Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Henry
A throbbing cracked through my skull like a sledgehammer against concrete. A low groan slipped from my throat before I could stop it. I tried to blink, but my eyelids felt fused shut, thick and swollen. When I finally managed to open them, light stabbed straight through my brain.
For several long seconds, I didn’t move as I tried to get my bearings.
The last thing I remembered was being in that cold, damp room as Mikhail and his goons interrogated me. How one of them received a phone call. Then how Mikhail stood over me, blood speckling his boots, the knife glinting beneath the fluorescent light.
A part of me didn’t expect to wake up.
I’d often heard people say their life flashed before their eyes during near-death experiences.
And I’d been in my fair share of near-death experiences.
But I’d never known what that was like… Until now.
Because in those last few moments before unconsciousness overtook me, my life did flash before my eyes. Not in the way I’d expected, though.
Instead, I saw Ariana.
Her laugh. Her smile. Her hair blowing in the wind.
It made me wonder if maybe she was my life now.
A sudden jolt snapped me back to the present, and my stomach lurched, bile rising in my throat. I quickly pushed it down as the world shifted. I blinked again, and my vision gradually cleared. I turned my head an inch, not trusting my stomach to move any more than that.
I wasn’t in a cement room.
Wasn’t tied to a chair.
Wasn’t dead.
I was sitting in the passenger seat of a moving car.
No hood. No restraints.
I forced myself to sit up straighter, ignoring the way my ribs screamed in protest. Every muscle felt as if it had been peeled back and reattached incorrectly.
I glanced to the left to see Mikhail behind the wheel.
His posture was rigid, both hands gripping the steering wheel hard enough that his knuckles had gone pale.
The lights from passing street lamps swept across his face in intermittent flashes, revealing his tight jaw. And on his right fist was dried blood.
I studied it for several long moments.
Was it mine?
Or someone else’s?
“I always thought being family meant something,” Mikhail remarked quietly, his eyes still fixed on the road.
His voice was different now.
Not the commanding Pakhan who’d stood in the shadows while I was beaten within an inch of my life.
This was something else.
Something I wasn’t quite prepared for.
“My father taught me that,” he continued. “Friends come and go. Women come and go. But family…” His fingers tightened even more on the wheel. “They’ll always have your back. They’ll never betray you. At least they’re not supposed to betray you.”
The engine hummed beneath us as the city lights blurred past, but I remained silent. Instinct told me he wasn’t looking for a response.
“Unfortunately, I’ve had to learn some difficult lessons since he died.
I was raised to eventually take over his role in the brotherhood.
I’ve come to realize there are some things you’re never prepared for.
Like how much power changes things. The more you have, the more people circle like vultures, hoping to cash in. ”
Was he talking about his uncle?
Or me?
I studied his profile, searching for a hint. A clue. Any indication about the purpose for this drive.
Was he taking me somewhere else to kill me?
Somewhere cleaner with no direct ties to his organization?
But then he turned into the shopping plaza where I’d left my car, pulling the Mercedes into the spot beside my SUV.
The engine idled, but I didn’t make any move to get out. Not yet.
Instead, I remained still, studying Mikhail in the silence.
“My uncle said he didn’t know where your daughter was taken,” he announced finally, his dark eyes meeting mine.
But they were no longer the hardened eyes of the Pakhan. They were tortured. Filled with grief.
I knew that look all too well.
It was the same expression I wore for years after what I’d done to my father.
I didn’t regret it. I did what I had to do.
But I still grieved everything I’d lost because of him. Grieved what I had no choice but to do to someone who was supposed to be my family.
Just like I sensed Mikhail did.
“I showed him her picture, and he remembered her. Said she was one of the girls Victor paid him to acquire for his operation.”
I kept my expression even, but relief rolled over me so violently it almost made me dizzy. Up until now, I only had a working theory. Had no proof she was alive, as Victor claimed.
Now I did.
“And Ariana?” I asked, my voice rough. “Was Victor behind that, as well?”
He nodded. “Usually, my uncle acquired the target and delivered them to Victor where they’d become the ‘entertainment’ for high-paying guests. But sometimes, he’d sell one of the girls to a buyer and my uncle would facilitate the delivery. Your daughter was one of these deliveries. As was Ariana.”
My jaw ticked at the idea that Victor would sell his own damn wife.
“Did your uncle disclose who the buyer was?”
Mikhail expelled a deep breath. “He claimed Victor kept that information to himself.”
“Where were these girls delivered?” I asked.
“It changed every time.” He reached into his jacket pocket and handed me a piece of paper.
I squinted, making out what appeared to be a handful of different co-ordinates. “Is this…”
“My uncle disclosed the last few drop locations before he…expired.”
I nodded, staring at the paper, the numbers blurring together. Then I met Mikhail’s eyes once more. “Did your uncle or his men ever stay to see who came to get the women?”
He slowly shook his head. “He claimed that was part of the job. Drop the woman. Then walk away.”
I exhaled a frustrated breath, briefly closing my eyes. I now knew more about the operation, but still felt like I was back to square one all over again.
“I’m sorry I can’t be more help,” Mikhail offered. “It’s my understanding Victor Kane has gone into hiding. I’ve told my men to put the word out. He—”
“That won’t be necessary,” I interjected.
Mikhail studied me for a beat, then huffed out a laugh. “You took care of him, too?”
“Not exactly. Ariana did.”
He whistled. “Impressive. I wouldn’t have pegged her as the type.”
“There’s a lot about Ariana Kane most people don’t know.” I gave him a look that said everything I didn’t want to say out loud.
But I didn’t have to.
Mikhail seemed to figure it out anyway.
“I may not be the most upstanding citizen, but even I draw the line somewhere. If I learn any of my men have mistreated a woman, I have no patience for that.” He raised a single brow. “I get the feeling the same goes for you.”
“If you ask me, Victor got off easy compared to the shit he put her through.”
He nodded, looking forward once more before returning his attention to me.
“If I learn anything else, I’ll reach out.”
“You will?” I asked, trying to hide my surprise.
“What can I say? I can’t help but have respect for a man with the balls to do what you did. If it were my daughter…” He trailed off, not finishing his statement.
He didn’t need to.
“But I do not give gifts,” he continued, his voice turning commanding once more. “If I require your assistance in the future, you will provide it. Is that understood?”
I gave a small nod. “Of course.”
“Good.”
Mikhail pressed a button, and the doors of his car unlocked with a soft click. I took that as my cue to leave, reaching for the handle and opening the door.
I somehow managed to climb out of the Mercedes, despite every muscle in my body protesting.
Breathing in the humid Florida air, I reached into my pocket, finding my keys there, despite Mikhail’s guards having confiscated them earlier.
I slid into my SUV and closed the door, letting out a long breath.
As the Mercedes beside me pulled out of its spot, Mikhail met my eyes one last time before he drove away.
I pressed the ignition button on my car, absentmindedly wondering if they’d planted a bomb and I was seconds away from death.
But when I put the car into drive and stepped on the gas, there was no loud explosion.
So I steered out of the parking lot and headed home to Ariana.