Chapter One
Felix looked over at Pavel. He walked over and gazed down at the red stain spreading on Pavel’s chest.
He was still conscious, however.
Felix growled at him. “You fucking lose after all these years of hiding in the shadows, you lose.”
Pavel snarled as blood stained his teeth.
“Net. I haven’t lost yet. You may have gotten my brothers and maybe me, but you forgot about my sisters.
The women in my family can be absolute bitches and you shouldn’t ever push them too far.
They will always get an eye for an eye. When they find out you killed their brothers they will come back and kill you before you even know they are there.
” Pavel laid his head back on the ground and smiled, the evil inside him making his eyes look cold.
“Maybe they will finish what I started thirty years ago. Maybe this time Sergi will fail to protect his son and he will be the one who loses. His charmed life will be over and he will be the one left in the dirt.”
Felix frowned and looked up at Nikoli, then back at Pavel. “What are you talking about?”
Pavel cleared his throat and explained it, “You heard your guy, same as I did, one of my family snatched up Misha from the airport. Sergi might never see his son again and it’s his own fault.
He should have left my family alone. They won’t stop until the family’s money is restored and their life returns to normal.
Sergi will never know what happened to him and he will never find his son’s body to take home and bury next to his wife.
” Pavel spat out a mouthful of blood. “A man like Sergi? That will haunt him for the rest of his miserable life.”
Felix smiled but it never met his eyes. “You little fool. You don’t know Sergi very well if you think you can threaten him like that. He will crush your sister’s bones into dust, before he gives up trying to find his son. That is if your sisters even got Misha.”
Pavel chuckled weakly. “Of course, they got to him. My sisters know very well what they are doing.”
The sound of a vehicle screeching to a stop made Felix raise his head.
Several men piled out of the car and rushed over to Nikoli.
A clean up team came next and they swiftly piled the dead into the back of a truck.
Kirill joined his brother, Felix. He looked down at Pavel and shook his head. “So this is the last of the Dimitricoff brothers?”
“The three bodies are his brothers but we may have to search a bit for his two sisters.” Felix shrugged.
Pavel growled. “The likes of you will never find my sisters and Misha. They will kill him first.”
Kirill looked puzzled and asked, “What do his sisters have to do with Misha?”
Felix scoffed. “His sisters called Sergi to tell him they snatched him at the airport.”
“The hell they did.” Kirill growled.
Pavel chuckled then broke into a cough. “Oh— they did all right. And if you go after them they will slit his throat and escape again. They hate Sergi almost as much as I do and killing his son will be easy for them.”
Felix glared at Pavel then looked up at his brother.
Kirill read something in his eyes that told him to shut his mouth. Kirill pressed his lips together and hauled Pavel roughly to his feet.
Pavel screamed in pain.
Kirill immediately cuffed his head. “Shut your fucking mouth, loser. You have a lot to answer for and Sergi is going to want to see you face to face.”
“I was shot, you motherfucker. I need medical attention,” Pavel snapped.
Kirill got right in the other man’s face then growled, “And you will get medical when Sergi says so.” Kirill turned him around and tied his hands behind his back.
He dragged him over to the car and shoved him in the back.
“And don’t bleed all over the seats.” Shutting the door, he walked back to Felix.
“Is it true that his sisters snatched Misha from the airport?”
Felix shrugged. “Misha didn’t come into the regular airport, but a private one. All we’ve heard is that someone snatched him.”
Briar stepped up and said, “But they would have a better chance to get to him at a private airport than a commercial airport.” Shrugging, she admitted, “Less security, less other passengers to get in the way, plus a man like Misha would have his own security wouldn’t he?”
Kirill looked at Felix and nodded. “She has a point, brother.”
Felix reached for his phone and called Sergi, “Hey boss. You texted me earlier, did you confirm that someone grabbed Misha when his plane landed?”
A long silence went on Sergi’s end before he said, “I haven’t confirmed it. The call I received was anonymous. What is happening there?”
“Briar and Nikoli got three of the brothers before we even got here, then Briar went head to head with Pavel but before he could shoot her, she got a little help. Her friend Willy jumped him and the gun went off, now Pavel’s got a bullet inside him.
We think one or two of the family members could have kidnapped Misha. ”
Over at the parking area, Nikoli slammed his car door and motioned for Artem to drive off.
“Da, he had some trouble at the airport, according to the tower there,” Sergi finally told him. “I was hoping his own security got him out but it could have been the sisters if they were there.”
Felix sighed and asked, “So, he’s missing right now and we’re not sure who has him?”
“Da, that’s what I’m saying.” Sergi growled. “I can only hope he’s free and can call when he’s out of danger.”
“But if the sisters are hunting him he might not be free to let you know he’s okay.”
“Serenity is searching for possible places to find him,” Sergi informed him. “And I have to pray Misha can defend himself.”
Felix snorted. “Misha can defend himself. He is Bratva born. And you wouldn’t allow him to slack off with his training any more than you would let us slack off.”
“We are Bratva, of course we all train to keep up our skills,” Sergi grumbled. “We have enemies out there. So until I know for sure I have to believe my son is safe and not in the hands of the sisters.”
“Sergi, young Briar was saved by the man she knows as Willy,” Felix told him.
“Willy?” Sergi asked quietly. “He was there? You saw him?”
“Da boss, he was here but after Pavel shot himself, Willy ran away.” Felix shook his head. “He’s probably in the wind again.”
“Perhaps he’s only as far as the shadows,” Sergi offered. “He seems to be watching over Briar.”
In the quiet of the area, Sergi’s words carried.
Briar glared at Felix for a moment before she turned and disappeared into the thick trees.
Felix sighed heavily. “Da, I think he might be too. You’d better call Dr. Badliss. Artem and Nikoli are coming back bleeding and Pavel is too.”
“I already have. And just remember, the Ghosts are there somewhere,” Sergi told him. “They are watching over the city. But now that Pavel and his brothers are out of commission, they might as well fan out and try to find Misha.”
Felix looked at Kirill and suggested, “I’m sending Kirill back with Pavel but I would like to stay out here and look for Misha as well.”
“What are you thinking, Felix?” Sergi wanted to know.
“Someone in Briar’s network might know where these sisters are holed up, and maybe they would be willing to help us stop them.
You said it yourself that Raven’s got her own network in New Orleans and Briar’s got one here too.
I mean this Willy has helped us before and Pippy has too.
Maybe we get them to help us find these sisters and we can finally put this whole nightmare to bed once and for all.
” Felix paused then added, “And if we find Misha somewhere along the way, that would be even better yet.”
“Da, it would be better,” Sergi replied. “Do what you can. See if you can get Pippy’s crew to work with us. And Felix, if you find my son... bring him home too.”
“Da, I can do that,” Felix assured him. He ended the call then looked at his brother. “Someone tried to snatch Misha and right now Sergi doesn’t know where he is or who he’s with. I’m going to find Briar and see if she can get Pippy to look for the sisters. We might just find Misha along the way.”
Kirill nodded. “I’ll get Pavel back to Sergi then. You call in every hour or so and let us know what is happening and where you are. That way we’ll know if you are still alive or not as well.”
Felix grinned. “Da, I can do that. But first, I have to find Briar. And maybe even this Willy. They know these streets better than we do.”
Felix turned and disappeared into the shadows.
Kirill went back to his vehicle and got behind the wheel. As soon as he started the engine, Pavel began to make threats from the back seat. Kirill shut him down by tuning him out.