Chapter 23 - Yulian
Every time I call Kat, I end up smiling for ages afterwards. That girl just knows how to make me happy. She does it so easily, so playfully. She’s creative, beautiful, smart and funny. And dammit, she’s sexy as all hell.
I’m fucking lucky. That is unquestionable.
As soon as I hang up, I already want to call her back. I can’t wait for those guys to get to her studio and fix the CCTV. I hate not being able to watch her.
In a way, I find it really sexy that she likes me watching her. She likes it that I’m so possessive. That means she enjoys the fact that she belongs to me.
“Music—louder, fifty percent,” I say to the voice system in my workshop. The volume goes up, and I pick up the oil and the cloth I was busy with, pouring some onto the fabric and then gently wiping it over the design I’ve just carved into one of the window frames for the sun room.
As the oil soaks into the raw wood, it brings life and color to it. It’s beautiful. It’s meditative and peaceful, and soon I’m lost in the slow process of it.
My phone rings, and I jump in fright, laughing at myself.
Katerina’s name flashes across the screen. Grinning, I reach for it. It’s only been about twenty minutes since I spoke to her, and she’s calling me this time. I’ll have to tease her about this.
“Kateri—”
“Yul, it’s me. It’s Ali.” Her voice is tight with stress.
“Ali?” I stammer, “What’s wrong, what happened?” The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and a cold shiver runs down my spine.
“I can’t find Kat anywhere. She was here, and now she’s gone.”
“You’re still in the studio?” I ask, confused.
“Yes, and her phone is here. It was still on. She left it on the workbench, but Yul was busy typing a message that she didn’t send. It just says trouble.”
“Fuck,” I growl, my stomach knotting worse than ever before. “Someone took her. There’s no other explanation.”
“But I was right here in the back, I would’ve heard something!” Ali argues, and I can hear the tears in her voice.
“No, Al, she stayed quiet to protect you. She didn’t put up a fight because she knew you’d come out from the back and be in danger, too. Besides, there is only really one person who would do this—Artur. Her brother.”
“I don’t know what to do, Yul,” she pleads.
“Go home, be safe. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay,” she stammers, swallowing hard. “Please find her.”
“I will, Ali. Just go home, please. I don’t want to have to worry about you, too. Message me as soon as you’re home, ok?”
After the call with Ali, I feel like crawling out of my skin. I’m so angry. What the fuck is Artur playing at? It can only be him! Right? I mean, the chances are really high.
I pace for a second, trying to calm myself down before I do something stupid.
Right now, my only priority is to find Kat and bring her home.
I want her safe. I need to be level-headed for that.
I can do this. I can work well under pressure.
It’s just…it’s difficult when it’s the girl I am totally and utterly in love with and can’t even bear the thought of losing.
I shove my hands through my hair and take a deep breath. Pull yourself to-fucking-gether, Yulian.
Okay.
I’ve got a plan.
Storming out of the workshop, I head straight to the security office at the entrance of our mansion. With Kat no longer a prisoner here, I don’t have the same number of guards. We’re on minimal security here. Fewer, but more highly trained men.
But there are enough of them to get a team together immediately to go look for her.
“Roger,” I shout as I walk towards the office.
He comes jogging towards me. “Sir, what is it?”
“Get every single one of the men on duty and leave at once. Kat has been taken by someone. From her studio. I want you and your men to go down there and search the place, find any footage you can from the surrounding stores. Maybe street cameras. Just find her. Okay?”
He nods vigorously. “Yes, sir. We’re on it. Do you want me to leave someone here at the gate?”
“Fuck the gate. This place means nothing without Katerina. Take everyone and find her.”
I run back towards the house to grab my car keys.
While they’re doing that, I’m going straight to the person I believe is responsible. I’ll cover all grounds, but Artur is about to get a very angry visitor at his door.
My body is burning with anxiety. I keep trying to push it away, so it doesn’t cloud my decisions, but it’s nearly impossible. The only thing that’s helping me not lose my mind is the idea that it was her own brother who took her, and he wouldn’t hurt her as far as I know.
Still, I don’t want her scared, alone, or in need of me. I promised to keep her safe, and I feel like I’ve failed her. I’m coming to find you, kitten. I won’t rest until I do.
Driving feels slower than usual. People are turning too slowly in front of me. Traffic lights are taking too long to change. Pedestrians are walking selfishly slow when they cross the roads. I’m going insane.
It takes me a lifetime to reach Artur’s office block across the border of my territory. I park right outside the front entrance, not giving a shit when the security guard comes out and threatens me.
“Tell Artur that Yulian Andreev is on the way up to see him,” I snarl, shoving past the guards.
The tall man immediately gets out his walkie-talkie, warning the guys upstairs.
When the elevator opens up on the top floor, there are several guns pointed at my head.
“Artur?” I shout, stepping out of the elevator. “Come and face me yourself, you coward.”
The guards stand steady, stiff as boards, locked into position.
From behind them, I hear Artur’s voice.
“Stand down, let him through, but don’t take your eyes off him.”
The guards step back, dropping their weapons to their sides, but keeping their fingers poised over the triggers. I glare at Artur, hatred burning in my eyes, spearing from me like daggers. “Where is she?” I snap.
“Where the fuck is who, asshole?” he snarls at me.
