Chapter 9
VIKTOR
Idon’t try to follow her. Honestly, I’m so shocked in the aftermath of what’s just happened, I physically can’t make myself follow her. I stand there, breathing hard, staring at the spot where, moments before, I had her writhing underneath me.
Fucking hell.
I wasn’t going to let myself go there with her.
I knew what would happen if I did, and standing here is just clarifying that truth.
I can’t let her go now. Even if I want to.
Even if I think it would be safer for her.
I never want her out of my sight. I never want a world where she isn’t a moment’s touch away from me again.
I fucked up and I know it. This complicates everything. There’s no coming back from this now that I know how it feels to be inside her, what she sounds like when she’s screaming out in pleasure. It’s a sound that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life.
I return to the control room and review the exterior feeds. I turn my phone back on and see that I have at least a dozen calls from Sergei in the last ten minutes. Shit. I shouldn’t have turned my phone off just to prove a point. I hit his contact and wait. He picks up on the first ring.
“Mikhail’s made his move,” he tells me darkly.
“What has he done?” I ask, feeling a sinking feeling in my gut.
“He left the body of one of our men at the docks.”
Damn it.
“Who?” I ask.
“Anton,” he answers. “He handled inventory on the east side for us.”
“Who found the body?”
“One of the foremen. His hands were bound, and his throat was cut. It was a quick and clean kill, but his body was left where someone would easily find it. It was a message.”
“Do something for me,” I say. “Ask around. See if there have been any other murders in Brighton Beach.”
“How did you know?” Sergei asks. “Every family received one. The Moretti family found one of their guys near their warehouse in Red Hook. The body was left exactly the same. And the Kosovs received one outside a club in Williamsburg.”
“Mikhail doesn’t know anything,” I say, relaxing a bit in my chair. “He’s grasping at straws, so he’s retaliating against everyone.”
“You shouldn’t see that as a victory,” he responds almost sternly. “Things are getting bad out here, Viktor. Mikhail is willing to threaten every single family to get his girl back. That display of power is unheard of. He thinks that he can take on the whole borough and win if he has to.”
“Only if we let him,” I say sagely.
“You didn’t want to get involved,” Sergei reminds me. “You said, and I quote, ‘It isn’t our war to fight.’ Now you’ve made it your war and forced all of Brooklyn into this. I don’t want to question your authority—”
“Then don’t,” I cut him off. “I have a lot of respect for you, Sergei, but don’t forget your place. I’m still your pakhan.”
“You are,” Sergei answers tightly. I know he wants to argue with me. I know he wants to berate me, but he won’t.
“Has Mikhail publicly claimed the murders?”
“He has.” Sergei sighs. “They were all left with a note. ‘Return the Bride.’ It’s as clear of a message as any of us will get.”
Bride. The word washes over me like a bucket of ice-cold water. After what just happened in my kitchen, I’d almost forgotten how all of this started. She doesn’t belong to him. She never did, but she especially doesn’t belong to him now. She’s mine.
“How are the smaller families reacting?” I ask, trying to focus on anything else.
“They’re just waiting,” he answers. “Some are pulling back, going underground. There’s a lot of confusion and fear right now.
No one knows what happened to Anya Malenkova and they’re obviously not going to claim something they didn’t do.
No one is willing to escalate this with Mikhail.
They’re waiting for someone to claim the kidnapping so they’ll know what to do next. ”
“And if no one does?” I ask.
“You know what Mikhail is capable of,” he answers gruffly. “Should all of Brooklyn be burned down for this girl?”
“I want to increase our security at the docks. Whatever it takes.”
“We already increased before the attack,” he reminds me.
“Then double it,” I say firmly. “Clearly, we didn’t have enough. We’re dealing with an all-out declaration of war here. We can’t be too careful.”
“Viktor.” He sighs warily. “You left that meeting before I did. You didn’t see the fear on their faces. They are terrified of Mikhail, of losing everything they’ve worked to build. You are the only one who was able to protect them then. Now…”
“Now I’m their biggest threat,” I answer as he trails off.
I know I’m playing a dangerous game here. That was always going to be the case when I decided to take Anya. What choice did I have? What choice did she have?
That was before we slept together. Now, there’s no chance in hell I’m letting her go back to him. I’m not even going to risk the possibility of him getting her.
“I need time,” I tell him honestly. “Lock everything down for now, and we’ll circle back.”
“Don’t take too much,” he warns. “Mikhail isn’t fucking around here.”
“I know he’s not.”
I end the call and stare at the screens.
Anya has her door shut again, and I know she still hasn’t eaten.
I decide to bring her up some food. We need to talk about what happened, and she deserves to know the truth about what Mikhail is doing.
Maybe that, if nothing else, will convince her that she can’t leave.
I go to the kitchen to make another sandwich and carry it up the three flights of stairs. I knock lightly on her door, but there’s no answer. When I test the door to see if she’s blocked it again, there’s no resistance. I peek inside and see that she’s just lying on her bed again.
“Anya,” I call out.
She doesn’t respond.
“We need to talk about Mikhail,” I say, hoping she’ll take the bait.
“No,” she shoots back.
I sigh and walk in carefully. She doesn’t react as I enter and set the sandwich on the foot of her bed. I opted to wrap this one in a paper towel, instead of plating it.
“Go away,” she says quietly.
“Anya, there’s been some development,” I tell her calmly. “Mikhail has escalated his threats. He’s sent a body to every family in Brooklyn.”
“Did you lose anyone important?” she asks, disinterested.
“An account manager,” I say casually. “Not a big fish, necessarily, but everyone in my organization is important to me.”
“So what?” she asks with venom.
“He’s reacting without thinking,” I tell her.
“I hope he kills them all,” she says after a moment, without an ounce of emotion. “I hope you lose everything you love.”
“This isn’t just about me,” I tell her almost desperately. “Every family in Brooklyn is being targeted. Even the small ones who are barely functioning as it is. Do you understand, now, why I can’t let you leave?”
“No,” she says, finally sitting up. “He would have done this even if you hadn’t taken me. Even if you let me disappear without a trace. He is ruthless and single-minded.”
“So what exactly will he do to you when he catches you?” I ask, meeting her gaze.
That seems to shut her up. She goes cold and retreats further into herself.
“Like it or not, I am your best chance at staying alive,” I tell her, my irritation growing.
“And believe it or not, I’m not your enemy.
I never was. So you can hate me all you want, but if I turn you loose, every family in Brooklyn will be after you.
They’ll turn you into Mikhail just for a chance at leniency.
There is nowhere safe for you, Anya. Do you understand? ”
She doesn’t respond. She pulls her knees up against her chest and stares ahead at the wall.
“I’m not going to let that happen to you,” I tell her. “No matter how much you hate me, no matter how many times you try to run away, no matter how many times you annoy the shit out of me. Mikhail isn’t getting you back.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Viktor,” she says, her eyes becoming glassy. “You can’t keep me safe from him any more than you can protect your dock workers. We’re all fucked now.”
Her face is so devoid of emotion, it’s almost frightening.
She’s still not looking at me, but her eyes are moving as if she’s seeing something in front of her that isn’t there.
Like maybe she’s back with Mikhail, remembering how he treated her.
It makes my pulse quicken. I hate the idea of her with him.
I hate knowing that he ever had any power over her. I want to kill him for it.
“You should go,” she says quietly, still staring at the wall. “It won’t be long before he destroys everything you have. Enjoy it while you can.”
I know she’s speaking from experience, and I realize I can’t even imagine what that experience is. She fought off three men just to get away from him. I knew he was a monster, but what could he have possibly done to make her choose death over rescue?
When I find out, I’ll make him pay for it.