Chapter 23 Sergei
SERGEI
It had been two hours since they took her.
Two hours of being out of my mind with anger and panic and everything in between. Lina had only been with me for a couple of months, but in that time, she’d gone from a girl I’d once known to an absolute obsession. She invaded my dreams, my thoughts, and with every breath, I longed for her.
Fuck.
I didn’t ask for this.
I didn’t want this.
But here I was, utterly consumed by a woman and ready to burn the world down to get her back. I didn’t know where they had taken her. I didn’t know if they’d hurt her. I didn’t know if she was scared and calling for me or if she was already gone.
It didn’t help matters that I knew what these men were capable of, and it had my mind reeling with the most horrific things imaginable.
I had to stop. Thoughts like these break a man faster than any bullet.
I knew how this worked. I lived it, breathed it, and I knew if I let myself feel anything, I would unravel.
I couldn’t let myself think about the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, or the way she bit her bottom lip when she wrote in her journal, or the way her neck and cheeks would blush whenever she was aroused. Thoughts like that would do me in.
I had to keep my focus. It was the only way I was going to find her. It was the only way I was going to bring her home. So, I let my rage seep in. I would come for them. I would find them. I would carve my name into their flesh and take what they love and make it rot.
But to do that, I needed information.
I already knew that Sidorov and Vasiliev were nothing more than a couple of errand boys for a man named Mikhail Korolenko.
I didn’t know much about the man. I had no reason to know.
He belonged to a world I’d turned my back on and had no desire to ever return to.
But now that he’d forced my hand, I was eager to know everything there was to know about him.
So, I made a call to Lev. He was a pain in the ass, but he had a way of getting information when I needed it. And I needed it now more than ever. It had been less than twenty minutes since I’d told him what I needed when he called back and announced, “I got them.”
“Tell me.”
“Mikhail Korolenko. 108 East 27th Street.”
I wrote it down, then waited for the next.
“His lieutenant, Ivan Zadora is 4224 Chicot Road. My guy says he’s out late and gone early, and you need to know this guy is off. He has a thing for torture, and not your run of the mill kind, if there is such a thing. I’m telling ya, he’s a real son-of-a-bitch.”
“Guard detail?”
“I just got the names. The rest is up to you.”
“Understood. I’ll be in touch.”
With that, I ended the call and turned my attention to Jenson. He was sitting at his desk, going through the security footage from my apartment in hopes of finding something on the men who’d taken Lina. Maybe then, we could figure out where they’d taken her.
Jenson was good, but it was going to take him some time to piece it all together. Unfortunately, time was something Lina didn’t have. I had to get to the head of the snake, cut it off, and work my way down. It was my only chance of getting her back.
I stepped over to him and handed him the addresses Lev had given me. He glanced down at the addresses and asked, “What do you need?”
“Access to their security footage.”
He nodded, but I could see the wheels turning in his head.
He was still trying to find something on the men who’d taken Lina, but right now, this took precedence.
He took the paper and started doing whatever it was that he did.
I turned and headed to the vault. I put in the combination, and seconds later, the lock disengaged. I opened the door and stepped inside.
I grabbed my bulletproof vest and slid it over my head, cinching it tight beneath my pullover.
It had been years since I’d put it on, but there was still a familiarity to it.
I didn’t overthink it. I simply reached for my gun and holster and put it on.
I shoved a couple of clips into my back pocket before I reached for my blade.
My movements came so naturally, like I was stepping into my old skin, but this time, I wasn’t going to war for my father. This was my war, and the blood I was about to shed would be on me and me alone. The thought didn’t dissuade me. If anything, it fueled me.
I walked back into the office and over to Jenson. “What did you find?”
“Looks like an old system. Probably just using it for monitoring. Not sure it’s recording.”
“Can you shut it down?”
“Absolutely. I can kill the power, too.”
While the dark would offer me some cover, it would serve as a warning to Korolenko and his men. I couldn’t take that chance, so I told him, “Leave the power. Just kill the security system when I give you the go ahead.”
“You got it.” Jenson inhaled a quick breath, gathering the courage to ask, “You really going after these guys alone?”
“I am.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
I didn’t respond. I just glared at him, letting him know that it wasn’t up for discussion. But that didn’t stop him from saying, “Preacher’s gonna be pissed.”
Damn. I hadn’t even thought about Preacher.
I hadn’t thought about anything except getting to the man who’d given the order to take Lina.
Getting to him and ending him was the only thing on my mind.
But there was more to it than taking out Korolenko.
I had to find out where they’d taken her, and in order to do that, I was going to need him and the boys.
I paused in the doorway just long enough to say, “Call him. Fill him in and tell him I’ll be back as soon as I’ve dealt with Korolenko and Zadora.”
“You got it.”
“I’ll text you when I’m ready for you to kill the cameras.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Without saying anything more, I walked out of the office and down the back hall.
As usual, the casino was packed. I didn’t want to take the chance on anyone seeing me, so I took the back exit.
Calm moved through me as I made my way out to my car.
I didn’t think. I just let my instincts take over.
It was the only way I was going to get through this alive.
I drove over to Korolenko’s place first. I parked across the street and pulled my gun from its holster.
I slipped on the silencer and took a moment to take in my surroundings.
Korolenko lived in a middle-class neighborhood where some of the houses were well-kept while others were rundown and completely trashed out.
The yards were overgrown, and various cars filled the driveways and more spilled out onto road.
His wasn’t all that bad. It was tidy in a sad, meager way.
It was in decent shape, but it needed to be painted.
There were hedges and trees, but they needed to be trimmed, and the yard was full of leaves.
There was a car in the drive, and while I couldn’t see the man sitting inside, I could see his cigarette smoke as it billowed out the window.
