CHAPTER 27
Anastasia
With nothing else we can do but wait, I take Rodian to the nearest restroom so he can wash his hands and arms.
Thank God he’s wearing black today.
Once he’s done, I place my hands on the sides of his neck and say, “Andrei is strong.”
For a moment it doesn’t look like he hears me, but then he nods.
The door slams open, and Sergei pops his head inside. “Atanas and Constantin just arrived.”
I watch as a ruthless mask wipes the worry from his face. We walk back to the front where a nurse is telling some of the men to leave because they can’t all wait inside the hospital.
When it looks like they’re going to put up a fight, Rodian calls out, “Get back to work. Sergei will send updates.”
The men don’t argue, and as they file out of the hospital, Atanas and Constantin come toward us.
“How is Andrei?” Atanas asks.
“We don’t know. They just took him to the back,” Rodian replies, then shakes his head. “He was shot a few times, and they cut him up pretty badly.”
I’ll never get the image of those men slicing through Andrei’s eye out of my mind.
God, the pain he must’ve felt.
My heart weeps for what he’s been through and the long road of recovery ahead, and I make a promise to do everything I can to be there for him.
Constantin’s phone rings, and he steps to the side to answer, then turning back to us, he says, “Rosie’s trying to get a hold of you on your phone.”
Rodian looks at me, which has me saying, “I left it in the car. I’ll go get it quickly.”
Just as I take a step, he grabs hold of my arm. “No, Sergei will get it while he parks the car. It can’t stand out front.”
While Sergei jogs out of the hospital, Rodian pulls me tightly to his side and keeps me pinned to him with an arm around my shoulders.
He takes Constantin’s phone to talk to Rosie. “I’m here. We don’t know… Find every fucker involved. I want to know where they eat, where they shit, and who they fuck. Also get me what you can on Sokolov Junior.”
Chills ripple down my spine from the rage darkening his tone.
“No, I haven’t heard from Tim. I’m sure the kid is fine,” he mutters before hanging up and returning the phone to Constantin.
“What’s the plan of action?” Atanas asks.
“As soon as the names start coming through from Rosie, I’m going on a killing spree. It’s the only thing I can do while I wait to hear what the doctors say.”
“We’ve each brought a few men. We’ll join you, and Devran should be here in the next hour or so,” Constantin informs us. “Last I heard, Ryo was in Poland for a meeting, so he might –”
“I’m here,” a Japanese man I haven’t met yet says as he comes in. He’s younger than the others but doesn’t look any less lethal.
“How did everyone know to come to the hospital?” I muse more to myself than anyone else.
“Rosie told us,” Atanas answers.
Damn, Rosie is badass.
Looking at Rodian, I notice how pale his skin tone is. Spotting a vending machine, I leave his side to get a Coke, hoping the sugar will help.
When I turn away from the machine, Rodian’s eyes are on me, not leaving me as I cross the room toward him.
“Have some.” I hand the can to him and watch as he pulls the tab off and drinks half before giving me the rest.
The instant Sergei comes back with the phone and car keys, Rodian takes them and orders, “Stay here with Anastasia and call me if you get any news on Andrei’s condition.”
My eyebrow lifts as I ask, “Where are you going?”
“To work. Waiting here will drive me insane.”
To work, aka to kill those responsible.
“Please be careful,” I plead with him, lifting on my toes when he bends down to give me a quick kiss. Then, thinking of something, I mention, “We’re not related to Andrei. The staff won’t tell us anything.”
Rodian shakes his head. “Sergei, Andrei, and I are all emergency contacts for each other, so don’t worry.”
He gives me another quick kiss before leaving with Atanas and the others.
“Katya is coming,” Sergei mentions. “I thought you could use a friend right now.”
Giving him a thankful nod, I stare out the windows until I lose sight of Rodian.
“How are you holding up after everything?” Sergei asks.
I lower my eyes to the gleaming floor, and my shoulders sag. “I don’t even know where to start processing today.” My chin quivers as I’m bombarded with flashes of Andrei being tortured. “What they did to him...” I glance up at my guard. “Why did it happen?”
“Revenge for Sokolov. The bastards don’t know you’re the most important person to Rodian, as everyone is under the impression it was just an arranged marriage, so they went after Andrei.”
I let out a worried sigh as I glance at the reception area. “Do you think it would be too soon to ask how he’s doing?”
“Yes. With all the injuries, he’ll be in surgery for a while. I’m sure they’ll give us an update as soon as they can.”
Please let Andrei survive this.
