift and lost. My head is filled with images of her—scared and hurting and waiting for me to find her. How the fuck did my Uncle Matvey survive this hell for two years?
He meets my gaze when I look over at him, and I can see the understanding in his eyes. He knows exactly how I’m feeling, and I can tell he hates it. He hates that I’m having to go through it, and he hates that it’s reminding him of things he’s desperate to forget.
“You okay?” he asks, walking over to me.
“No.” There’s no point in lying to him. He already knows the truth.
He nods like it’s the answer he was expecting. “You won’t be until you get her back and your hands are covered in the blood of the man who did this, but lucky for you, you won’t have to wait too long.” His dark eyes meet mine. “We’re getting her back before the sun comes up, Luka.”
My uncles don’t make empty promises, and if Matvey says we’re getting her back in a few hours, then I believe him, but a lot can happen before then, and I can’t help but worry about what condition we’ll be getting her back in. For my own sanity, I’ve been trying like hell to avoid thinking about certain things, and if I let my thoughts wander to all the dark images that are creeping around the edges of my mind, I’ll never fucking come back from it.
“Thanks, Uncle Matvey,” I tell him, hating that this is also bringing up so much shit for him, but also so damn grateful to have him here helping to get Lara back.
“I’ve sent everyone the address,” my Uncle Danil says. “The others are already on their way.”
My dad holds my gaze, making sure I’m okay. I know he’ll be giving me that same look when I’m forty, so I don’t let it get under my skin. Instead, I head for the door and call over my shoulder, “I’m fine, Dad. Stop worrying.”
I hear my Uncle Vitaly laugh. “Just wait till they have kids. Then they’ll get it. ”
“Don’t go in without us,” my dad yells as I step on the elevator with Max and Val.
When the doors shut, Max looks over at me. “You driving?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, knowing there’s no way I can handle sitting in the passenger seat right now. “Can you ask Niki to send you everything he can on the Turgenev Bratva?”
He’s already texting his younger brother before we’ve even made it to the parking garage, and by the time I’m driving us out of the city, he’s reading me everything his brother sends him about the men who have the woman I love. It’s enough to make me wish I hadn’t asked. The Turgenev Bratva is the kind of Bratva I despise—an old, rich asshole at the top, who employs nothing but the worst kind of men. They don’t join with him because they want money and power. His Bratva attracts the vilest of men, and they join because they want to abuse and hurt women. Vladimir not only allows it, but he’s created an empire that thrives and depends on it. I may be a criminal, but he’s a fucking asshole.
When we get far enough out of the city, we turn off the interstate and onto a two-lane highway, and when the directions eventually lead us to a long, gravel road, I pull off onto the grass and text the others. Our dads are just minutes behind us, and Timofey’s leading a group that’s going to come in from the back and sides of the cabin. Despite my dad’s worries, I’m not about to charge in there with my cousins and risk fucking this up. I would never do anything to put Lara’s life more at risk than it already is.
We check our guns, making sure to slip a few extra magazines into our pockets in case things really go to shit and we need more bullets, and then I strap another knife to my ankle just because I feel better with two blades instead of one. When I hear a vehicle approaching, we’re more than ready to go.
I shouldn’t be surprised when three black SUVs pull up and the last one is filled with Dominic and his men. He may run his own mafia, but we’re family now, and none of us take that lightly. We’d all be there in a second if he needed help. I nod to him and his two cousins while his other men stay a few feet away, talking with the men my dad and uncles have brought.
“What’s the plan,” Dominic asks, checking his own gun while Dario checks his knives and Alessandro looks between us, waiting for orders.
“Vladimir is expecting us. We’re going inside while your guys meet up with our other men and surround the cabin. No one fucking leaves this place without our permission,” my dad says.
My Uncle Vitaly looks at Dominic. “Try not to make it obvious that you’re Italian. Try to blend.”
Dominic raises a brow at him. “Do you want me to walk in carrying a bottle of vodka?”
My uncle sighs and looks to Lev. “Your son is being difficult again.” My uncle Lev lets out an annoyed grunt while Dominic mutters something in Italian. “See?” my Uncle Vitaly says, “don’t do that when we get inside. I’m not even going to mention the Armani suit because we don’t have time to fix that shit.”
“I’m calling Vladimir,” my dad says, looking around to make sure we all know to keep quiet. Vladimir must’ve been waiting, because a second later my dad says, “We’re here. Tell your men to behave when they see us.”
He hangs up without waiting for a response. “Ready?” he asks me.