There would be another guard inside. Maybe more.
I didn’t care. I was ready for whatever laid ahead.
I took one last look, making note of the security camera on both corners of the house, and the motion light above the garage.
Everything looked so ordinary. Parked cars.
A trash can tipped over against the curb.
A cat sitting on the stoop. Ordinary could hide not-so ordinary people, just like it had with Korolenko.
I took out my phone and sent Jenson a text, letting him know it was time.
I got out of my car, and by the time I made it across the street, the blinking light on the camera had gone dark.
I stepped up to the driver’s side of the car, and the guard never saw me coming when I placed the barrel of my silencer against his temple.
I pulled the trigger, and his body immediately slumped behind the wheel.
I didn’t slow down. I just kept moving toward the house.
I didn’t bother going around back. It would take time I didn’t have, so I walked straight up to the door, jimmied it, and stepped inside.
I didn’t think. I just let my instincts take over and put one foot in front of the other.
There were two guards sitting at the dining room table, shooting the shit about God knows what, and neither of them even noticed me until I stepped into the light.
By then, it was too late. I already had my gun trained straight ahead.
They reached for their weapons, but I shot them both before their hands ever reached metal.
I quickly scanned the room, checking for anyone else that might be coming at me, and when there wasn’t, I kept moving forward.
The place looked like any other house. There was basic furniture throughout, and family pictures on the wall.
There were even a couple of pairs of shoes in the corner.
Some were smaller, like kids’ shoes, and it gave me pause.
I didn’t like the idea of putting a kid in harm’s way.
Then, I remembered the look on Lina’s face when she stepped out of my apartment with those two assholes.
Even through the grainy camera feed, I could see that the warmth in her eyes was gone.
They were cold and distant, and her shoulders hung low.
She wasn’t crying or resisting. There was no fight in her at all.
That’s when I realized she’d given up. But I hadn’t.
I would find her, and I would bring her home.
The floorboards moaned under my steps, but I didn’t stop. I kept moving forward, slow and deliberate. I could hear movement above me, his kids, and possibly the wife. They were completely unaware of my presence, and I intended to keep it that way—for now.
Another step forward, and I spotted him. He was sitting in a recliner, facing the television, and the blue glare of the news flickered in his glasses. He had no idea I was there until I stepped up behind him and placed the edge of my blade against his jugular.
I could feel his pulse quicken when I leaned in and hissed, “Where is she?”
“He told me you would come for me, but I gotta say, I didn’t think you’d have the nerve.”
“Where is she?”
“Thought you were smarter than this,” he responds with a thick Russian accent. “I would’ve thought a man like your father would’ve taught what it means to cross a man like me.”
“I won’t ask again.”
“You know where she is. She’s with the others, getting primed for sale.” He sounded unfazed as he said, “She’s safe… for now.”
“I’m not playing games with you, Korolenko.” I pressed the blade firmly against his carotid. “If one hand is laid on her, I’ll come for your wife and your kids. I’ll make them suffer in ways you can’t imagine.”
I gave him a moment to finally confess Lina’s location, but he never did. Instead, he spat, “She’s as good as dead.”
Rage washed over me, and without thinking, I dragged the blade across his throat. The blood was immediate, followed by gasping and clawing for mercy. But there would be no mercy for him. The blade was still warm when I stepped back, leaving him to bleed out in his chair.
I heard murmurs upstairs, maybe one of the kids settling into bed, and took it as my cue to leave. I hoped I wouldn’t have to come back for them. I would if I had to. There was no doubt about that. I walked out of the house feeling nothing. No guilt. No satisfaction. Just numb.
I plugged in the next address into my GPS and started to drive. I hadn’t gotten far when my cell phone started to ring. I picked it up and glanced down at the screen. When I saw that it was Preacher, I answered, “I don’t have time to talk.”
“Make time.”
“You aren’t hearing me, Preacher. I don’t have time for this.”
“Where are you?” he cut me off.
“Get with Jenson. He has what you need to know. I’m heading for the lieutenant.”
“You’re playing with fire here, Sergei.”
“I have to get her back.”
“And you will. But…”
I ended the call before he had a chance to finish his thought.
It didn’t matter. I already knew what he was going to say, and I didn’t want to hear it.
I didn’t want to hear anything. Not the way she said my name.
Not the rasp of her voice when she came.
I just wanted the silence to swallow me whole.
I knew going in this one would be different.
Zadora wasn’t a man who hired protection.
He was the protection, and more than that, he was a trained killer with a thirst for theatrics.
He killed for sport and liked to play with his prey.
Tonight was a toss-up on roles. I wanted to think I was the predator, and he was the prey. But only time would tell.
I parked several houses down, got out, and did my best to stay in the shadows as I made my way up to the house.
Only it wasn’t a house at all. It was more of a trailer with a gravel drive, small windows, and very little lighting.
I scanned the area, checking for any onlookers, and when I saw no one, I continued toward the front door.
I was just a few steps away when I noticed the note taped to the door. It was about the size of my palm, and the paper had yellowed like bad teeth. The handwriting was crooked like something a child would write, only a child would never write something like this:
You want the girl? Come find her.
Don’t take too long. My patience is thin.
I will let her keep breathing. For now. But make no mistake, I will have her. I will kill her. And then, I will kill you with the same blade.
Don’t keep me waiting.
Z
His words should’ve rattled me. They should’ve made my blood run cold.
They didn’t. It was almost expected that he’d pull something like this.
It told me he was clever, he was cruel, and most of all, he was calculated.
He thought he was the one in control. He thought he could bait me into a mistake with a note and a smile.
He doesn’t understand that the most dangerous thing about me was the fact that I knew how to play this game of his. I knew how to turn a man’s theater into his grave, and he was about to be six feet under.