Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
KATYA
“ W hat happened?” I ask. All the men ignore me as they glare at Anton and Anton glares back at them. I storm over to my brother and grab his shoulder. Finally, he looks at me. “Before you kill Anton, tell me exactly what happened. And let him go.”
“I can’t do that,” Dimitri growls. “Not if he’s a risk to you.”
“Oh, for god’s sake,” I mutter. “Just tell me what happened!”
“Ava left to meet up with Luna,” Nikolai says, turning the full attention of his intense gaze onto me. “They were going out for brunch. They had a guard with them. I thought everything would be fine. And then I got a call from Ava, frantically telling me someone blew up the café. But she was ok and so was Luna. But then her call was disconnected. Both Maxim and I went to get them, but we couldn’t find them. All we found was their guard, and his face was carved. Anton’s MO. The café was blown to pieces. I knew someone had kidnapped them, and it was obvious who.” He sets his eyes onto Anton pointedly.
“What about Evie? Where is she?”
“Gone, too,” Dimitri says. “She was at the library. I went to pick her up and found her missing. I asked around if anyone saw anything, and one of her librarian friends told me she got into a car with a man fitting Anton’s description. After what Nikolai told me about Ava and Luna, I knew Anton had to be the one who took Evie, too. So, Anton, where the hell are they? Are you keeping them in a dungeon somewhere?”
“Of course, he doesn’t have them,” I answer for him.
“How can you be so sure?” Maxim asks. “Are you around him all the time?”
“When did they go missing?”
“Earlier today,” Nikolai explains. “Around eleven in the morning.”
Shoot. I was with Katerina at the tea function around that time. I wasn’t with Anton.
Dimitri sees it on my face and huffs. “Exactly. Just because you didn’t see him take our wives doesn’t mean he didn’t do it.”
“I didn’t take your wives,” Anton says, looking at the men with level eyes. I know Anton’s expressions by now, and I don’t think he’s keeping any secrets. At least, I hope he isn’t.
“You did,” Nikolai growls. “This is war, Anton. Your marriage to Katya doesn’t matter if you don’t play by the rules. The point of an alliance was to trust each other, and you’re the last person we can trust.”
“Just because I wasn’t with Anton earlier today, that doesn’t mean he took my friends.” I turn to Anton. “You didn’t, right?”
A flash of pain enters his eyes. “The fact you have to even ask me that says a lot, baby.”
I turn away from him, feeling guilt claw its way up my throat.
Dimitri re-slams Anton into the wall. “Where are they?”
“I didn’t take any of your wives. Luca did. I’m sure of it. He’s had it out for me for weeks.”
“You were supposed to take care of him. You were supposed to take care of my sister.”
“And I’ve done that,” Anton seethes, gripping Dimitri’s hands and pushing him away. “Luca forced me to work for him because he threatened Katya’s life. I went against Luca. He wants to tear us down. He wants us to doubt each other. He wants you to hate me so much you’ll believe I kidnapped your wives when I have literally zero reason to do it. He wants to destroy us and make us kill each other while he laughs in the background.”
“Bullshit. You have every reason to go after our wives,” Dimitri says. “You are chaos, Anton. You love blowing things up. Case in point: my club. Or did you forget how you tried to kill me and Maxim inside it over a year ago?”
“Did you forget how you betrayed me.” Nikolai stands toe-to-toe with Anton. “Did you forget how you gave me this?” He points at the large scar on his face. “You gave this to me, Anton, because you betrayed me. I never wanted to make an alliance with you. You forced the three of us into an alliance just to make sure you wouldn’t kill all of us. You’ve threatened our wives’ lives before.”
“You literally held a knife to Luna’s throat,” Maxim adds.
“That was so long ago now.”
“That doesn’t matter!” Dimitri shouts right before he punches Anton in the face.
The room goes quiet for a long moment. And then Anton attacks my brother, and Dimitri attacks back.
They grapple with each other, both throwing punches and kicks.
I run over to Nikolai. “Stop them.” His stance is unmovable like a hard, cold statue. I turn to Maxim and tug on his arm. “I know you’re a good man, Maxim. Stop them from killing each other.”
“Anton deserves to die after all the shit he’s pulled,” he tells me. “Aren’t you happy? You can finally be free of him.”
Dimitri punches Anton so hard in the face, blood shoots out of his nose. Anton returns the favor by headbutting Dimitri. I can hear the crunch of my brother’s nose breaking.
“Stop this!” I shout. “Stop!”
No one listens to me.
They all have their own baggage with Anton, and honestly, it’s all fair. Anton has done bad things in the past. I don’t blame any of these men for not trusting him.
But I know in my gut he didn’t kidnapped my friends. I have to believe it because the alternative is too much to bear.