“More than,” I tell him. He falls in step next to me as we make our way down the gravel road. “No matter what you see in there, don’t let him see how much it bothers you,” he warns me. “She’s not safe until we have her on our side of the room.”
“I know,” I tell him. “But I should probably warn you that I’ll be killing anyone who’s laid their hands on her.”
There’s enough light from the moon for me to see the slight smirk he gives me. “You wouldn’t be a Melnikov if you didn’t.”
Relieved that I won’t have to fight him about that, I put my focus on the cabin that appears when we come around the small bend. Security lights have the place lit up, making it hard to see how many men are around the building. When we’re less than twenty feet away, a man yells in Russian, “Don’t come any closer!”
“Vladimir’s expecting us,” my dad says, keeping a bored tone to his voice, even though I’m pretty sure we each have several guns pointed at our chests.
“Step forward and keep your hands where we can see them,” the man yells.
We do as he says, and when we’re almost to the door, several armed men step out of the shadows to surround us. One of the men makes the mistake of stepping closer and trying to frisk my Uncle Lev.
“Try to touch my dick again, and I’m going to fucking shoot your hand off,” my Uncle Lev tells him.
“Yeah,” my Uncle Vitaly says, joining in. “Get out of his fucking no-no square. That’s just rude, man. We didn’t walk up here and immediately try to grab your dicks.” He laughs and adds, “That’s assuming we could find them.”
The man’s mouth tightens in a thin line, and he’s just about to step closer when the front door opens and Vladimir steps out. I recognize him from the photo Max showed me during the drive, although he looks even older in person and heavier. The rings on his fingers glint in the light when he waves a hand at his men. “Let them by,” he orders.
My uncles give a soft laugh when the man is forced to swallow his pride and step aside. We walk past and follow Vladimir into the log cabin. It’s not a rustic cabin meant for roughing it. It’s for those who want a remote location but aren’t willing to compromise on luxury. It’s a rich man’s roughing it.
Vladimir turns to look at us while a man comes to stand beside him. His long hair is pulled back, and his eyes run over us, taking in every detail and making it obvious that he’s Vladimir’s personal guard.
“You broke the rules, Vladimir,” my dad says, not wasting any time.
Vladimir’s dark eyes land on my dad. “You’re Roman, I take it?”
“I am,” he says. “You have someone who belongs to us.”
Vladimir eyes the room, stopping briefly on Dominic and his cousins. “Who are you?”
He’s still speaking Russian so Dominic just holds his stare, not saying a word.
“He’s with us,” my Uncle Lev says in English, and my Uncle Vitaly gives a small smirk at seeing his brother stand up for his son-in-law.
Switching to English, Vladimir says, “This is between my Bratva and yours. I didn’t invite anyone else to the party.”
“We work together,” my dad says. “If it affects us, then it affects him.”
“I heard you guys do things differently,” Vladimir muses as he walks to the bar that’s built into the corner of the large living room. “Would you like a drink while we discuss things?”
Sensing my impatience, my dad says, “No, we’d like the girl. We didn’t come here for a visit. You came into our territory uninvited and kidnapped two women, so unless you want a goddamn war, I suggest you bring them out here.”
“Do you know who the young girl is?” Vladimir asks. He pours himself a vodka, and when it’s obvious he’s not going to get an answer, he says, “Osip’s daughter could bring in a lot of money.” He takes a drink and looks at us over the rim of his glass. “I’m willing to share the profits.”
My dad grabs my arm before I can do something stupid like throw my knife at this fucker. Vladimir notices and meets my eyes.
“She’s yours?”
“Yes,” I tell him, and because I can’t help it, I add, “and I’ll be killing anyone who’s hurt her.”
Vladimir smiles and looks at my dad. “Might want to get control of your son, Roman.”
“There’s nothing to control,” my dad says. “He has every right to kill any man who’s touched his woman. You know how this works, Vladimir. Don’t play dumb.”
“I’m not so sure he’s playing,” my Uncle Vitaly says.
“Careful,” Vladimir warns.
“Or what?” my Uncle Matvey asks. “You’re completely surrounded. If you survive this night, it’s only because we’ve allowed it.”
Vladimir looks to his bodyguard, but we all know that even with the help of the men outside, they’re no match for us and that he’ll be dead no matter how this plays out. He downs the last of his drink, trying to appear unfazed, but I can see the fear in his eyes.
“Tell me where she is,” I demand, tired of playing his games and letting him think that he’s in any way in charge of this situation.
For a second I think he’s going to ignore me, but when I reach for my gun, he nods his head to the right and says, “She’s down that hall, second door on the right.”