Rodian
The second my phone vibrates, I stop to check it, and seeing a message from Rosie, I quickly open it.
One after the other, names and photos and last known whereabouts appear, and I tell the others, “We have a list.”
“Where to first?” Atanas asks as we all gather in the parking area.
“Gusev is at a bar a few miles away. Chernov and Malenkov are at a nightclub on the other side of the city. Baranov is at a house in the suburbs, and Moroz was last seen at a traffic light in the middle of the city,” I relay the information before adding, “I’ve never seen their faces, which means they’re low-level scum who probably wanted to make quick money. ”
I don’t mention that Sokolov Junior was spotted going into an apartment building.
He’s mine.
Ryo checks the time on his wristwatch. “Are we splitting up so we can work through the list faster?”
“Makes sense,” Atanas agrees.
I create a chat between us and also add Rosie, telling her to send any real-time updates to this group.
As I glance up, I recognize a car speeding into the other side of the parking area, and realizing it’s Katya eases some of the tension in my chest. I watch as she hurries to get out and runs toward the hospital entrance, then I bring my attention back to the group.
“Five targets. I’ll take –”
“You take the nearest one so you’re closest to the hospital. We’ll kill the others,” Constantin says.
Giving the heads of the other mafias a grateful look, I walk toward the Rolls-Royce.
“Wait!” Anatas calls out. “Take Petar and Teodor with you. You can’t move around alone.”
“Thanks.” As the two men catch up to me, I give them a chin lift.
“Do you have a gun?” Petar asks.
“Yes.”
“We’ll follow your lead,” he says as he gets into the passenger side.
I slide in behind the steering wheel while Teodor climbs in behind me, and as I start the engine, I glance at the hospital where my best friend is fighting for his life.
“Once we’ve killed Gusev, we’re taking out Sokolov,” I inform them.
During the drive, I keep seeing Andrei’s cut-up face and all the fucking blood. My shirt has dried, but I can still feel the blood on my chest, and I won’t wash it off until I’ve gotten revenge for him.
Rage fills every ounce of my being, and when we’re close to the bar, I force the memories away so I can focus on my surroundings.
Cars line the sidewalks, and not giving a flying fuck, I double-park right outside the bar.
“Teodor, you’ll take over driving so we can make a quick getaway,” I order.
“Yes, sir.” As I get out, he moves to the driver’s seat.
I walk to the entrance of the bar with Petar and say, “You’re only backup in case something goes wrong.”
“Got it.”
Entering the establishment, my gaze sweeps over the bar counter and tables, and the moment I spot Gusev, he sees me too. The fucker jumps up and topples the table over before running for the door beside the counter.
Going after him, I shove people out of my way, and as I slam through the door, it’s to see Gusev struggling with the back exit. He can’t get it open, and spinning around, his eyes scour the kitchen for a weapon.
Oil sizzles, and a chef cautiously glances between Gusev and me as he creeps toward the door that leads to the bar area.
Gusev makes a wild dash for a knife, but my body collides with his before he can reach it, and I slam him into a metal table.
“It was just a job!” he shouts, panic lacing his words.
“It was just my best fucking friend,” I roar, and grabbing him by the back of his neck, I repeatedly hammer his face into the side of the table. “My fucking underboss!”
The skin splits over the bridge of his nose, and drops of blood hit the hot oil, the sizzle drawing my attention.
Not even thinking twice, I haul the fucker closer and shove his face into the fryer.
His body jerks and convulses for a few seconds before he goes limp and I let him drop to the floor. Ripping my gun from behind my back, I put two bullets in his fried face, making sure he’s dead.
As I stalk out of the kitchen, I don’t feel any better. People scatter out of my way, most giving me fearful looks.
When we leave the bar and get into the SUV, sirens sound up, which has Teodor flooring the gas.
I program Sokolov Junior’s address into the GPS so Teodor knows where to go, then glance at my phone.
Not seeing any updates regarding Andrei, I let out a heavy sigh, but needing to check in with Anastasia, I send her a quick text.
Rodian: Are you okay?
It doesn’t take long before she reads the message and responds.
Anastasia: Yes. Katya is here. Are you okay?
Rodian: I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.
Anastasia: I’ll always worry. You’re the love of my life, and you’re hurting. I wish there was something I could do to help.
Rodian: You loving me is enough, moya krasavitsa.
While I have my phone out, I text the group chat.
Rodian: Gusev has been eliminated.
Rosie: Update on Sokolov Jnr. He’s still at the apartment building. Two men are standing guard out front. After digging, I found out Sokolov has a girlfriend there. Apartment 2B.
