Chapter 16
Sasha
Pain was a marvelous tool to use when the monsters plaguing the darkness refused to talk.
While I’d teased Lainey about her boxing capabilities, I certainly had used my hours spent in a boxing ring to my benefit.
What thugs didn’t understand when they were throwing wild punches was that there was an art to fighting. Those who learned to anticipate their opponent’s next move were the ones who always won the fight.
Or in the case of business with the Dmitriyev family, the battle. To the older generation, the bloodier the better.
I was shocked my father hadn’t experienced a coronary when he’d been told we were going completely legit.
Laughing, I adjusted my jacket and I climbed from the car. I’d driven myself, using the drive time to reflect on everything Lainey had said to me.
Not only returning to what the fucker had said in Nina’s playroom, but also about my fall from grace the night before. The nightmare continued to play heavily in my mind. What I’d done to her was unforgivable.
But I’d take out my heavy frustrations on the bastard tied up and being kept inside.
On ice.
The term had an entirely different meaning in our world. It was also used differently than when my uncle had been Pakhan.
Back in the day, the use of anticipation often allowed for a much easier interrogation. But only if the enemy was offered the kind of incentive that could bring about a tempered conversation.
My father had been notoriously creative in his methods. That had been during the days of living in Moscow as a young man. He’d been the enforcer, the most feared man in the Bratva.
Being in America had taught both him and my uncle some level of humanity, albeit I’d certainly been taught a thing or two from his good bag of torture techniques.
Every member of the family had.
I hadn’t lied to Lainey. I had done some terrible things in my life, but nothing as horrific as my forebears.
Today might mean a resurgence of the old ways.
While Mikhail as Pakhan had decided what to do with the assailant, he’d cautiously given me a command to interrogate him.
I understood his concerns, but he needed not worry. Control would be maintained. At least to a point. I grabbed a bag from the backseat that I kept in my garage, tools that I’d rarely used but had put together just in case the need arose.
Maybe all the stories relayed by Pops and Uncle Boris had rubbed off on me. There were definitely some tools that could inflict serious pain.
I’d been vacillating about how I wanted to handle the interrogation. Then just before I’d left the suite, Lainey had gripped both arms and had told me I was better than to resort to violence.
She had no idea and to think after what she’d experienced twenty-four hours before she’d basically asked me not to kill the guy nagged at the back of my mind.
Sweet and innocent.
Maybe too much for me.
Even if that was true, the taste of her had permanently stained my lips.
I’d told myself before that claiming her was easy, keeping her was impossible. Now I knew better.
She was mine. Not only because she’d awakened the man inside, but also because her life had changed, the target firmly placed on her back. I would make good on my promise of protecting her at all costs.
As soon as I strode into the building, Jaxon stopped me.
“I have news,” he stated calmly, as if this was an everyday occurrence.
The building was one of several we’d purchased on auction a couple of years before, the prime location and the price too good to pass up.
At some point, we’d decide whether to build another resort or a sprawling corporate campus.
Right now, a single building was being used for storage.
It had been the perfect spot to place the assailant ‘on ice.’
“Do I want to know?”
“As I already told you, whoever broke into the house where Lainey was staying managed to cut the security system including the cameras in a way that didn’t trigger the warning system.”
Since I was itching to move ahead with the busy day, I simply glared at him, trying to keep my patience. It was nothing against what he was doing. I was simply out for blood.
“Anyway, in my opinion, the intruder was an expert.”
“Ruling out Damien Kane.”
“Likely, although one of his security team has a military background that could be construed as knowing how to bypass the system. However, given what I managed to discover, I doubt he was involved.”
“Get on with it, Jaxon.”
He grinned and pulled out a file, handing it to me. “This was captured just before the system was disabled.”
I took a deep breath before opening it. As seen in dozens of home invasions or burglaries, the person had tried to hide their identity including wearing a hat and dark clothing.
Typical. This time, the person involved had allowed his arrogance to get the better of him.
The shot was slightly blurred, given movement, but clear enough to see who he wasn’t.
