15. Caught
Chapter fifteen
Caught
L evka wore black, blending as much as possible into the night. He had left his phone behind on the journey to Luerna. He couldn’t risk his father checking to see where he snuck off to. It was bad enough that Ivan was getting suspicious about his actions. He couldn’t have his father find out he was once again causing trouble with the Morozov line.
The stars were bright, but there was no moon. He was thankful it coincided with Rurik taking the night out to go visit his whore in the city. This was a risk, Levka knew. He was entering enemy territory blindly. But it’s been seven days since Levka saw Luerna, and it was eating away at him.
He could sense her hesitation with every phone call and text message. It was only logical that she would be afraid. He was trying to get her to betray a family she dedicated her life to. He was asking her to leave behind every comfort. He wanted her to take up her kids and disappear into the night.
It was too much.
That’s why it was becoming more apparent that running away wasn’t possible.
Killing Rurik however, was.
He wanted her approval first. Killing the father of her children would be a hard pill to swallow. And then, of course, there were the kids. If he could marry Luerna, he’d look those kids in the eye daily, knowing what he’d done. Would they find out that he was their father’s murderer? Would they hate him?
Oh, these thoughts were no good. There was no way for Luerna to get the happy ending she deserved.
There would be one way, Levka acknowledged. He would kill Rurik and then disappear. She wasn’t in love with him, not yet, and perhaps down the line, she’d find someone, and eventually, she’d be happy.
But that wasn’t possible for Levka. He was either with her or dead.
Standing at the bottom of a hill, Levka could see the Morozov estate in the distance. It was a mile away, and the walls were aglow. There would be cameras all about and footmen manning the walls. But he would go unseen. The small shack was in the middle of a grazing field, hidden by trees. Underneath moldy hay barrels and broken farm equipment, was a trap door. It was rusted in several areas and took all his strength to lift. With a small flashlight, he jumped down into the hole.
The walls dripped with mildew. It smelt like sewage, but he could stand straight, and there was enough room for another person to walk beside him. It was a great escape tunnel built back in the 1800s. Her great-grandfather had royal blood, was a bastard child of Alexander, who was a czar of Russia. It’s said that Alexander himself built the mansion for his mistress.
Levka could feel the incline, it was slow but gradual. It took only twenty minutes, and he knew he was getting close. The tunnel was now made of brick, and the smell faded. He stepped into a massive dungeon as his flashlight zoomed across the place. There were rusted bars for prison cells. A thick slap of wood in the center of the room with old chains draping from the corners- an ancient torture device, no doubt still used today. It wasn’t what he was hoping to find. But he kept moving, guessing the direction, going through a hallway on the right. There were unknown noises, but ghosts weren’t in his belief system, so he created an excuse for every chill that climbed up his spine.
Drafts, he kept repeating.
Finally, some light came up ahead, and Levka moved for it. Luerna knew he was coming. He had sent her a text just before he left. He didn’t wait for a reply to tell him ‘don’t’ or ‘I’m not worth it’ or ‘it’s too risky.’ He had to see her only to remind her why she was trying to leave.
The door opened ahead. A smile stretched on his lips. Luerna said it would be easy, and he’d go undetected. It was a weakness in their security, and if he wasn’t taking advantage of it, he’d tell her to get it fixed.
His smile fell.
Rurik stood in the doorway, staring down at him. A pistol was at his side, and a smirk on his hairy face.
Levka dropped the light and ran into the darkness. He kept quiet, trying to keep his breath from making any sound. He wasn’t panicked. Not yet. There were dozens of ways to get lost until they gave up their search, but Rurik knew this dungeon. He’d know all the places to hide.
Levka felt along the walls, but he wasn’t completely blind. Rurik’s guards were coming with lights on the tips of their gun barrels. He dived into a hole in the wall, and the darkness encased him like an invisibility cloak, but it wasn’t enough. He had to keep moving and out of their lights’ scope. There was no time to think if Luerna betrayed him or if Rurik just got lucky. But it was becoming evident, wasn’t it? Rurik had been ready for him.
Levka raced blindly through a hall. His hand kept to the wall. He tried to map the world in his head, but it was too dark, and he was unsure he was going in the right direction. The exit was on the north side, but he took too many turns.