The issue is none of these men want to listen. They’re out for blood, and they’ve wanted an excuse to kill Anton for a long time now. This is their excuse.
But I can’t stand back and watch my brother and husband beat each other to death. I can’t lose both of them.
“If you want your wives back, then killing Anton isn’t going to help.”
Nikolai looks at me sharply. “Do you know something, Katya?”
“No. I don’t know where Anton is keeping them. But if Dimitri kills him, then you’ll never know. So, end this fight. And Anton can take you to your wives. I’ll make him. They’re all my friends, remember? I would rather die than live in a world without them in it.”
Nikolai nods sagely, and he and Maxim pull Dimitri and Anton apart.
“Let me kill him,” Dimitri snarls. I’ve never seen my brother look so frantic before. So animalistic.
“Enough,” Nikolai orders. “We all want our wives back, so let’s talk this over.” He turns to Anton. “Where are they?”
Anton looks terrible. Bloody nose and mouth. Tussled hair. Bruises are already forming on his skin. “I don’t have them.”
Dimitri’s face contorts into rage. “You do! Where are they!” He tries to throw another punch, but I run between him and Anton.
What I don’t expect is for Dimitri to not stop. His fist keeps moving, and it hits me in the face.
I drop to the floor like a stone.
“Katya,” Dimitri whispers.
I groan and sit up, holding my aching cheek.
“You fucking bastard,” Anton growls. He lunges at Dimitri, but Maxim holds him back.
“It was an accident,” I say. “My brother would never mean to hurt me physically.”
“I’m so sorry,” Dimitri says, staring down at his hand with horror in his eyes.
I stand up and grab his hand—the one he hit me with. “I ran into your way. You didn’t mean to hurt me. I know that.” I turn to Anton and press my hands against his chest. “He didn’t mean to hurt me, Anton.”
“I’m amazed you even cared,” Nikolai says. “I didn’t know you were capable of caring about what happened to Katya. You’re not a man with a heart.”
The way Nikolai speaks so dismissively of Anton pisses me off. Yes, he has his reasons for hating Anton, and they’re very good reasons. But Anton has changed. I know it. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
“He cares about me,” I snap.
“If he cared about you,” Dimitri says, “he never would have kidnapped Evie. She’s your best friend. Or have you forgotten?”
“Of course not! I want Evie back just as much as you do. Same with Ava and Luna. I’m worried, too.”
“So, then, why are you choosing his side?”
I stare Dimitri down. “Because you married me to him. You forced me to for peace, and I did. And I made the most out of it, and guess what? That means I grew to care for Anton. He’s not as bad as you think he is. Yes, he’s done terrible things in the past. I’m not denying any of that. But he has been there for me. He’s saved my life. He’s held me through panic attacks. He has good in him, and there’s no way in hell he would kidnapped my best friends … for what? For political gain? There is no gain here. Only loss because he loses all of you and his alliance if he kidnaps them, so why in the world would he do that?”
“Because he’s chaos,” Nikolai growls.
“Yes. He is. But he did not kidnap your wives. I know it.” I turn back to Dimitri. “So, don’t question why I’m choosing his side. You made sure I would choose his side the moment you forced me to marry him. This is not on me, Dimitri. If you want anyone to blame, blame yourself.”
“You don’t think I do?” he shouts, making me flinch.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Anton growls.
Dimitri’s eyes flare with anger. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Anton. You of all people.”
“Just stop! Ok? Just stop. Stop this fighting. I can tell you right now that Anton does not have your wives.” I turn to my husband. “Do you?”
He looks me square in the eye as he responds. “I do not.”
“There. Now, let’s find the real person who took them.”
“And you just … believe him? Just like that?”
“Yes, Dimitri. Because he’s my husband, and I trust him.”
The way Dimitri stares into my eyes makes me miss what we used to have. An easiness between us. That’s all gone now. In its place is pain and regret and guilt.
“You said you were having panic attacks. Over what?” he asks.
“Now isn’t the time for that.”
“Now is the time. Why?”
“Fine. You want to know who the real bad guy is here? Luca Moretti. He kidnapped me again. He choked me, Dimitri. Almost to death. Oh, yeah, and he tried to rape me.”
Dimitri flinches. The other men go silent and still.
“So, I know Luca has the motive to steal all my friends. He wants to tear your alliance apart. And you believed his ploy. My guess, he has them all. And instead of taking the time to find them, you’re wasting time interrogating my husband, who I know for a fact didn’t kidnap them.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Anton cares for me. I know it in my gut. I know it in my heart. Why would he risk all that just to kidnap my friends? If Anton did that, I’d never forgive him, and he knows that.”
