Chapter Nine
A couple of hours later...
Gennadi sat beside Aleria’s bed with the dog at his feet. He had someone bring Buttercup food and water. He had also given Aleria some meatball soup and orange juice.
As they sat there quietly, he received a text on his phone. He read it and looked up at Aleria. “Sergi and Nikoli want me to bring you to the security room.”
She stared at him. “For what?”
“I’m unsure, but I imagine they need help with the possible locations of where to find the followers.” He stood and went over to the corner. Getting a wheelchair, he pushed it over to the bed. He then told her, “I will get you there in a wheelchair.”
Aleria paused and then scoffed. “Oh no, you won’t.”
“It is just for now. You are still healing up.”
She sighed. “I can’t be in that thing...” She shook her head.
“It is temporary. You have to give your body a break.”
She seemed to think this over then gave him a nod.
He got her into the chair and they went out to the hall.
Going down in the elevator Buttercup kept alert as he had no intention of abandoning his job.
After entering the security room, they sat at the table.
Kirill turned his laptop around to show her the screen. “Here is Hell’s Kitchen. Most of the other possible areas have been searched. If you can show us where they are hiding out in this part of the city, it would help.”
Aleria studied the grid map as she leaned closer to be able to see it, then tapped her finger on a spot at the end of 34th street.
“Here is where my brother Varga hides with most of his men. When they move around they usually go here.” She tapped a block that was at the edge of Hell’s Kitchen. “It’s an old warehouse.”
Kirill looked over at Serenity. “Can you find the city cameras there?”
She nodded. “Is the sky blue?” After a few minutes, she spoke again, “We have sight of at least ten men around the back parking area. And four at the front,” Serenity announced as she tapped her keyboard on her laptop.
Sergi nodded as he typed this info into his text messages.
Aleria just looked around at them all and she spotted screens in the room that now had 34th Street on them, both ends of it and the middle too. They moved lightning fast here.
Now Sergi looked up from his cell to state, “Viktor’s Ghosts’ were nearby and they have found them already.”
Aleria looked up at him. “Ghosts?”
“They are soldiers, and this is war,” Sergi briefly told her as he looked over at Kirill. “Set up our visuals here.” He pointed at the table.
Swiftly, Kirill moved his laptop there and plugged it in. Then he tapped some keys. There were four screen squares on there. “Here is a group of four,” Kirill pointed them out. “Then here are the others on various screens.”
“They have spread out it seems.” Nikoli stepped over to take a look.
“They are gonna wait for night to fall,” Aleria stated. “Then they are going to head here to torch the hotel. To take your attention.”
“And how do you know that?” Sergi asked.
Shrugging, she reached over to point at the screen. “ I cannot see everyone, but this man here is their fire-starter. He is probably the one who torched all those cars in your lot.”
“And how do you know this is the same guy?” Nikoli asked.
She tapped the screen. “He hung out with my brothers and they claimed he was going to be instrumental when they took over. He always wears this cap with the neon flames on it. It is so stand-out that even I can see it. And I need to add that none of these guys care who dies or burns up either.”
“In other words,” Serenity added. “Mean, dangerous and stupid.”
“Exactly.” Aleria nodded her head. “I have been watching my brothers for a long time. You need to know your enemies well.”
Sergi stared at her and turned his head to look at Kirill. “Let Viktor know they will most likely move after dark. Which is better for us, as we can capture them without witnesses.”
Kirill nodded then tapped his keyboard, typing in a message.
Yelling came from a speaker somewhere in the room.
With a fearful gasp, Aleria snapped her head up and looked around the room.
“My sons will kill you all!” the screaming voice came again.
Aleria stood from the wheelchair and backed up. She nearly stumbled.
Buttercup was there immediately as he growled and looked around.
Gennadi attempted to take her arm.
Looking white in the face, Aleria yanked it from his grasp to ask, “Where is she?”
“Who?” Gennadi asked.
She shook her head as she looked upset. “Greta!”
“In a cell, locked up,” Sergi told her. “Where she cannot hurt anyone.”
Aleria’s body shook.
Buttercup came closer to where she stood as he picked up on her agitation.
“I thought you were aware that she was here?” Nikoli said.
“I knew that yes,” she said. “But just hearing her voice...”
Briar came into the room as she heard the last of this. “I faced her after they caught her. I had to. She is the one who killed my mother. The woman I told you and Serenity about before.”
Aleria gasped. “Greta did that? I never knew!”
Briar took her hands in hers. “ And how could you know? It has nothing to do with you, Ali. But you will feel better if you say your peace. After I told her off and left her locked up while I walked away?” Briar nodded her head real slow. “It was the best feeling in the world. It freed me.”
“I-I know that she is a monster,” Aleria whispered.
“And you need to banish that monster,” Serenity said as she stood from the table.
Aleria’s hands shook. “I know.”
“You can speak into the mic and she will be able to hear you,” Serenity offered. “You don’t have to be in the same room with her to do this.”
Aleria swiped the tears from her face then sat back down in the wheel chair and wheeled herself over to Serenity's table.
Briar came over and stood beside her. She placed her hand onto Aleria’s shoulder for support.
Turning her laptop, Serenity looked at her then took her hand. “We will both be with you. We are your real family.”
Aleria’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes, you are.” She took a deep breath, let it out and tapped the mic key with her other hand.
On the screen, Greta was pacing in the cell while yelling, “You all are gonna be sorry! You won’t catch my boys! They will burn this place down!”
“Mother?” Aleria called to her.
Greta halted and slowly turned her head toward the camera. “The hell?”
“Yes and I think you belong there...in hell,” Aleria told her.
“How dare you!” Greta shouted.
“Oh, I dare,” Aleria replied. “I am free of you finally.”
“Varga was supposed to get you and hold you for our...” Her voice fell away.
“Your what? Coup?” Aleria told her. “Using me as a pawn? To get to be the royal family of Russia?”
Looking shocked at her knowledge of this, Greta’s mouth popped open.
Aleria laughed. “It is my pleasure to inform you of your absolute failure, Mommy Pig. You will never be crowned for anything except a bullet. You will never see daylight again. Sergi tells me you will most likely be executed in less than a week. So I wish to say one thing to you.”
“You shut up!” Great yelled. “Always was a good for nothing loser!”
“Maybe...but I will be alive and free of you,” Aleria replied. “Do svidaniya. Goodbye, you scummy bitch of a useless human being.” Aleria removed her shaky finger from the mic button. Then she looked up at Briar.
“I could not have said it better myself.” Briar grinned at her.
Serenity leaned down to hug her. “I am so proud of you!”
“You are gonna pay!” Greta was yelling. “You—”
Serenity tapped the keyboard to shut the speaker off.
Briar looked over at Sergi and said, “Now that is how it is done.”
Sergi smiled and said, “I agree.”
Kirill smiled as well then his phone buzzed and he scooped it up. Tapping the screen, he spoke, “Yeah, baby?” He listened then sat up straighter in his chair. Next, he bolted up from it to shout, “You mother fucker! If you hurt her...” He removed the phone from his ear and stared at the screen.
Nikoli stepped over and asked, “What is it?”
Krill’s hands shook as he replied, “He has her phone,” he muttered.
“What?” Sergi came over.
“Varga Dmitricoff. He has my wife’s phone!”
“No...” Aleria exclaimed as she looked panicked. “He took your wife?”
THIS STORY CONTINUES IN
Bratva Warriors Book #6