Chapter 25 - Abram
I joined my family, my brothers, in their mission to destroy the enemy, but my heart was heavy. I sat quietly in the passenger seat as Alexandr drove to the first location he selected off the list. It was getting dark quickly, which was ideal.
Anton and Akim followed behind in his truck with the three cars of guards behind them. Staring out the window, I was glad he didn’t want to talk. I felt empty and had nothing to say. I just wanted to be finished with all of this and move on to something else.
I wanted nothing more than to put this part of my life behind me. Pulling up to the warehouse, Alexandr stopped a block away. We got out and assembled next to the vehicles. “Everyone knows the plan?” Alexandr asked.
The guards all mumbled in unison as they shook their heads, indicating they understood. “Yes, No killing,” Akim chipped in.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t get a couple of hits in, does it?” Anton questioned.
“Sure, take them down, and tie them up. But we aim to destroy the operations. Remember that.” Alexandr added. Sneaking closer, we stayed low against the outside walls. Anton peeked around the gate and lifted his hand. This was the signal.
Quietly, we stormed through the gates and entered the building. Anton and Akim, with their guards, went around the two sides and entered from the back. Alexandr and I, with our guards, entered from the front.
We were met by a couple of guards as we stepped through the doors. Yet, we were on them so quickly that not even one shot got fired. Fists flew in all directions as they tried fighting back. Some came to us using their guns as hitting instruments.
Some of our men took a couple of hits, but we contained them pretty quickly. I went to assist our men in tying up the enemy guards and stashing them in a back room. As far as I could tell, this was the smallest of their warehouses. Alexandr said it would be a good test run to see what we would be up against in the others.
The Chernykhs used this warehouse for storing and distributing their drugs. Their dealers also got their stock from here. This was one of the main reasons Alexandr chose this warehouse.
As I returned to the warehouse floor with our men, I saw Anton and Akim had built a tower in the middle with the drugs. He was pouring what smelled like fuel over it. Akim was jumping up and down next to him as he spoke excitedly. “Can I, please, can I do it?”
“No,” I said, moving closer quickly. “You will kill us all and everyone in the vicinity.”
Anton turned to me, smirking as he spoke. “So, what do you suggest we do, brother?” I could hear the pure dismay in his tone. Handing a packet of matches to Akim, he continued. “Yes, little brother. You can do it.”
We all jumped as Alexandr raised his voice behind us. “No, I have already arranged for the trucks. Just flatten it again and open the double doors.”
I understood that this was kind of Akim’s introduction to what went on. But giving him stupid ideas wasn’t the way to go. Yet, it wasn’t my place to correct them. That was Alexandr’s prerogative as head of the family.
“Be careful what you teach,” I heard Alexandr lecturing Anton as I headed out to the car. I watched from outside as the two cement trucks pulled in and dumped their loads.
Once they left, My brothers and our men came pouring out. Anton and Akim looked ecstatic as they headed to Anton’s truck. I frowned as they passed me. Anton’s behavior was like usual, not acceptable. Shaking my head, I got into the car with Alexandr. I wanted to go home but knew I had to see it through.
“You good?” Alexandr asked as he drove.
“Yes,” I replied, giving him a quick smile. My mind was elsewhere as thoughts of Nadia came flooding back. She had hurt me, but I didn’t want her to get hurt. What if she was at one of the locations we would hit? I didn’t know how I would react if I had to see her again.
We pulled into the shipping yard at the docs. They had a yacht, fishing boats, a cargo ship, and four containers here. Our aim was set on the yacht, cargo ship, and only two containers. The others held nothing of value or interest to us.
We arrived faster than I had anticipated. As we got out and gathered on one side of the docs Anton came up to me. “Are you angry with us?” he asked.
Shaking my head lightly, I looked down at my feet. “No,” I said. “I’m bored, actually.” I could see Akim and Anton looking at me as if I had grown two heads. “We are moving too fast doing these raids. Once it’s over, there’s nothing more to do. Where’s the fun in that, right?” I added.
They glanced at each other and nodded. “I see your point,” Anton said. “Alright, let’s take it slower then, have some fun doing this.”
I felt a little better as they shared our revelation with Alexandr. This meant that if Nadia was at any of the places, she would have a chance to get out.
We split into four groups and moved through the shipping yards. Anton and Akim were to deal with the ships while Alexandr and I took the containers. As we neared the two containers which were three containers apart, there were a lot of men guarding them.
Before we could move in, we heard the racket coming from the waterside. Anton and Akim had gone in. Moving quickly, we tried to prevent any gunshots from being executed or radio chatter to get out.
Alexandr and his men got to the radio guy just in time as he started sending a distress call. I moved in on the other side with my men taking down the guards. Once we were done, they were either knocked out, tied up, or both. Alexandr instructed our men to take them to one of the open containers and lock them in. On the side of the container, they painted the words, ‘In here’s a gift.’
We headed to the ships to see how things were progressing there. Anton and Akim had just set the charges on the two we wanted to sink and were gathering the men into the other two ships.
As a last fuck you, Akim and Anton had added glitter bombs to the other two ships. These contained extra-strength glue, so it would take weeks to get things cleaned up. This was, of course, one of Akim’s brighter ideas.
As the glitter bombs exploded over the ships, we all laughed. I laughed with them, keeping face that I was having as much fun as they were. Heading back to the vehicles, I walked ahead of them. I didn’t feel like talking and tried to stay clear of them when I could.
