Chapter Fifteen Dragna
Chapter Fifteen
Dragna
I’m sitting in my office with a glass of whiskey waiting on Lev arriving when my phone rings. It’s Andrei and as soon as I see his name, I want to throw my phone at the wall, only I can’t, because the only reason he would be calling me is about Willow.
After my little chat with him about how the whole point of tailing someone was to not get caught, he’s been even more scared shitless of me than he was before. He knows I’m pissed at him, so the fact he’s calling me must mean it’s serious.
“Everything good Andrei?” I say as calmly as I can.
“I don’t wanna make you alarmed if it’s nothing, but I don’t really think this is nothing.” I can hear the nervousness in his voice.
“Uhh, I don’t think my car is the one Willow saw that morning going to work boss.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, waiting for him to continue.
“There’s a car parked down the street from her work. Nobody got out of it and nobody has got in it since it parked up.” He rushes out his words, I know he’s worried he fucked up for not telling me about it sooner. “Alright. Calm down brat, give me the registration.”
“That’s the thing boss, it’s the same registration as my car. They’ve copied my plates and it’s the same make and model too.”
I feel blood rush to my head and a ringing in my ears begins to drown out every other sense I have.
This can’t be right.
This would mean Willow is in fact being followed by someone and not only that, but she is being followed by someone who knows me, knows us, someone involved in this world. She called me needing help when she first saw the car and I disregarded her thinking she saw Andrei.
Blyat’!
I need to sort this out. Fast.
I gain all the composure I can before speaking to Andrei again.
“Stay there, watch the car and watch Willow. Do not engage with the car unless there is an immediate threat to Willow. I’ll send Lev over to meet you.
” I end the call and quickly find my contacts to phone our tech guy, Nikolai.
Pressing call I think about who could have possibly seen Willow at our club and who could of seen us together.
“Dragna, what can I do for you on this fine day?” Nikolai answers.
“Andrei’s plates have been copied and put on the same make and model of his Mercedes.
I need any and all information of the same car being bought locally and I need it now.
” He doesn’t respond and instead I hear him typing quickly in the background of the call.
It takes him the three minutes I spend texting Lev to meet Andrei and filling him in on what’s going on to come up with the results.
“Nothing is coming up. Whoever bought it and is driving around in it is connected and has wiped the database. It’ll be hard to even find it since we don’t know the original plate either.” He finally speaks.
No information on who owns the car at all. Whoever is using it to follow Willow around is practically a ghost.
I feel a cold sweat come over me and a steaming rage form inside me. Someone is stalking my girl and I had no idea this whole time because I thought it was Andrei. What have they seen? What do they want with her?
“I’ll send any and all information I can collect. Be ready to be on this for me, it’s serious.” I tell NikolaiI.
“Yes sir.” He responds before ending the call. He is as switched on as I am and that’s what I like about him. He is serious about his work and has never let us down.
I call Lev to update him and tell him to watch the bookstore then get Willow and Alina back to their apartment safely when they’ve finished. He’s supposed to be helping me with the trade contract for the meeting with the Italians tonight, but their safety is top priority now.
I down my whiskey and stand from my chair walking out of my office into the lounge where a few of our men are milling around and playing poker.
“Listen up.” I boom throughout the lounge and all my men freeze.
“I need three of you on watch tonight at an apartment across town and five to remain here with us while this deal goes down with the Italians. I don’t care who goes to the apartment and who stays here.
Decide amongst yourselves.” I say with no patience before leaving and making my way down to the bottom floor of the club.
I need to relieve some stress. The meeting with the Italians has me on edge and now knowing that someone is stalking Willow and I just dismissed her makes me want to kill someone.
I’m filled with hate, anger and adrenaline by the time I make it underground.
I push the doors open aggressively and see fifteen of our fighters training for some of the bouts coming up.
Буйно голова - Geo Pika is blasting through the speakers as I walk up and grab Anton by the back of the neck and dog walk him to the cage before I throw him towards the open door.
He’s our second best fighter under Lev, he’ll do.
“Get in.” I say to him in a venomous tone while beginning to unbutton my shirt.
“Boss. What are you doing?” I hear Mikhail ask as he approaches me cautiously.
“Stress control Mikhail. So fuck off before I decide it’s you in the cage with me instead.” The room goes silent.
My men have never seen me lose control like this before, actively seeking out a fight with one of them, never mind talking to them with disrespect as if they are my enemy. I don’t care right now that I’m being a bastard. I just need an outlet.
I throw my shirt over one of the front row spectator seats, empty my suit trouser pockets, toe my suit shoes off and climb the steps into the cage. Anton is standing in the middle of it with his fists by his side like he thinks I’m about to tell him I’m kidding.
“Are you a pussy Anton?” I snarl at him.
“What… Sorry… no, boss.” He says taken back by my question.
