Chapter 19 - Aleksei
She’s gone. Grigor’s gone, too. We’re working on acquiring their whereabouts. Three men were found dead at the scene.
I look down at the dim screen of my phone to decipher Dmitri’s message, though I can’t help the chill it sends down my spine. What the fuck is going on? How could anyone have gotten to Bianca? She was in the compound in the morning. There was no way she could’ve been taken unless… Unless she actively participated in getting out. Regardless of who took her, they couldn’t have done so on the premises, which are combed through every hour by several heavily armed guards.
The moment I hear the news, it's like the ground beneath me shakes. The guards were found dead . Now Bianca and Grigor are missing. For a single heartbeat, everything goes silent, the world narrowing down to that one stark fact. Did Bianca betray me? Bianca. The woman I was learning to trust. The woman who was meant to be no more than a pawn. How did she manage to slip past my defenses? The thought feels like a knife twisting in my gut. I can't think. My mind is whirling with anger and confusion.
I trusted her. I let her in. I shared things with her that I'd never told anyone before. And, of course, betrayal is what I get in return. The word echoes in my head, bitter and unrelenting. It's hard to reconcile the Bianca I grew to know with the reality unfolding before me, but the facts are there. There was no way for her to disappear without her involvement. And yes, I have grown to discover she's fearless, kind, daring... But, perhaps I was deceived. Could she really have done this, or is she in danger? I try to push the thoughts into the far recesses of my mind to stay clear-headed.
With each passing moment, rage, unlike any other, boils up inside me. An almost volcanic force that I can barely contain. I feel like I'm going to explode. I want to pace, I want to punch, I want to tear, I need to destroy. I need to tear the world apart to find her and demand answers. Every fiber of my being is screaming for action. To do something. Yet beneath the fury, there's a knowing sense of loss. A part of me refuses to believe that she could do this. That small, flickering ember is clinging to the hope that there is another explanation.
But for now, the pain is too fresh, the betrayal too raw. All I know is that I need to find them and I need to find out the truth, no matter what it will cost me.
Dimitri and Akim step into the room by which time it's almost completely destroyed. The walls have several holes in them, courtesy of my anger, and my knuckles are raw and bleeding. I feel a surge of conflicting emotions. Relief that they're here, but also unending anger at the situation. My brothers take one look and immediately understand. Especially Dimitri. I know he's grown fond of Bianca over the past few weeks. And it dawns on me that he's also mourning her probable betrayal.
Dmitri is stoic and calm as ever. He’s the first to step forward. “Aleksei, you need to take a breath, calm the fuck down, sit down, whatever it takes. We need to be smart about this.”
Akim is quick to step in for Dmitri. “He's right, Aleksei. We need to mobilize all of our contacts. Get eyes everywhere. But most importantly, we need a clear plan.”
Dimitri nods, pulling out his phone. “I'll start contacting our informants. Someone has to know something. We need to cast a wide net. Maybe it's time to check in some old favors.”
Akim moves closer, trying to ground me with his steady presence. “We'll find them, Aleksei. But we have to stay focused. Grigor is tough, and Bianca… She's stronger than you give her credit for. We need to trust that they're holding out until we can get to them.”
I take a deep breath, forcing a sense of calm to wash over me. They’re right. I need to channel this fury into action. “All right. Dimitri, you can handle the informants. Akim. Get our men ready. We need to sweep the city. Hit every contact we have. No stone can be left unturned.””
Dimitri's fingers are already working, dialing numbers, his voice calm but authoritative as he starts dishing out orders. Akim heads out almost immediately to pay visits to old friends. My anger is receding, transforming into a cold, hard resolve. We will find them. We have to.
I head to the far edge of my office and start making calls of my own, reaching out to everyone I know who could be useful. The network we built over the years is vast, and now it's time to put it to good use. Every minute feels like an eternity, every breath brings with it an added weight, but I force myself to stay focused. We will find Bianca and Gregor, and when we do, there will be hell to pay for whoever is behind this.
Nikolai arrives soon thereafter. The room is now filled with tension, the air heavy as my brothers and I gather around the table. The weight of the situation is steadily pressing down on us. Dimitri spreads out a map of the city, arguing that seeing it in the physical form will make it easier to mark out potential hideouts and locations while we might find leads. Nicolai tries to keep everyone focused, his voice calm but insistent.
“We need to cover all bases,” Nikolai says, his eyes scanning the map with a sharp intensity. “Starting with our informants, someone must have seen or heard something.”
“Already on it,” Dmitri answers, briefly catching Nikolai up on our progress before his arrival.
I nod, my jaw clenched tight. “I want every resource we have on this. No stone unturned. We find them, and we bring them back.”
Nikolai nods and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “We will, Aleksei, but charging in blind won't help Bianca or Grigor, remember that.”