Anton rests his hands on my shoulders. Dimitri’s eyes zero in on the motion, but he doesn’t say anything. “It’s true. I have no desire to hurt Katya. I have no reason for kidnapping your wives. It only hurts me. It breaks our alliance and puts me in danger, and even though I do love chaos, I also love to live.” He looks between the other three men. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I think the fact that Katya can vouch for me when she was so opposed to marrying me at the start says a lot about how you can trust me now. I did not steal your wives. I know Luca did. So, let’s stop arguing and trying to kill each other, and go kill him instead. And save your wives in the process.”
“I know Anton is telling the truth. Yes, I haven’t been around him 24/7 to know for a fact if he kidnapped my friends or not, but I know in my gut he didn’t. We’re wasting time here. It’s Luca you need to look at.”
Nikolai and Maxim share a look, then Maxim nods. “All right. I believe you.”
“You do?” I ask.
“Yes. Both of your points make sense. It doesn’t make sense for Anton to kidnap our wives, but it does make sense for Luca to do it if he’s trying to tear us apart.”
“I agree,” Nikolai says. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but … I believe you, Anton.”
He looks back at Nikolai with an unreadable expression. “That means a lot coming from you.”
“This doesn’t mean I like you. I probably never will. But Luca going after our wives makes a lot more sense than you.”
“He’s trying to frame me,” Anton says. “He’s wanted to tear us all apart for weeks now. He doesn’t like how much power we represent. I was planning on going after Luca soon.”
“Without us?” Nikolai asks.
“I didn’t want to include you. Luca felt like my fight, and I wanted to end him myself. I never thought about him going after your wives, but I should have. He’s gone after Katya too many times by now.”
I give Anton’s hand on my shoulder a squeeze. “We’re going to find them. Where do you think Luca would have taken them?”
“I have a list of his properties he owns. We should split up and start looking.”
“We should pair up,” Maxim says. “We don’t want to go in somewhere by ourselves. It’s too dangerous.”
“Hold on,” Dimitri says, raising his hands up. “We’re just going to believe Anton? Just like that?”
“Yes,” Maxim says. “I believe Katya when she says he didn’t take our wives. She has no reason to lie. They’re her best friends. She wants them safe just as much as we do.”
“I say we scour every inch of this place and search for them.”
“Then you’re wasting your time,” I snap at my brother. “They’re not here. I would know that.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“Fine. Then trust me.” I grab Dimitri’s hand and look him straight in the eye. “You can hate Anton all you want, but you made a choice to marry me to him for peace. So, don’t ruin it by going after him when he didn’t kidnap Evie. You know that deep down. Let me be happy with him, please.”
“How can you even be happy with him?”
“It’s not rational. I can’t even fully explain it. I just am. So, stop trying to kill him, and instead, work with him to find Evie.” I look at Nikolai and Maxim. “Ava and Luna, too. Dimitri, I want them safe. I can’t stand the idea of them being hurt. Anton would never do that. When he said he was looking for peace, he meant it. Yes, it’s hard to believe, but believe the facts. He saved my life when he didn’t have to. I care about him, which means he’s doing something right.”
“That or he brainwashed you.”
I smack Dimitri’s arm. “I’m not brainwashed. I’m—” in love . I think I’m in love with Anton.
“Just trust me,” I continue, not mentioning the love part. There’s no need to bring that up right now. I need Dimitri to be focused and not distracted by my growing feelings for Anton. “Do you trust me?”
“Other than Evie, you’re the only person I truly trust.”
“Good. So trust me when I say you can trust Anton. Work together to bring Luca down. It’s the only way to get Evie back.”
“Working with him is the last thing I want to do.”
“How ironic considering that’s how I felt when you forced me to marry him.”
Dimitri turns red a little. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Nope. But you can start to regain my trust by working with Anton. Go save Evie. Go save Ava and Luna. I need them all to be ok.”
“Listen to her,” Nikolai says.
“Out of everyone in this room, I’m surprised you’re the most willing to believe Anton,” Dimitri says to him.
“It’s because I know Anton that I can tell when he’s lying or not, and he’s not lying right now. He doesn’t have our wives. Luca is a good place to start as any. Maxim, you go with Anton. Dimitri and I will go together. Sound good?”
Maxim nods. “Sounds good to me. I just want to get Luna back. I don’t care how.”
Turning to Anton, I throw my arms around his shoulders. I don’t care if my brother sees or if he judges it. He can judge all he likes. He’s the reason I’m in this situation with Anton to begin with.
“Be safe,” I whisper into Anton’s ear.
“You know I always am.”
“That’s not exactly reassuring.”
He laughs and squeezes me tighter. “Just be safe here. Don’t leave.”
“I won’t. I’m not stupid.”
He steps back out of my hold. “Good. We should go if we want to kill Luca and get your wives back.”
Nikolai and Maxim head to the door while Dimitri hesitates.
“Katya—”
“We can talk later,” I tell him. “Just go save Evie.”
