Chapter 44
CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR
NIKOLAI
The Bugatti tears through the night, headlights illuminating nothing but an empty road and darkness ahead. I grip the wheel, and press down on the accelerator as I near my estate.
The second I got off the phone with Eva, I opened the tracker linked to Sofiya’s ankle monitor, but it showed nothing. My heart dropped when I remembered why: I disabled it earlier so she could leave the estate for the party without setting off an alarm.
Fuck!
I’ve called Emil repeatedly since leaving the warehouse, but each time, there’s no answer.
The worst possibilities claw at me. Were they ambushed? Attacked on their way back to the estate? I can’t prove it yet but all signs point to Igor being behind her disappearance.
I slam the wheel with my fist. I should’ve seen this coming. I should’ve known something was off with him. And now I’m paying the price.
I pull up in front of my house, barely stopping the car before I’m out and sprinting up the front steps.
Vadim and Eva are in the front hall. They turn toward me, their faces grim.
“What is it?” I demand.
Vadim’s cheek twitches before he says, “It’s Emil. He’s compromised.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. “What do you mean?”
“When I reviewed the security footage, I noticed Emil having a tense phone conversation. Turns out, he was standing near a bug I planted in the hall. I pieced together parts of what he was saying—he was talking with Igor about taking Sofiya.”
The room spins. Emil. The man I trusted to protect Sofiya has turned on me. The betrayal cuts deeper than I ever imagined, dredging up old wounds.
Eva paces the foyer. “There’s also footage of Emil leading Sofiya into a car—one that doesn’t belong to the Zhukov Bratva.” All of my vehicles have trackers, so this was a calculated move.
I grip the back of a chair, my knuckles white as I try to steady myself. “Igor,” I say through clenched teeth. “Tural claimed Igor’s been working against me, plotting something bigger. I didn’t know how deep it went, but it sounds like he turned Emil.”
Vadim curses under his breath. “What the hell does Igor want with Sofiya?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice breaking with frustration. “Apparently, Igor’s working with someone powerful. Tural passed out before I could get more information. I can’t focus on that right now. Getting Sofiya back is the only thing that matters.”
The tension in the room shatters with a rumbling sound, like thunder rolling over the estate.
“What the fuck is that?” Vadim mutters, reaching for his gun.
Eva draws hers as well, her gaze snapping toward the front doors. “Outside.”
The three of us race out, bursting onto the lawn just as a helicopter descends. The deafening roar drowns out everything else.
If they were here to attack, we’d already be under fire. Still, I don’t trust it. I keep my gun locked on the chopper, my finger hovering over the trigger, prepared for anything.
Eva and Vadim flank me, their weapons raised. The chopper touches down, and two figures step out into the night: Roman Vasiliev and Pavel Fedorov. Their hands are up, palms forward in a gesture of surrender.
“Don’t shoot!” Pavel shouts, his voice cutting through the noise as they step onto the lawn.
Eva and Vadim glance at me for direction. I give a small shake of my head. We don’t lower our guns, but we don’t fire either. The two men, followed by a small contingent of their guards, make their way toward us.
They stop a few feet away. Roman’s unflinching stare locks onto mine, his expression twisting when he takes in my blood-soaked shirt. “Sofiya asked for this meeting. If it were up to me, there’d be a bullet in your head right now.”
It takes a moment for the pieces to fall into place: the phone call earlier today to her sister. Sofiya was trying to fix this, to negotiate peace between me and the Syndicate.
But peace might be impossible once he finds out what happened.
I lower my gun, dread settling in my chest.
“Let’s go inside. We need to talk.”
Roman and Pavel sit in the leather chairs in my office, their eyes drilling into me. Vadim leans against the far wall, his arms crossed, while Eva is seated on the couch.
I’ve told them everything from the beginning—about marrying Sofiya, my partnership with Igor, how I learned he’s been working against me and likely turned Emil, and the events that unfolded tonight. The hardest part is explaining that she’s missing.
When I finish speaking, Roman looks like he’s seconds away from lunging across the desk and throttling me. Pavel’s expression is cold, more measured, but no less lethal. They don’t speak, and the silence is worse than if they were shouting.
I deserve their wrath for failing to protect Sofiya. I allowed someone to get close enough to betray me, and now she’s in danger. I blame myself more than anyone. But blame won’t bring her back. Nothing will except figuring out where she is.
“That’s all we know right now. Igor’s behind this, and Emil’s working with him. That’s where we start.” I look at Vadim. “Have our hackers analyze CCTV footage and cross-reference it with traffic control systems to trace Emil’s route after the club.”