Heading to the last location, I was glad it was almost done. As we pulled up to the club, which I suggested we take, I was surprised to see it closed. I thought it seemed like a nice place and felt sure it would be packed with people. In which case, we would have left it. But it wasn’t.
I double-checked the address, and I made sure we got it right. “Something the matter?” Alexandr asked as he opened his door.
Glancing at him, I replied lightly. “No, just making sure we got the right place.”
We got out and again assembled beside the vehicles. “Right then, men,” Alexandr spoke as we all waited for his orders. “This is the last one for tonight. We received some intel that they are building and smuggling weapons from this club. The operations are downstairs. Just a reminder to not kill; we do not know if there are civilians in there.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and we moved in, taking the club from all three sides at once. We were met with a lot more resistance here than in any of the other two places. Once again, a fistfight ensued. This time, I took a hit to the face. This is not what I wanted. I didn’t even have any desire to be present.
Wiping my cheek, I slammed the guy to the floor before the guards took him to be tied up with the others. Many of our men also took a beating here. But we kept the control. Once the people were all stashed away, we could focus on the destruction.
Entering the basement where all the operations took place, we saw a big safe built into one of the walls. We connected with Tasha and started dissembling the weapons as she did her thing. Once the safe was open, we made a pile in the middle of the floor with their money.
On top of this pile, we added the weapon part. Akim and Anton brought down crates of alcohol and soaked it all. Akim wrote on the wall, ‘Happy hunting’. This made Anton laugh frantically. “Happy, hunting,” he huffed, pointing at the pile. “Get it?”
Alexandr was already halfway up the stairs. “Yes, I get it,” I replied, turning to the stairs. “This once, you can probably burn,” I added as I went up.
“Yeah,” I heard Akim shouting as I followed Alexandr out. Once we were all outside and in our vehicles, Alexandr called the fire station anonymously to report a fire.
We drove off as we heard the approaching sirens. By this time, the money would be ash. But they would be able to save the people inside. Alexandr went straight to his mansion. Tasha, Mila, and Joyce were all there.
It was to be a celebration of our success. We have given the enemy a hard knock, and it would take them years, if not months, to recover. As we entered his mansion, Alexandr ushered me through the house out to the back.
The women were all waiting. They were glad to see us. The tables next to the pool were covered in food and drinks. Stepping out, Tasha handed me a drink. I stood back a bit as the others gathered together.
Alexandr raised his glass as he spoke. “Let’s have a drink on our success!” I watched as my three brothers toasted and started telling the woman about the big victory. Glancing around, I spotted a dark corner where I could sit alone.
I didn’t feel much like talking. In fact, I didn’t even want to be there. But I had to keep up appearances. Tomorrow, I could start refocusing on my life and getting back to real business. I sat staring at the family. They were all I had, and yet, I felt slightly disgusted by them.
I knew my heartache was my own doing, but I wanted someone else to blame. I didn’t notice Tasha walking up to me. As she spoke beside me, I jumped a little. “You look lonely.’
“Oh, it’s you,’ I breathed out. Tapping the seat beside me, I invited her to sit. I didn’t mind having her company. She was the only one on my side. The only one in this family who understood me.
“Why aren’t you celebrating with them?” she asked, pointing at our brothers.
Shaking my head I looked to the side as I answered her. “I’ve been with them all day and all night. I would rather talk to you. I’ve heard all they have to say.”
She sighed as she squeezed my hand lightly. “You are aware that part of this celebration is celebrating you and this operation. Your success.”
“Yes, Tasha, I am. But I’m not feeling it right now,” I replied a bit harshly.
Tasha turned her upper body as she studied me. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke again. “You should really spend more time with your brothers.”
“Now you sound just like mother,” I huffed as I stood up. I didn’t want to hear any more of this. Hanging out with my brothers was hard as I wasn’t like them. As I started heading for the door, Tasha grabbed my hand.
Turning to pull free from her grip, I froze as her next words hit my ears. “Nadia left her family and the Cherbykhs about a week ago.”
I was about to ask her what it had to do with me when she continued. “They are looking for her. She’s gone into hiding, but they want her back. Abram, if they find her, she might not have a choice.”
Staring at Tasha, I felt the anger pushing up inside. My eyes burned, and tears started filling them. Swallowing hard, I spoke calmly. “Why are you telling me this? What does it have to do with me?”
Tasha sighed as she let go of my hand. “You could give her another option. A choice to come back, and you could protect her,” she whispered.
Frowning, I bit back the tears as I spoke. “And why on earth would I do that after what she did?” Turning, I headed to the door before I exploded. As I opened the front door, Tasha’s small hand closed around my wrist. Turning sharply, I almost knocked her over. “Tasha, I am done, please. Let me go,” I pleaded.
“She’s carrying your child, Abram.!” Tasha spat at me. My skin turned to ice, and I felt frozen as I absorbed her words.
“She’s what?” I heard myself asking. My mind was racing, trying to put everything into perspective.
“She is pregnant, Abram,” Tasha repeated. “I had Mila do a deep dive into anything connected to her. We found a doctor’s report.”
Hugging her, I whispered in her ear. “You find her, Tasha. You must find her. I’ll talk to my brothers tomorrow. You find her for me.”
Stepping back, I noticed the grin on Tasha’s face. “I’ll do so now. Get some rest, you big ogre,” she added, hitting my shoulder.
I went home feeling a ton lighter. Tomorrow, I will go out and bring her home. It might take some time to find her. But if anyone could it was Mila and Tasha.