“You had no right to take Katerina against her will. She chose to be with me. She chose to stay. You can’t take away free will like that. She has a right to live the life she wants to live and not be stuck under your authoritarian rule!” My fists are clenched at my sides as I storm towards him.
One of the guards puts his arm out and stops me before I get too close.
But Artur is raging now, too. He closes the gap between us and shoves me hard, making me stagger backwards, spiking my anger tenfold.
“You’re the one who took my sister away from me. And who the fuck are you to tell me how to treat my own family? You know nothing about us. You fucking killed my uncle in cold blood. Do you think I’m going to listen to a fucking word you say?”
I bolt forward and slam into him. The guards aren’t interfering anymore. They can see this is between us, and Artur has made it clear he wants a fight. So, he’s going to get one.
I swing my fist, and it connects sharp and hard with his jaw. His head snaps back, and he yelps in surprise. But in a second, he’s recovered and swung at me.
He catches me on my temple as I try to turn my head away, but I’m not quite fast enough. Bells ring through my head. Adrenaline pumps through me like gasoline on an open flame.
“Where the fuck is Katerina?” I scream, slamming into him with the full force of my weight. He drops to the ground with me on his chest. I lift my fist to break his nose, but the expression on his face makes me pause.
He’s confused.
Why the fuck would he be confused?
Artur’s brow is furrowed deeply. He stops fighting completely and holds up his hands beneath me. “You don’t know where Kat is?” he asks, his voice strained.
“No, you took her,” I snap.
“I didn’t take her, Yulian. What the fuck are you talking about? Where the fuck is my sister?”
I climb off him and crouch on my knees, catching my breath. Artur sits up, rubbing the side of his jaw. “Kat was taken?” he growls.
“She was taken an hour ago. I thought it was you, so I came straight here. If it wasn’t you, then…” My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. I’ve wasted time.
Artur leaps to his feet. “We’ll track her phone?” he says.
“Whoever took her made her leave it behind,” I say.
“Fuck. What about…”
My phone vibrates loudly in my back pocket, interrupting his thought. I pull it out, hoping it’s news.
“Hello?” I snap, pressing it against the side of my head and turning away from Artur because I can’t bear the sight of him.
“Sir, we found some footage from one of the surrounding security cameras. We’re just downloading an image now. I’ll send it to your phone. You can see her walking out with one man and then a team of guards behind him.”
“Do you know the man?”
“No, sir, we were hoping you might. But in the meantime, we are going to run facial recognition on him.”
“Send the image,” I snap, hanging up.
“What’s going on?” Artur demands.
“Security footage coming through. An image of the man who took her.”
“Show me!” he snarls.
“I’m fucking waiting for the image, you fucking idiot,” I hiss.
My phone chimes, and we both stare at it as I flick through the message.
The picture fills my screen, and Artur and I both groan at the same time.
“You fucking asshole,” I snarl. “It’s Mikhail. The man you expected your sister to marry. You caused this. You put her in danger.”
“No, you put her in danger by stealing her from her family and canceling that arrangement.”
“Look at that guy, he’s a brute. Why the hell would you do that to her?”
Artur steps towards me again as though he wants to punch me.
I snarl and clench my fist. “Come on, you’ll only end up on the floor again.”
“For fuck’s sake. This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Artur huffs.
“Where is Mikhail? Where does he stay?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll get my guys to locate him.”
“You don’t even know where he lives, but you were going to sell your sister to him for some status points?”
“Shut the fuck up, Yulian. You’re no saint.”
I shake my head, turning my back on him. I don’t need this. This is a waste of time.
“I’ll find her on my own,” I snap, walking towards the elevator.
“Not a chance. I’m coming with you. That’s my sister we’re talking about.”
“Oh, now you care about her?” I huff as the elevator doors close, trapping us together in the small tin box.
All the way down, we bicker. And as we climb into my car, we’re still bickering.
Artur slams his door closed and demands, “Go west, there are some estates there. I think he lives there.”
“On a whim? You think? I don’t work like that. I want something more concrete. This is her life we’re talking about.”
“Mikhail isn’t going to hurt her. He wants an alliance,” Artur says defensively.
“You’d bet your life on that?” I ask coldly.
Artur swallows hard. I can see the color drain from his face. I guess that answers my question.
With little other choice for the time being, I head west towards the estates, and Artur gets on his phone to try and contact people he knows to get information.
He’s in that crowd. One of them has to know something.
If I start calling around asking my enemies for information, I’ll get nowhere.
Begrudgingly, I have to admit that right now, I need this asshole.
We’ve been driving for fifteen minutes. Artur got an address for Mikhail, and we’re headed there, but my phone chimes, and when I read the message, I slam on the brakes.
“What are you doing?” Artur shouts angrily.
“Someone just used Katerina’s code to enter my mansion. She’s the only one who has that code.”
“So, she’s gone back there? I don’t get it.”
“Neither do I,” I mutter, pulling up the security feed, my heart racing, my palms clammy with sweat.
Artur leans over, and I practically growl with impatience from having to deal with him.
“That’s Mikhail with her. What the fuck is she doing?” he mutters, watching the video of Katerina leading Mikhail into the mansion.
“She’s a smart girl, Artur. She’s got a plan. All we have to do is get there in time to save her before Mikhail catches on and makes her leave.”
“Well, fucking drive, then,” Artur snarls, pulling his Glock from his belt and checking the clip before putting it away again.