His words are meant to soothe, but they cause a sharp sting instead.
“I know, but we don't have time to waste. Every minute they’re out, there is another minute something could go wrong, someone could die. We can't have that happen again.”
Akim chimes in, his voice edged with impatience.
“We should hit the rival gangs hard, make them talk. Someone out there must know where they are.” I hum in approval, to which Dmitri scoffs and shakes his head.
“We can't afford to start a war without more information. We need precision, not chaos.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair, trying to keep my emotions in check.
“Fine, we divide our forces. Half will hit the streets, shake down our contacts. The rest will focus on surveillance and intelligence.” It’s a compromise that I am reluctant to make, but I trust Dmitri knows my passion runs high in situations like these and is more likely to make rational decisions.
Hours are dragging by, each tick of the damn clock on the wall seeming to mock me. We're still waiting on new leads holed up in my office. The room feels like a stifling prison. The space is dimly lit, the overhead light casting a cold glow on the dark mahogany furniture. The map with scribbles is strewn across the large desk in the center. Walls are lined with shelves, filled with files, but their orderliness does nothing to calm the chaos inside me. The thick patterned rug muffles our footsteps, adding to the suffocating stillness.
The air is heavy with the scent of leather and the faint remnants of cigars, but all I can focus on is the lack of news. Nicolai, Akim and Dmitri might be here with me, but I feel hopeless nonetheless. Dimitri stands by the window, his phone in his hand, face a mask of calm determination. Akim is pacing the room, his agitation mirroring my own.
I feel shut in, the walls closing in around me, exacerbating the worry and anger that have now become me. I can't seem to shake the suspicion that Lorenzo is behind this. The thought of him orchestrating Bianca's kidnapping—his own flesh and blood—ignites a fresh wave of fury. I trusted her. Was that a mistake? Mistake . I repeat the word so often it starts feeling more like a prayer than a bitter admission.
My hands clench into fists, drawing blood as the nails dig into my flesh of my palms. The betrayal, whether real or presumed, gnaws at my insides. The small space amplifies every emotion coursing through me, making it impossible to find any semblance of peace. The dancing shadows at the corners seem to taunt me—a reminder of how little control I have over what is currently going on.
Dimitri's voice cuts through the oppressive silence, but it all feels like background noise to the turmoil in my head. I can't stay still, can't focus on anything. Every minute stuck here is a minute Bianca might be in danger. Or running away holed up in one of her father’s properties.
Akim ceases his pacing and looks at me, his eyes reflecting my own feelings of frustration and hopelessness.
“We will get them back,” he states. His voice tries to be firm but carries an edge of uncertainty. I nod, but the doubt lingers.
“We have to because the alternative is unthinkable. And I won't let Lorenzo or anyone else take what's mine.” I hear the sounds leave my mouth, but their content feels empty.
Dmitri approaches me again, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to my rising agitation. “Aleksei, we need to stay focused,” he reaffirms for the thousandth time, his voice steady and reassuring. “Panic won't help us find them any faster.”
I take a deep breath, trying to let his words ground me, but it feels like trying to hold back a tidal wave with my bare hands.
“We're wasting time, Dmitri. Every second we're in here, they’re out there. What if—”
Before I can finish my thought, Dimitri's phone buzzes, cutting through the tension. He glances at the screen, then answers, putting the call on speaker.
“Talk,” he orders tersely. The room falls silent as we all listen intently.
“It's confirmed.” The voice on the other end says, and I recognize the higher pitch as belonging to Rosa. “The Rossis have them. Lorenzo's men took Bianca and Grigor.”
A wave of fury and fear crashes over me, my worst suspicions confirmed. Dmitri looks at me worried, his eyes dark but still composed. “We'll get them back.” He says, more firmly this time, as if willing me to believe it.
The confirmation of Lorenzo’s involvement gets my blood boiling, but it also gives me a target—a possible outlet for the hell of emotions I’ve been experiencing ever since I was notified of their disappearance.
“We need to move fast.” I surprise myself with how self-assured my voice sounds now. “Mobilize everyone. We need to have every single man surrounding the Rossis until they give way.”
Dmitri and Nikolai nod, both dialing hurriedly and issuing orders. Akim places his hand on my shoulder, and I can tell he’s going to attempt to calm me. It’s a habit he developed whenever he himself was in need of some reassurance.
“We’ll get through this. Stay sharp—we need your head clear.” I nod, and this time it feels like it’s the passing seconds weighing down on us, a possible chance of resolution with as few casualties inching further and further away. Impossible. We have a lead, but with it comes a possibility that Grigor could be in life-threatening danger. Blood will be spilled tonight.
As the room buzzes with renewed vigor, my mind races. I can’t afford to lose focus now—not when we’re so close. Lorenzo will regret ever touching what is mine .