Chapter 23 - Avraam
I am rigid with tension as I drive towards the meeting place.
I don’t know what to expect from Rodion, her older brother. I know he is a difficult man. Everyone who deals with him knows it and it’s no secret.
I also know that he and his brothers are willing to kill without hesitation.
But I have no choice. I have to meet with them otherwise this will never come to an end.
I can’t risk the lives of any more of my men at their hands.
Parking close to the area where we are set to meet, I climb out and walk the rest of the way on foot. This gives me a chance to scout the roads around us and watch out for anything strange going on.
But I don’t see anything.
My stomach still knots tighter when I see Rodion sitting on a park bench, right where we agreed to meet.
He’s there.
This is about to happen.
There is no going back now.
I just hope that things go as smoothly as I planned.
Rodion is confidently sitting with his back to me, not a care in the world.
I walk up to him with caution.
“Rodion Kuznetsov,” I say when I am in hearing distance.
He stands up slowly and turns to face me. “Avraam Abaza,” he says my name slowly, annunciating each letter as though he was insulting me.
I clench my jaw.
Relax, Avraam.
You can reason with this man.
You can find a solution.
“Walk with me, Avraam,” he says, gesturing towards a path that leads around the park.
I fall in and walk alongside him, very aware of everything going on around us. It is a normal afternoon, people are coming and going, the sun is shining. Everything is fine.
“I want to discuss the safety of my men, the people who work for me,” I say.
“I want to discuss the return of my sister—the one you kidnapped and have been holding prisoner against her will—and what will happen if you don’t release her,” he says darkly.
My chest tightens. He is angry. He doesn’t seem to be here to negotiate at all.
“Are we here to talk and find a solution or—“
My words are cut off as three men leap from the trees along the side of the path. One clamps his hand over my mouth, and they drag me into the thick, hidden bushes.
I kick and fight back, but I don’t want to draw the attention of innocent people around us because I know these brothers—they will kill anyone and everyone who tries to help me.
My men will come.
My security team has their eyes on me.
Rodion stands over me, looking down at the ground where they have me on my knees, a gun to my head.
“Your men are already disarmed—if you were hoping for their help,” he says, nodding towards where my men were stationed.
Fuck.
Rodion swings his fist and the first blow disorients me.
His brothers step back and suddenly we are in an all-out fight.
He is strong, his punches slamming into my face and each kick feeling like it’s breaking bones.
I fight back, but I know I’m outnumbered. There are so many of them and only one of me.
I roll onto my side, spitting blood from my mouth, watching it bubble in the dirt of the forest floor.
“I will never release your sister,” I swear, angry and desperate to make them stop. I know they kill with ease. I know how callous they are.
These are brutal men—all they seem to understand is violence.
It doesn’t matter if their victims are innocent or not. They don’t care.
I shift onto my back and glare up at Rodion. His eyes are flooded with hate as he stares back at me.
Rigor, second in charge, moves to stand at Rodion’s side.
Of all the brothers he seems the least stable.
“Let me kill this fucker,” he growls. His fists clench and unclench in anger.
“We need him to find Ruslana, Rigor,” Rodion sighs.
“I don’t fucking care. I will tear him to pieces for what he did to her. We will find another way to get her back.”
Rodion grabs the collar of his brother’s shirt. “You will do no such thing. Our sister’s safety is our only priority here—when we have her back home you can do whatever you want to his asshole.”
Rigor turns towards me and in a fit of rage and frustration, he flies at me. His fist slams into my face and he grabs me around the throat, hissing at me about how I killed his men.
“All of them, their deaths are on your hands. You fucked up our shipment and killed those men for no fucking reason you sick fuck.”
He throws me backwards and I shake my head in confusion.
“What shipment?” I ask, mumbling, wiping my hand across my face and looking down at the blood smeared across it. “What men?”
“Don’t act stupid, Avraam,” Rodion spits. “You know what you did.”
“I know I tampered with the products in your warehouse. I did that. But I left those three guards alive. I did not kill anyone. Not a single man.” I shake my head, trying to stand up.
Rigor steps forward and kicks me hard.
“Liar,” he snaps.
“Fuck off, asshole. I’m telling you I didn’t do it!” I shout. “You are the fuckers who killed my men for no reason. You are the heartless, cold, calculated fuckers who walked into my operation and killed people without hesitation. Don’t try and turn this on me.”
Rodion turns towards his brothers. “What the hell is he talking about? Did you do something without me knowing?” he snarls at them.