She attaches a photo of the guards and girlfriend, so we’re able to identify them.
Constantin: I’ve just taken out Moroz. Rodian, wait for me before you hit Sokolov.
Not replying, I show the photos of the guards to Petar and Teodor.
“The men might recognize you. Let us take care of them before you go into the apartment,” Petar says.
Agreeing, I nod, then another message comes through.
Constantin: You have no idea what you’re walking into in that building. Wait for me, or I swear to God, I’ll use one of your own guns on you.
A silent chuckle shakes my chest.
Rodian: So all it takes is pissing you off to get you in a talkative mood.
Constantin: Fuck you. I want confirmation that you’re waiting.
Atanas: Baranov is dead. I’m ten minutes away from the apartment. Whoever gets there first gets dibs on killing Sokolov.
“Faster!” I bark at Teodor.
Rodian: I will cut off your balls.
Atanas: Didn’t take you for the kinky kind.
Teodor pulls over up the street from the building, and as we get out, I tuck the phone into my pocket.
Petar and Teodor start talking shit in Bulgarian, keeping their demeanor casual as they walk toward the guards. I hang back, my head low.
Just as they pass the guards, Petar attacks, wrapping his arm around the nearest man’s neck and breaking it with a crack. Teodor whips out a knife, plunging it four times into the other fucker’s gut and chest.
As the men drop, cars come tearing down the street, and Atanas cuts off Constantin’s SUV, with a wide grin on his face.
When I first met Atanas, he came across as serious, but it’s been a pleasant surprise getting to know him.
The men get out, and Constantin grumbles, “The whole lot of you will take me to an early grave.”
“We won’t dare leave your precious little girl fatherless,” I say as they join me.
Atanas’ eyebrows fly up. “You have a kid? Since when? Why didn’t I know?”
“Because I don’t advertise it,” Constantin replies with a slight growl in his voice. “Let’s do this. I promised my daughter she could go to the zoo tomorrow.”
“Weird. You didn’t come across as the fatherly type,” Atanas mentions as we enter the building.
We head up the stairs to the second floor, and taking position on either side of 2B, I silently count down to three using my fingers, then kick the door down.
A woman wearing nothing but panties screams as she curls up on a couch, covering her head.
“Where the fuck is Sokolov?” I bark, and she doesn’t hesitate to point in the direction of the hallway.
I run down it, and bursting into a bedroom, I see Sokolov climbing through a window onto the fire escape stairs. I dart forward and manage to grab hold of his left arm, hauling him back into the bedroom.
As his naked ass drops to the floor, I kick him in the gut. “Fucking fucker,” I roar before shouting, “Anyone give me a knife.”
Teodor hurries closer, giving me the K-Bar he used on the guard.
“You fucking killed my father,” Junior hollers. “What the fuck did you expect? That I’d just let it go?”
The asshole scrambles to his feet, and as I grab hold of his sweaty hair, he takes a swing at me, but Atanas stops the blow and pulls his arm behind his back, keeping him in place for me.
“Eye for an eye.” The words rumble from me as I drag the blade across Junior’s face, making sure he feels every inch of the cut.
Shouts of pain fill the room as I cut his face to shreds, and once I’m done with that, I look him dead in the eye as I slice his throat.
No more words need to be spoken as I watch him bleed out while making gurgling sounds, and only when his dead body drops to the carpet do I feel a sliver of satisfaction.
Now that I’m able to tell Andrei I avenged him when he wakes up after surgery, I can return to the hospital.
We all ignore the crying woman as we leave the apartment, and not wasting time, we run to our respective cars so we can get out of here before the cops are called.
I’m going to have to grease a lot of palms to make all of this go away, but I don’t care. I’ll pay whatever it takes.
When I get into the backseat of the Rolls-Royce, I close my eyes and let out a deep breath.
As Teodor drives us back to the hospital, I can’t stop thinking of Andrei. Having lost track of time, I don’t know how long he’s been in surgery.
The instant I walk into the hospital, I head straight for Anastasia. She hurries to get up, and when I engulf her in my arms, my body shudders.
“Have you heard anything?” I ask against her hair.
“No. He’s been in surgery for three hours, though. It’s a good sign if they’re working on him for so long, right?”
I nod as I pull back. “They have a lot of damage to repair.”
My wife spots the blood on my hands, and giving me a you-can’t-be-serious look, she points at the restroom. “Go wash your hands. You can’t walk around in public looking like a serial killer!”
Chuckling, I steal a kiss from her before I do as I’m told.