Chapter 15 - Makari
Opening my eyes, I turned to my side. There she was, my angel, sleeping so peacefully. I started reaching out, wanting to trace her delicate features, but stopped. I didn’t want to wake her up yet.
Carefully, I got out of bed. Pulling on my tracksuit pants, I headed down to the kitchen. I searched through the cupboards and the fridge. I wanted to make her a special breakfast. She deserved it and so much more.
I was intent on serving her breakfast in bed. I knew the longer I took, the bigger her chance to wake up. I felt sure she would love to be woken with breakfast in bed. Sighing, I collected the ingredients for waffles. It was the only thing I knew I could make.
Once they were done, I added whipped cream and some fresh berries. I no longer wanted to go meet Pavel for our meeting, but knew it had to be done. Standing back, I admired my handiwork.
After placing the plate on a tray, I poured some coffee. Looking at it, I tried to figure out what was missing. Ah, yes. I quickly ran outside and picked flowers from the garden. They looked nice in the small vase. I added a glass of fresh juice and three small chocolates to complete the look.
“There you go,” I spoke out loud as I picked up the tray. Moving slowly, I went back to the room. Before I got to the door, I felt my stomach turning. No, I thought to myself as my hands started sweating. It was just nerves, I told myself as I reached the door. There was so much going on that it could be anything.
Pushing my foot forward, I slowly opened the door. She was still sleeping. Walking to her side of the bed, I placed the tray down on the nightstand.
Walking around to my side, I got back in bed with her. Now, I could trace her features. Tenderly, I moved a strand of hair from her face as I spoke. “Good morning, it’s time to wake up. I made you breakfast.”
Grace blinked a couple of times before opening her eyes. With a sleepy voice, she replied softly. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to.”
As she stretched out, I tenderly pulled her left arm towards me. “Careful, you’re going to knock the tray off,” I said, smiling at her.
Looking to the side, she smiled as she replied. “Oh, sorry.” She shifted down before sitting up. Glancing back at me, she spoke again. “Keep the bed warm for me? I’m just going to the bathroom quickly.”
Nodding, I jumped out of bed and moved to her side. I slipped in as she got up. Watching her move to the bathroom, my mood lifted. I felt light and happy. My stomach settled. Now I felt sure it was just nerves and not trouble on its way.
Pleasing her had become a mission for me. I had developed strong feelings, but didn’t know how to tell her yet.
As she came back, I got up. Grace slid back into bed and sat up against the headboard. “I’m going to enjoy this. Thank you so much,” she said as I placed the tray over her legs.
“Excellent,” I huffed, feeling quite proud of myself. I sat down at the end of the bed, watching her as she ate.
After eating about half, she looked at me tenderly as she spoke. “Thank you again, but if I eat more, I’ll explode.”
“No problem,” I replied, taking the tray from her. Placing it on the table by the door, I started getting ready.
“What are your plans for the day?” Grace enquired as I pulled on my shoes.
“I’m meeting Pavel, and after that, we’ll see,” I replied, grinning. Grabbing my jacket, I walked to her side. Kissing her forehead, I spoke softly. “Have fun, and I’ll see you soon, okay?”
Grace smiled and nodded as I headed out. Getting into my truck, I shook as a shiver ran down my spine and goosebumps covered my arms. “No,” I said to my reflection as I looked in the rearview mirror. “Get a grip.”
I arrived before Pavel and took a table towards the side. I ordered our coffee and waited. Glancing around, I could see nothing out of place. I wondered if I shouldn’t have canceled, what if Grace was in danger? Shaking my head, I tried to push the idea out of my mind.
As Pavel sat down, the waitress brought the coffee I had ordered. “Thank you for joining me,” I said, stirring a sugar lump into my coffee.
Pavel picked up his cup and blew across the top, nodding. After a moment's silence, he placed his cup down. Pavel looked me in the eyes as he spoke. “So, why did you want to discuss things here? We could have done this at home.”
“Yes and no,” I replied, scanning the area. “I want to talk about the observations and chats you had at the party.”
Pavel smirked as he spoke. “So, you don’t want to talk about the fact that you were drooling over Grace?”