“No.” The general response from each of them is the same. He turns to Rigor who seems the most agitated by his sister's disappearance. “Rigor—did you do something?”
“I didn’t fucking do anything,” he huffs.
I watch each of their faces, reading their body language and taking note of the confusion settling over them.
What the fuck is going on?
I know I didn’t kill their men—and they are confused when I accuse them of killing mine.
What—the—fuck—is—going—on?
I push myself up to my feet, no one kicks me back down or takes a swing at me.
Staggering for a moment, I press my fingers against my eyes.
“You didn’t attack my men—did you?” I ask after a moment.
“How many times do I have to fucking spell it out for you?” Rigor snaps. Rodion grabs the back of his shirt and pulls him away from me before he can punch me again.
“Why are you so convinced we killed your men, Avraam?” Rodion asks.
“My security team—well—just one man—he gave me the confirmation—“ My heart clenches tightly when I realize that Dex never confirmed anything. It was Royce. It was always Royce pointing fingers at the Kuznetsovs. He was always the one who had confirmation—who pushed—who caused shit.
“I—,“ I stammer, as puzzle pieces fall into place. Royce is behind my suspicions.
“What? Speak up, fucker,” Rigor says, stepping towards me.
“Royce lied to me,” I blurt out, coming to a full realization.
“Who the fuck is Royce?”
“I didn’t attack you and you didn’t attack me—we are being played,” I say to Rodion, trying desperately to get him to understand.
“By who?” he says, unconvinced.
“By someone else. Someone who wants us to be fighting.”
Royce has been lying to me this entire time.
He was obsessed with Ruslana from the beginning. I don’t know if he hates her or not—but he was obsessed with her. Wanting to watch over, wanting to torture her—every move he has made has been an attempt to get her alone—to have her to himself.
The new, darker panic that floods me is worse than my worry about what the Kuznetsovs had planned for me.
Now I am worried about Ruslana.
She is with Dex—but Dex doesn’t know who Royce really is. He doesn’t know that Royce has been playing us all since the beginning.
“Rodion—you have to listen to me. I have to go. I have to get back home.”
Rodion and his brothers crack up laughing. Rigor snorts loudly, “Nice try. The fuck we are going to let you go until you return our sister to us.”
“This is about your sister. I think Ruslana is in danger. I think one of my men has been playing me,” I beg them to understand and believe me.
Rigor shakes his head, refusing to listen. But Rodion’s eyes narrow.
“You think your man is responsible for the attacks on us and on your own men?”
“Yes—I think he orchestrated it so that we were focused on each other instead of on him. And now I think he is going to go after Ruslana while I am distracted with you.”
“Where is she?” Rodion demands.
“She was at my home, with my security team—but the guy, Royce, he is a member of that team.”
“He has access to her?”
“Yes.”
Rodion stares at me for a long time. I know he’s trying to read my face and I hope to hell that he believes me. His sister’s life might depend on it. If I’m wrong, and I hope I’m wrong, then she’s safe at home. But if I’m right, she is in serious danger.
I’ve seen the darkness in Royce. The warning was right in front of me all along. I saw how he handled her when other people were around. I can’t imagine what he would do to her if they were alone. I have to get there—now.
Rodion nods.
“Fine. I have no choice but to believe you because the risk of not doing so is one I am not willing to take. But we are coming with you. If Ruslana is in danger, there is no fucking way I am not coming with you.”
I stand up, nodding, eager to get going. “Fine. Ride with me, follow me, I don’t give a fuck, do whatever you want—but let’s get going. Now.”
Rigor glances towards Rodion, looking for confirmation. Rodion nods.
“Rigor, in the car with Avraam. The rest of you—let’s get going. Ruslana needs us.”
With a new focus, on this newly realized danger, I run from the tree line back into the park. People shout and mutter in shock at the sight of me. My face must be a wreck.
I don’t care though. I need to get to her.
My entire body is rigid with fear.
If he has hurt her—
I shake my head. I can’t think like that. If I do, I will panic. I won’t be able to focus.
Rigor stays close to me and when I reach my car he climbs in without saying a word.
He takes out his phone and sends his live location to his brothers.
When we pull out into the road he is watching me.
“Don’t try anything stupid, Avraam,” he warns me.
I get that he is still distrusting. I took his sister. I can’t blame him.
But he needs to focus.
And I need to focus.
“Are your brothers following? I think we are going to need their help.”
“Yeah, they’re right behind us,” he nods.