A light focused on him, blinding him. “Don’t move!” They screamed.
Levak panted. He could go on for another hour, but it was pointless. He raised his hands as they approached. The butt of a gun smashed into his face, and he fell to the floor. They didn’t let him recover, slamming a foot into his ribs and a baton on his back. The pain was like bright bursts of fireworks ripping through his skin, claiming all thoughts and devouring his nervous system. He struggled to breathe through the agony. Blood built in his mouth and dripped from his open lips as he was pulled to his feet. He couldn’t stand, and they kept each arm, dragging his legs behind him.
Levka groaned when he hit the chair. His arms were pinned behind him with a zip tie. His head hung, too tired to try to raise it. The light from above told him he was in their interrogation room. Every mafia family had a fucking interrogation room. It was always cold, always made of stone, with a single spotlight hanging. He cursed his own culture.
Rurik was in front of him, smoking a cigar. He had tape around his knuckles. It would allow him to beat Levka without ruining his hands. Can’t show up at business meetings with scabbed knuckles.
“She told me if that’s what you want to know.”
Levka spat blood on the floor. “Who?”
Rurik snickered. “Still gonna stick up for her after she gave you away?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay.” Rurik blew out smoke. “What are you doing here if not to try to fuck my wife?”
Levka had been prepared with an answer if he were to get caught. “To kill Adrik.”
A skeptical noise escaped Rurik’s throat. “You aren’t that stupid, wolf. Killing Adrik would do nothing for you.”
“Except make me happy.”
He nodded. “Sure. If that’s the story you want to go with. I’d advise against it. You could still get out of here alive if you tell the truth.”
Levka snickered. “You can’t kill me.”
“An assassination attempt, even a poorly conducted one, is cause enough. You broke into my house-”
“Adrik’s house. Yakov’s house. Not yours.”
That earned him a punch to the face. Levka stretched his jaw, and clenched his eyes, trying to regain his focus. Rurik gripped his hair, his fingers pulling at strands, tilting Levka’s head to the side. Rurik kept his full stance, forcing Levka to crane his neck to look at him. “You think I was never a young shit like you? I know what the fuck you’re doing. And you’re gonna fucking stop.” An idea widened Rurik’s eyes and he released Levka, stepping off to the side.
But he returned with a sharp machete in hand. Levka’s breathing picked up as he approached. “Get the fuck away from me,” Levka ground through his teeth.
Rurik chuckled. “Boys your age only think about your dick. I’ll be doing you a favor.” He touched its tip against Levka’s cheek. “Have you fucked my wife?”
“No.”
He pressed in, just enough to poke a hole. Blood dribbled down his chin. Levka closed his eyes in the pain, keeping any sound from escaping his lips. Rurik twisted the knife deeper, trying to get a scream.
“Did you come here to fuck my wife?”
“You’re a little obsessed with this. Is she unhappy with your performance? Perhaps because you’re fucking old.”
Rurik snatched the blade back if only to put it under his throat. He had Levka by the hair again and his lips at the boy’s ear. “Say it again. I fucking dare you.”
A rush of footsteps entered the room, and Adrik’s sharp force sounded in the dark. “That’s enough, Rurik.”
Rurik only moved to glance over his shoulder. Adrik, Alexei, and Gil all stood in the doorway. “Why?”
There was no response, and after several intense seconds, Rurik pushed himself away.
“Get out,” Adrik ordered.
Rurik clenched the blade, and Levka wondered if he had the balls to lash out at the heir to the Morozov line. To kill Adrik would put the whole family after him. He wouldn’t dare.
“He came for my wife–”
“I said get out.”
Rurik raised the blade at him. “I’m calling your father.” He dropped the weapon and darted past them, pushing his way between Alexei and Gil, who shoved him. “Fucking bullshit.” He called for his soldiers, and the room emptied.
“Give us a minute.”
Alexei and Gil hesitated but allowed Adrik to shut the door on them. Then he stood in front of Levka with his hands in his pockets. Levka kept his head down. Humiliation was worse than the pain Rurik caused, and having Adrik of all the Morozov siblings standing here made him physically ill. He cursed Alexei for stepping down as heir.
“A security trigger went off when you opened the barn door. Luerna didn’t know about it. Father added it before we left for the States.”