Clenching my fist, I took a deep breath. I wanted to lean over and smack the crap out of him but held it back. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at him. “Okay, okay,” he responded, laughing. “Let’s focus on work.”
Leaning in, I spoke softly. But I could still hear the annoyance in my tone. “Thank you. So, is there anything that stood out? Did you pick up on any vibes, or get new clients?”
Pavel sat back, exhaling loudly. “Wow, what a mouthful,” he uttered. I could see he was thinking very hard as his face appeared to pull in on itself. Finally, he shook his head. “No, not really. But two people may be interested in doing business,” he added.
“Good,” I replied, looking at the people moving past. Since I got up this morning, I couldn’t shake this terrible feeling. It could all be in my mind, but even my taste buds were acting up. The coffee tasted like muddy water. I had a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“I noticed a man there who looked like he could be Bratva, but I didn’t recognize him. Did you see him?” I enquired.
Pavel rubbed his head. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as his mind sprang into gear. “Yes,” he huffed. “I think I caught a glimpse of him. But I didn’t get a very good look. Every time I moved closer, he moved away. It was like he was I had some disease the way he was evading me.”
Closing my eyes, I breathed in slowly, trying to remember everything I had seen before Grace entered. An overwhelming sense of danger filled me. Opening my eyes, I surveyed the area. Across the road, I noticed three men staring straight at us.
The one in the middle looked like one of the men from the fight. “Who’s that?” I heard Pavel asking.
“We need to move,” I breathed out, placing money on the table for our drinks as I rose. Walking slowly, weaving between the tables, I knew Pavel was following as I heard him getting up.
“Makari,” Pavel enquired with intensity in his voice. “What’s happening?”
We cleared the tables, moving to the corner where my truck was parked. “I think those men could be the guys I went looking for,” I said, keeping my voice low. Before we reached the truck, I saw the men splitting up. Two were heading away from us. But the man I recognized was walking parallel to us.
“We have to get him,” I said, watching him turn up an alley. “Come on,” I added, tapping Pavel on the shoulder as I moved across the street.
The alleyway was darker than the street, but I could see him existing on the other side. Entering the alley, I glanced at Pavel as I spoke. “We will follow him quietly and…,”
Before I could complete my sentence, Pavel’s fist flew over my shoulder. He was quicker than usual, and I was caught off guard. As he swung, he shoved me to the side. My collision with the wall was hard. I felt pain shooting up my shoulder.
It was a trap, my mind screamed as the men seemed to appear out of thin air. They were quickly filling the alley. If we didn’t move, we would get caught. Pavel had taken down the man with the knife who came at me. But he was fighting with another one.
Turning, I joined him as we stood back-to-back, fighting off the string of assailants. As a light started shining through, and I thought we were at the end of the line, I heard the gunshot echo. Ducking, I looked around to see Pavel grabbing his arm.
The shot barely missed him. Grabbing him, I moved back behind a dumpster. I was sure it was the man we were looking for. I had to act now or lose him again. I looked at Pavel, our eyes meeting as I stepped out into the alley, my gun raised.
Around me, the men we had fought assisted each other up and cleared out. It was only me and the shooter. We gazed at each other as I pulled the trigger. Purposely, I only grazed him. I was still a bit shaken by the number of men he came with.
As my bullet ripped through his shirt and the muscle of his arm, he pulled the trigger. I ducked as his bullet swerved past me. Looking up, I saw he was gone. “Come on,” Pavel said as he joined me.
We chased after them. We couldn’t afford to lose them, and going back to their house was no longer an option. They will be waiting for us. Turning the next corner, I almost ran over an elderly man. My legs burned as we weaved through the people, and my heart pounded.
Stopping at the corner market, I thought we had lost them. But Pavel tapped my shoulder as he pointed to one of the men moving through the market. “Yes, that’s one of them,” I huffed as we headed after him. He glanced around and spotted us, starting up the chase again.
Turning at the next corner, we saw him entering an abandoned building. Pulling Pavel to a stop, I surveyed the building. “It could be a trap,” I breathed out. The building looked like it was about to crumble. “We must move carefully,” I added before leading the way again.