With a nod, he joins the other men, leaving just Anton and me behind.
Anton grips my face between his hands and quickly kisses me. It doesn’t last long, but I’ll remember it forever.
“Wish me luck.”
I can’t help it—I smile. “Good luck.”
Anton walks out the front door to save my best friends. I just hope he’ll make it out alive.
ANTON
“You got lucky,” Dimitri mutters as we leave my house.
“I tend to be.”
“You’re lucky my sister vouched for you.”
“She was just telling the truth.”
Dimitri grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Do you care for her? Truly?”
“I care for her, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Now, do we want to stand around talking about our feelings, or do we want to save the women you all love?”
Dimitri lets me go without a word as he heads over to Nikolai’s side.
“What’s the first place we should look?” Maxim asks me.
“Luca’s apartment. That’s where be brought Katya. He might bring the other women there.” I look to Nikolai. “I’ll text you the list of his properties. We can divide and conquer.”
With our plan in motion, Maxim and I set off to Luca’s apartment. He drives his bike in front of my car. Show off.
We reach Luca’s apartment building and head straight up to his penthouse. There are no guards stationed out front, and when we kick down the door, we don’t find anyone inside.
“Damn it,” Maxim mutters. “Do you have any other ideas where they might be?”
“Nikolai and Dimitri are checking out another home he owns. We could go check out one of the warehouses under Luca’s company. They might be there. He likes theatrics.”
“We might be going on a wild goose chase, Anton. What if we’re too late?”
“Do you believe we’ll be too late?”
“I believe I would rather be dead than live in a world without Luna.”
I scratch my chin. “You know, I feel the same way about Katya.”
“Dimitri may be surprised you’re capable of love, but I’m not.”
“Really.”
“Yes. Because I’ve known bad men. I’ve done bad things myself. But that doesn’t stop someone from having the capacity to love. And I could tell by the way you looked at Katya that you love her.”
Maxim’s words startle me. I never considered being in love with Katya before.
But the more I think about it, the more I feel a little warm and fuzzy at the idea. Love. Huh. Doesn’t sound so scary after all.
“I’m going to help you get Luna back, you know.”
Maxim gives me a long, steady look before nodding. “I know. I want peace more than anything, and if that means working with you for it, then I’ll do whatever it takes.”
We leave Luca’s apartment without a word and head toward the next location on the list.
KATYA
To my surprise, Katerina shows up again. Well, I shouldn’t really be surprised by that. She tends to make herself known when I don’t want her around.
But the sight of her standing on the doorstep actually fills me with some small comfort. All my friends have been kidnapped, and my husband could die. I need a little support right now.
Without a word, I motion Katerina inside, and we sit down on the couch. Well, I sit down like a normal human whereas she sits on the edge with a rigid stick up her ass.
“How did you know to be here?” I ask.
“Anton texted me. He said to come over, but I’m not sure why.”
“He’s off searching for Luca. Maybe he didn’t want either of us to be alone right now.”
“Is he going to be all right?”
“I don’t know, but I have to hope.”
“You better,” she snaps. “I can’t have you doubting anything. You need to believe in your husband.”
“Trust me, Katerina. I do.” I pause. “I know you’re worried. Anton could die, and you don’t want that. I don’t want that either. So, why don’t we put aside our differences for right now and focus on being here for one another while we wait for Anton to return home?”
Katerina’s lips pinch like that’s the last thing she wants to do, but after a long moment, she nods. “Deal.”
I turn on the TV.
“Not whatever you were watching this morning. Nothing stupid.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Yes, ma’am.” I turn on a documentary about the art of cheese making. It’s boring and insufferable, but at least Katerina isn’t bitching about it.
We sit in silence while we wait for news.
A knock on the door makes us both sit up straight.
“If it were Anton, he’d let himself in,” Katerina comments.
“He would.” Slowly, I edge closer to the door, Katerina right on my heels. I peer through the peephole.
And what I see chills me to the core.
Luca’s face looks back at me.
Quickly, I back away from the door, bringing Katerina with me.
“What—” she starts to say, but I shush her. I practically shove her down the hallway until we reach my room, and I shut the door and lock it.
“Let go of me,” she mutters, ripping out of my grasp.
“Luca is here.”
All the color drains from her face. “Luca? As in Luca Moretti?”
“Yes. He’s here. How did he find this place? I thought Anton keeps it secure?”
“He does. It doesn’t make sense.”
An idea hits me. “Unless … My brother was over. So was Nikolai and Maxim. Luca kidnapped their wives. Maybe he planted a tracker on them or something to find Anton’s house. He made it look like Anton was the one to take them. He had to have known they’d come here. This must have been a part of his plan.”
“Luca has been in business a long time. He’s a smart man.”
“None of that matters. What matters right now, Katerina, is that we’re in danger.”