Levka squeezed his eyes shut. The slight doubt that had crept in made him feel so guilty. He should have known Luerna wouldn’t turn him in.
Adrik grabbed a chair from the side wall and placed it in front of him. He put his elbows on his knees, trying to get Levka’s attention. “I always knew you were a fucking idiot. Pretending to rape Kira was just the tip of it.”
Levka clenched his teeth. The urge to punch Adrik in the throat, if only to bring down his ridiculous ego, pulled at his wrists, sinking the zip tie further into his skin.
“Luerna doesn’t need your shit.”
“Don’t fucking talk to me about her.”
“She–”
“I said, don’t fucking talk to me about her. You all don’t give a shit about her, so don’t act like you know what’s best.”
“And you do?”
Levka turned his head and said nothing.
“She has a role in this family–”
“To be Rurik’s whore. Got it.”
“Interrupt me again, and I’ll take over where Rurik left off.”
Levka shifted, the zip tie burning into his skin. He wasn’t gonna sit here and listen to bullshit. He’d rather Rurik come back in and take his ears off.
Adrik sat back with his legs wide and his hands resting on his lap. “I can be on your side, Levka, but you’re so fucking annoying. Ever since we were kids.”
“Yeah, great, can we get this over with?”
Adrik stood and took up the machete. He came around Levka. The man stiffened, staring at a spot on the ceiling, ready for whatever punishment Adrik had. But he cut the zip tie and tossed the blade.
Levka, unsure and hesitant, rubbed his wrists as he watched Adrik sit back down.
“You are too rash,” Adrik began. “In the situation with your hotels, you reached too far too quickly. You don’t let it grow. Businesses take two to three years to get off the ground. But you sell it before the profits roll in. You’d make substantial passive income if you hadn’t sold the companies.”
Levka was skeptical about this conversation. Why did Adrik talk like they were equals? “I don’t have time.”
“Why not? You’re twenty-three? Twenty-Four? You got time. You keep all the laundry businesses, all the small profit ones, but sell off the big ones.”
“The smaller ones take less effort.”
“Then hire people.”
Levka rested his elbows on his knees, spitting more blood on the floor. He rubbed his lips.
“What’s your net worth?” Adrik asked.
“Five million.”
“Could be fifty-five in three years.”
Levka snapped his head up. “It was a hundred before your family fucked us up. I had to build from the ground up. In five years, I’ve undone all of your damage. But the Stephanovs have taken up most of the streets, leaving us with shit. Pretty soon, I’ll either be under their thumb or yours.”
Adrik held up his hands. “Lesser of two evils.”
Levka sneered. The very idea of being part of the Morozov family made him sick to his stomach.
“I have a job if you want to take it.”
“Your father won’t allow it.”
“He doesn’t have to know.”
All the rage in Levka paused as he sat there and stared at Adrik. He couldn’t understand the reasoning. Where was the deception? “Why?”
Adrik shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“Yes. With you Morozovs, it always matters.”
Adrik simply smirked and remained silent.
“I have plans that don’t involve you or the Stephanovs, I just need time, and I don’t fucking have it.”
Adrik nodded. “The Stephanovs are coming, and my sister can’t wait forever. I get it.”
Levka shook his head. “If any of you gave a shit about her, you’d do something to help her.”
“She’s fine.”
“She’s not fine!” Levka bit, standing up. “This life is killing her, and all you fucks just sit around not giving a shit because she’s a woman. She’s smarter than any of you! She should be head of the family. Instead, she’s forced to pop out fucking babies she doesn’t want. She’d sacrifice her happiness for you. You know that, right?”
“And I’d for her. She is not the only one making sacrifices. That is the mafia way. But for whatever reason, you are focused on her. She doesn’t need your help. All you’ll do is make it worse. My father destroyed you once. He’ll never let you be part of this family. Stay away from Luerna, Levka.”
“I can’t!” Levka nearly screamed. Then he laughed, “I can’t. Even knowing that I can’t.”
“You trying to convince me you’re in love with her?”
“I don’t give a shit about convincing you.” Levka ran his hands through his hair, but the movement stretched his rib, and he cursed as he leaned over, trying to ease the massive pain.
Adrik studied him and sighed, disappointed that the man would do something so stupid as fall for his sister.
“You really are a fucking idiot.”