I knew we had no other options. Moving into the building, I stayed before Pavel. A deafening crack filled the air, and we had to take cover again. My leg was on fire suddenly. Looking down, I noticed my pants were torn, and blood was seeping through. Sighing, I was grateful that their aim appeared to suck.
“Distract them,” Pavel said. “I’ll go around.”
Before I could object, he moved away. Considering our options, I realized he was right. I was a better shot; if things went sideways, I could protect him. Lifting my gun, I shot a couple of rounds into the air.
There was silence as I moved out of hiding and continued towards the middle area. Spotting one of the men, I aimed and took the shot. He turned and fired back, as I had only gotten him in the side.
Taking shelter again, I shot again. I had to keep their attention on me. After another few shots, I heard my gun clicking. I was out of bullets. I had no shots left. Then I realized there was no shooting from them either. Hoping they had the same issue, I jumped out, ready to charge.
But there was my brother, two men already down and out, and he was beating on the third, the man I actually wanted.
“Knock him out and go get my truck. We need him,” I said, walking closer. After two more hits, he got up and took the keys from me. I found some rope on a table by the back door. After tying up the men, I dragged the man we wanted towards the door we had come in through.
I knew this could turn into a full-fledged war if we weren't careful. Hearing a vehicle approaching, I peeked out the door. I was relieved to see Pavel coming closer. He parked my truck as close to the door as he could.
“You leaving the others?” Pavel enquired. He sounded a bit worried.
Glancing back, I considered it. “No,” I finally replied. “We must probably take them all. No loose ends.”
We quickly moved back and dragged the other two men to my truck. Once we had all of them snugly inside, we could leave. It was one of the hardest feats we have done in a long time. But we managed to get them all in.
Driving slowly, we headed back home. We didn’t want to attract any attention as we heard the sirens closing in. Two cop cars raced past us. Pavel breathed out as hard as I did as we watched their lights fade behind us. I wondered if someone had called them. It was still early, and I felt sure the shots must have been heard.
Relief washed over me as we neared home. We got out on time, and we had all of the men. At home, Pavel assisted me in getting them down the side steps into the basement. As we moved, we kept an eye out for Grace. I hoped she didn’t spot us. This would be hard to explain.
Once we had all of them downstairs, I headed in to find Grace. I had to ensure she didn’t see or hear anything. I couldn’t afford for her to see something and be fearful of us. I stopped in my room for clean clothes and to patch up the bullet scrape before searching for her.
For a moment, I considered asking her to identify them. But I decided it wasn’t a wise choice considering the state they are already in. I found her in the entertainment room. She was watching some kind of soap opera from the looks of it.
“Hi there,” I said, knocking.
Grace looked around, surprised to see me. “Oh, I didn’t hear you coming in,” she said, putting off the television. “Have you been home long?”
“No, no,” I replied, looking down. For the first time in my life, I wished I had a normal existence. “I’ve just returned.” Looking up into her shining face, my heart skipped a beat. Smiling, I stepped back out of the room. “Well, continue, I’ve still got some things to do. I’ll see you later,” I added, closing the door.
I would rather keep her out of this. She still had a chance to return to her normal life. Leaning against the wall, a heaviness filled me. I would have to make a difficult choice at some point, but not today.
There may be a time when she would have to get involved, as she was the witness, but I loved her innocence and wanted her to keep it as long as possible.
Heading back down to the basement, I wondered if Pavel had successfully secured them. Stepping in, I shut the door tightly. Pavel stood in the corner, staring at a sheet on the floor before him.
“And now?” I questioned, joining him.
“The one didn’t make it,” he said flatly.
Squeezing his shoulder, I spoke calmly. “Okay, we’ll take him out later. Where are the other two?” I knew he didn’t like this part, but I couldn’t do it by myself. “Come, we have work to do. The sooner we get it done, the quicker we can settle this.”
I followed Pavel into the first side room. He had tied the guy we wanted to a chair in the middle of the room.
To one side was a long steel table with my tools spread out on it.