Chapter 26
MAKSIM
Anton drives way past the speed limit down the quiet road. We see few cars. I’ve called and texted Lia twenty times, but nothing. She’s not answering or responding.
“Are we almost there?” I growl.
The task I gave Anton, reluctantly, never believing we’d need to use it…
Put a tracker on my little brother’s car.
He stops at the side of the road. Nikolai is sitting on the concrete, his car on its side, no smoke, no fire, nothing as dramatic as that. It sits there as a metal husk, and my brother is the same. A husk with blood and glass all over his face and arm.
He looks up at me, clearly concussed. The disoriented look makes him look childlike, and suddenly, I feel sorry for him. I want to bark at Anton to get him medical help. I want to wrap my arms around him and gently lift him, whisper that everything’s going to be okay. His big brother is here.
Instead, I kneel. Take him by the chin and force him to look at me. He’s got tears in his eyes. “Rachael,” he moans. “Mikey.”
I shake my head. “How long has Vale had them? Is that what this is?”
“I love her, man,” he says, sounding broken.
“I love Lia,” I growl. “And you fucking took her.”
I take out my gun and press it against his forehead. He closes his eyes, waiting for death. A car drives past, but it doesn’t stop. People never interfere in our business. Our very presence makes them understand we’re part of a different world to them.
“Talk,” I snap.
“Just do it, big brother,” he says.
“Where the fuck did they take her?” I roar. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
“I—I had to,” he says, peeling his eyes open. “They need the second half of the key.”
“He tried to tell me,” I say, gesturing at Anton with my gun. “But I wouldn’t listen. Still, it niggled at me. Lying there with a bullet hole in my side. Who knew how much I cared, really knew? Who did I share it with? Who had access to all the information?”
He smirks, looking like the man I knew, the boy I knew. “You put a tracker on my car.”
“And I hated myself for it,” I snap. “Where are they taking her, Nikolai?”
“If I tell you, they’ll kill Rachael. They’ll kill the boy.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill you right here.”
“You’ll pull the trigger yourself?”
I drop the gun and grab him by the front of the shirt, panic tearing through me. Shoving him against the crashed car, I bring my face inches from his, speaking through gritted teeth. “I won’t need a gun. I’ll beat you to death, Nicky. I’ll beat you to fucking death.”
Tears appear in his eyes. I haven’t called him Nicky in years. Maybe since we were kids.
“I don’t know,” he croaks.
“But you can narrow it down. We’ve got two options. The data center, or the warehouse?”
“I don’t know,” he repeats, but I can tell he’s lying.
“You know something,” I snap. “I know you do. I can see it on your face. You remember something. It’s time to start talking. Now.”
When he doesn’t answer me, I do something I never thought I would. I punch my baby brother hard in the gut, then I hit him again. My mind is flooded with all the vicious things Vale and his men could be doing to my Lia.
He coughs blood, wheezing.
“Tell me,” I roar.
I hit him again, and now there are tears in my eyes too. He’s the only person I’ve ever trusted unconditionally, and now he might’ve killed the love of my life.
“Tell me,” I roar again, hitting him harder. “Where has he been hiding? The data center or the fucking warehouse?”
“Data…” He bows his head, sniffling. “They’re going to kill them. Rachael. Mikey. They’ve sent me pictures every day. They’ve had them for weeks, Max. It all ends here.”
I drag Nikolai over to Anton, shoving him toward him. “Put him in the trunk. He needs medical care. We’re hitting the data center as soon as possible. Rally the troops.”
“Boss.” Anton grabs Nikolai’s arm and drags him roughly. I resist the urge to tell Anton to go easy on him.
This means death for Nikolai. People don’t betray the Bratva king and get away with it.
Before Anton shoves him away, Nikolai looks up at me, broken. “I love her,” he says. “She’s the only person I’ve ever loved. Wouldn’t you do the same for Lia?”
“I would’ve come to you,” I snap. “We would’ve handled it together.”
In the car, I hold onto my side, wincing as the bullet wound tugs at me. Anton glances at me, and I let my hand drop.
“There’s nothing civilized about this anymore,” I growl. “We’re not above the other Bratva wings anymore. This is brutality now, Anton. This is war. This is death.”
“I’ve been waiting for this,” Anton says coldly and picks up speed.
I take a minute or two to control myself and call Conrad Vale.
He sounds even more arrogant than usual. “Maksim, what a lovely surprise.”
“Hmm.” I grind my teeth. “Have you hurt her?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cut the shit,” I snap. “We both know what’s going on here. I’m not bugging this goddamn call. You want the other half of the key. I want my girl back.”
“She’s sustained some injuries,” he says. “But that wasn’t us. That was the car crash. Your brother should get driving lessons. Did he survive?”
“I thought you’d want to take your asset,” I say in disgust.
“He’s outlived his usefulness. I assume you understand the gravity of the situation now.”
“You want the second half of the key,” I say. “And I can get it. But it’s going to take some time. There are passcodes and fail-safes and security measures.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Conrad says. “Finally, progress.”
“I bet you’re looking forward to being the undisputed king,” I growl. “Conrad Vale, the holder of all the city’s secrets. I bet you can’t wait.”
“Don’t be a sore loser,” he says. “How long will this take?”
I can’t say something outlandish, like days or weeks. That will just motivate him to hurt Lia. I need to be smart about this.
“Twelve hours,” I say.
“We’ll make the exchange at the hospital,” he replies. “In the meantime, I’m keeping your prize at an undisclosed location. Once you’ve handed it over and we’ve verified it, we’ll tell you where she is.”
“What about the others?” I snap. “My brother’s girl, her kid?”
He laughs snakishly, hiss hiss hiss. I imagine burying my fists in his face. “Whoever would’ve guessed, the big bad Volkovs, brought to heel by two women? You never should’ve cared, Maksim. That was your superpower.”
He’s wrong. Loving Lia is my superpower, and he’s going to regret ever laying a single finger on her.
“I’ll be in touch,” he says, then hangs up.
When we’re back at the estate, I walk to the trunk and open it.
Nikolai stares up at me, wide-eyed, broken.
I feel a pang in my chest as I think about ways to save him once this is done.
It pisses me off that I’m even thinking this way when he’s the reason we are in this mess.
I drag him out of the trunk and throw him to the ground.
“You got that boy killed,” I snarl. “Daniel Mercer…” The kid who reminded Lia of her baby brother. “That was you. Do you fucking understand that? And now my woman—my woman…”
He coughs up blood when I kick him in the gut. I kneel, grabbing the back of his neck, hating myself, unable to fully hate him, knowing I’ll never be the same again.
“You gave him the clearance. You told him where to go and what to do. Do you want to know something, brother? The reason I could never give you the location of the second key?” I tap the side of my head. “Because it’s up here, hundreds of lines of code, memorized.”
“Just let me die,” Nikolai moans.
“That’s the concussion talking,” I snap. “No Volkov man would say that and mean it. Now—how certain are you?”
“What?” he moans.
“How fucking certain that it’s the data center?”
“He’s there,” Nikolai says.
I gesture to Sergei, who’s walked over, probably wondering what the hell’s going on.
“Put my brother on lockdown,” I growl. “And get ready to kill.”
“Where you going, boss?” Anton says.
To tell my woman’s mother she might never see her again.