“Then come on. Fight me.” I edge closer to him in orthodox stance with my fists raised.
He realises I’m out for blood and finally raises his own hands to his face and bounces on his toes before jabbing towards me.
He may as well of just remained standing there with his hands down, because he doesn’t see my right hook to his ribs coming.
I hit him hard and the crack echos round the room.
He’s tough, as tall and as muscular as Lev, been bred his whole life for fighting, and yet it doesn’t stop him from grunting and bending over slightly, bringing his hand down to grip his ribs.
I take the opportunity of him dropping his hands to send a sharp left jab to his nose and it crunches under my knuckles. I step forward again with my left foot and throw a faint left jab before another right hook, this time to his jaw before landing an uppercut to his chin.
“BLYAT’, OSTANOVIS’!” I hear my men shouting from all around the outside of the cage, but I pay them no attention as I keep going.
I keep going until I don’t know how many minutes have went past, all I can feel is broken flesh under my fists, a ringing in my ears and droplets of blood hitting against my skin until I realise I’m being dragged off and away from Anton by four of our men.
I thrash against them for a few seconds as they all shout and then I see a couple of them rush to Anton.
He’s lying unconscious on the cage floor as they get him on his side and one of the doctors rushes in with oxygen for him.
I suck in air trying to catch a breath, blood dripping from my hands and sweat dripping from my hair.
I yank out of the grip I’m being held in and storm out of the cage, across the arena and out the door that leads to the back entrance, leaving my shirt and belongings behind.
Once I’m outside and the cold air hits me I slump against the cold wall and slide down it.
Resting my hands on my knees in front of me and seeing Anton’s blood on them, I start shaking, the adrenaline rush exiting my system at an alarming rate.
The last time I felt anger and loss of control like this was when my grandfather found me in the forest behind his estate.
I swore then I would never lose it like that again, but there was no amount of deep breathing I could do that would have calmed me down after learning about Willow being stalked.
She isn’t safe with me, but now she is more unsafe not being with me.
After this meeting with the Italians tonight I’ll go over to her apartment and I’ll apologise. I’ll get on my fucking knees and beg for forgiveness if I have to. I can’t leave her unprotected.
I close my eyes as the sweat running down my forehead starts to sting them and I inhale deeply, just like grandfather taught me to. To control my inner urges of wanting to kill someone. To not show loss of control. I also need to go find Anton and make sure he’s okay.
I sit out in the back alley for a few more minutes controlling my breathing before deciding I need to get up and head back inside to address my men. I push up, open the back doors and make my way through the corridor to the arena. Every pair of eyes turn to me as I walk in.
I see Anton on a stool in the cage, oxygen mask on him and his face a mass of bruises, brutal cuts and with one of his eyes swollen shut.
Fuck.
I stride over to the cage and Mikhail cuts in front of me putting his hands on my chest, pushing me back.
“Dragna, calm the fuck down and go. We got Anton.” He says sternly.
“I’m calm Mikhail. Move.” I say back to him as I shove him aside and step into the cage making my way to Anton. His head is hanging between his shoulders and he leans on his thighs looking defeated.
“I’m sorry moy brat.” I say as I crouch down in front of him. I place a hand on the side of his neck and he looks at me like he doesn’t even know me anymore. I don’t blame him, because I feel like I don’t even know myself anymore.
“I’ll pay you compensation for the fight you had coming up next week. Full pay plus extra.” I tell him as he continues to stare at me with a lost look in his eyes.
I know it won’t be enough, men like him live to step inside the cage.
They put everything into training and preparing for upcoming bouts, so for him to know everything was a waste and he won’t be fighting next week, there’s no amount of money to replace that.
Not to mention the fact that I am the reason for it too, someone he trusted.
He doesn’t say anything back, he just hangs his head again.
I stand and exit the cage, grabbing my phone from where I had thrown it when I see missed calls from Lev on the screen. I put my shirt and shoes back on, grab the rest of my things and make my way back to the lounge as I call Lev back.
“What the fuck D!!” He shouts down the phone at me.
“Where the fuck have you been! Willow met some guy after work and they’re currently having coffee in a cafe up from the bookstore. I can leave Andrei to watch while I take Alina home, but you need to get the fuck here. Now.” He shouts again and hangs up.
She’s with someone? Who the fuck would she be with? Is it whoever has been following her. My heart rate amps up and I feel murderous again as I rush to the lounge. I race past my men grabbing the keys to my car from my office deciding I’ll drive myself rather than dealing with Mikhail right now.
“Whoever is going to watch the apartment tonight, come with me now.” I announce on the way back to the door.
Three of my men quickly get up from the poker table and follow me.
We make our way to my car and I jump in, starting the engine and racing out of the parking space as quick as I can.
The back end of the BMW slides out for a few yards down the road at the pace I took off.
Whoever the fuck Willow is with is a fucking dead man.