Vadim nods and fires off a text.
Roman tilts his head, his voice like ice. “This happened on your watch. The only reason we’re still sitting here is because Sofiya begged Liza not to attack. Don’t think for a moment that I trust you.”
Eva crosses her arms and glares at Roman. “Well, you better learn some trust, because whether you like it or not, we’re going to have to work together to find her.”
Roman doesn’t respond, but a muscle in his cheek twitches.
I clear my throat. “Sofiya wears a tracking monitor. I turned it off last night before we went out because I didn’t want an alarm going off, but we need to find a way to activate it remotely.”
“You had her wearing a fucking tracking monitor?” Roman growls.
I arch a brow. “Besides the point. Right now, it could be helpful.”
Vadim straightens. “Let me see what I can do.” He strides over to the computer at the side of the room, pulling the chair out and sitting. His fingers fly across the keyboard. “What kind of device is it? Did you encrypt the signal, or are we working with a default setup?”
I blow out a breath and hand him my phone with the tracking app turned on. “I don’t fucking know, our tech guys set it up. Everything you need is right here.”
Vadim nods, muttering to himself as he works. Roman watches him like a hawk, his tension palpable. Pavel rises to stand behind Vadim as he works.
I can feel Roman’s eyes on me, and I meet his stare, refusing to look away. “Something you want to say to me, Vasiliev?”
“I’m trying to figure you out. If you’ve tricked or manipulated Sofiya into falling for you, I’ll flay you alive.”
I run a finger over the indent in my chin. “That’s fair.”
“What does that mean?”
I throw my hands wide. “It means I didn’t trick or play or manipulate her. It means I fell just as hard for her. I’d burn the world to ashes to get her back. I’d trade every deal, every ounce of my power, for her happiness.” My voice cracks, and I resist the urge to smash a fist through the wall.
Roman blinks, clearly caught off guard by my response.
I open my desk drawer and pull out the documents for the casino deal. Slapping them onto the desk, I push them toward him. “These are the papers Igor wanted me to sign. The deal I walked away from so I could show you how serious I am about her.”
Roman picks up the papers, his expression hard as he flips through them. Finally, he sets them down and gives me a tight nod. “You’re still an asshole, but I believe you.”
It’s not forgiveness, but I’ll take it. However, nothing can erase the unease gnawing at me. Sofiya’s still out there, and every second she’s in Igor’s hands feels like torture.
A moment later, Vadim curses and leans back in frustration. “There’s no signal. They must’ve removed the monitor.”
Pavel steps forward. “Mind if I try?”
Vadim looks at me, and I dip my chin. Pavel takes a seat and cracks his knuckles. “What kind of encryption am I dealing with?”
“Military grade,” Vadim says flatly.
Pavel’s lips twitch, the closest thing to amusement I’ve seen from him all night. “Let’s see if it holds up.”
The room goes quiet except for the rapid clicking of keys. Roman’s eyes dart between Pavel and the screen, his hands curled into fists on the armrests of his chair.
After a tense stretch, Pavel straightens. “Got it. I’ve managed to pull up the last location where the monitor was active. It might not be current, but it’s something.”
Fuck. Finally, a break.
“What’s the location?” I demand, stepping up to the monitor.
Pavel types quickly, and a map fills the screen. The area is an industrial zone on the edge of the port. Rusted warehouses and forgotten streets dot the grid.
“That place is a fucking wasteland. No surveillance, no foot traffic. But I know it. It’s not far from an abandoned lot where Igor and I used to meet.” My hands clench at my sides. “We can be there in under an hour.”
“Do you want to use our chopper?” Roman offers.
I shake my head. “It’ll be too loud, especially in an area like that. We need to be stealthy.”
Eva is already halfway to the door. “I’ll grab the tactical gear and prepare our men. Meet outside in five.”
Roman claps me on the back. “You lead this. Whatever you need, my men and I will provide support.”
It’s not a full-on white flag, but it’s as close as I’m going to get. “Appreciate it.”
Before we can move out, my phone vibrates in my pocket. A second later, Roman’s phone chimes, too.
We both freeze, exchanging a wary glance. My stomach tightens as I check the screen—a video message from an unknown number.
Roman swipes to open it, his expression tense. “What the fuck is this?”
I follow suit, dread curling in my gut. I hold my phone up so Roman can see. “Did you get the same video?”
He gives me a tight nod. The room falls silent as the video begins to play.