Damien Kane.
As I’d thought before, that didn’t mean the man hadn’t hired someone, but I was beginning to believe my instincts had been correct, especially given the attack on the house.
“I don’t recognize him,” I said, but a slight nagging continued to hit the back of my mind as if I’d seen the guy before. With the angle and the excessive clothing, it was impossible to see if he had any distinguishing marks. But his face…
“Neither do I. I hadn’t had much time, but I’m working with DiAngelo Costa on face recognition. I guess his brother Alessandro has access to a database that exceeds ours.”
The alliance was still in play and not a single member of our family could say there hadn’t been some benefit.
“Did you show Mikhail?”
“I did. I also sent copies to everyone. I thought you might want to use this for your… talk.” He was grinning again since he knew almost better than everyone what I was capable of.
He’d even sparred with me in the boxing ring and been there beside me when we’d gone to a shooting range.
And he hadn’t questioned my interest in other methods of ending someone’s life.
I’d called it a hobby.
He’d called my activities keeping my feet wet. In other words, ensuring that if our family had another attack, specifically from our Moscow family, that I’d be prepared.
“I think I will, although I have my doubts the asshole will talk.” We’d been threatened more times in the last three years than we had in the eight or nine years previously. While no one had mentioned it in the family, I’d made note the attacks were escalating.
Games had been played on purpose, testing our abilities while searching for weaknesses. We’d had a couple of strategy meetings and every time we’d pulled back, once again enjoying life, there’d been another attack.
Someone had been watching our entire family closely over several years.
That had been discussed before. There’d been listening devices going nowhere, vague threats with bogus addresses.
Even odd phone calls requiring numbers to be changed.
All to keep us both on guard and laughing off the next attack.
It was nothing to laugh at. If anyone was purposely betraying us, they wouldn’t need to worry about their retirement fund.
“One more thing. I checked on the firm who hired the men for the catering event. They are on the up and up. The men they had in their database looked a whole lot different than the dead men on your lawn. Close enough to fool some, but given the nature of the employment service, there was no malfeasance on the part of the company. I’m curious. When did you start planning the party?”
“Two months ago.” There was a sudden ache behind my eyes.
“By email, phone, or in person?”
“A phone call followed by a few emails.”
“That’s how they discovered the plans. Your email has been compromised.
For how long we might not discover. We need to scrub your system.
I also don’t think you could return to your house.
We also need to check for bugs. These days, they are highly sophisticated.
Those designed by the military are more easily accessible than they used to be. ”
He was right. Goddamn it all to hell.
The hotels had been checked for bugs months before. So had our houses. Then we’d let our guard down instead of sweeping everything on a regular basis. Just like the game player had wanted. A fool’s game.
“Do what is necessary,” I hissed. “But find the trail of who did this.”
“Trust me, boss. I will.”
Fuck. This was getting out of hand. How the fucking long had my email been compromised? What else? My phone? Everything would need to be scrubbed or tossed out altogether.
Jaxon trailed behind me as I headed into the building, hearing voices only a few seconds later.
I found Mikhail, Vissarian, and several of our more highly trained employees in a room that had been mostly gutted.
It wasn’t my place to question how our Pakhan handled prepping the asshole for our little chat.
To find him devoid of clothing and hanging by his bound arms from the steel rafters had a different effect on me than would normally occur.
Why?
Lainey.
There was no other explanation. During her residency, she’d softened me or at least my view on what was important. She’d claimed I was a decent man, when being here indicated I was no different than the bastards we’d fought my entire life.
Since he’d been there since the evening before, the muscles in his arms were strained, tendons pushed to the limit. It was a technique used in the military. Effective. The tendons in his shoulder blades could be ripped apart with minimal effort. Not deadly, but extremely painful.
An excellent incentive.
Even if a bad taste had already formed in my mouth.
He was wincing in pain although he was doing his best to remain stoic. He’d been through something like this before, which meant he was a professional.
From the cut on his swollen lip, I could tell he’d been roughed up but mostly spared our wrath. Until now.