Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Andrei
Tonight's operation went south faster than I'd expected. Pavel had an ambush waiting at the dockside warehouse. I lost two men, and a flying piece of shrapnel tore open my arm.
After patching up the wound, I realized my phone was trashed. No wonder something felt off all day—I hadn't gotten my little wife's usual meal "reports."
Lilith messaged me every day.
I hadn't replied to Lilith's messages. Would she be mad? Picturing her all puffed up and irritated made my heart melt.
I had Sergei handle the manhunt, then turned to leave.
By the time I got back to the manor, it was past midnight. I wanted to hold Lilith right away, but when I looked down at the blood and grime covering me and that glaring white bandage wrapped around my arm—
Too late. I didn't want to wake her. And I didn't want her seeing me like this. She'd worry.
The whole house was dark. Lilith must be asleep. I felt my way inside, stripped off my bloodstained clothes in a second-floor guest room, and showered in the attached bathroom to avoid disturbing her.
Clean and changed, I pushed open our bedroom door—eerily quiet.
Lilith wasn't in bed.
I flipped on the light and scanned the room—empty.
"Baby?"
No response. Her slippers sat by the bed. My eyes caught on something on the nightstand. A folded piece of paper. My stomach dropped. I unfolded it.
The letter read:
"Andrei.
I've made up my mind. I can't share a bed with a murderer anymore. Every time you come home, I smell that sickening blood on you, and it makes me sick every second. I can't stop thinking about who you killed that day. All of it disgusts me. I made a mistake. I shouldn't have married you.
I'm leaving. Don't look for me. Don't contact me. Don't make me hate you.
Lilith."
My hand shook holding the letter. I stared at those cold lines and felt something rip open in my chest.
But something was wrong. This wasn't Lilith. She'd promised to face this world with me. Even if she regretted it, she wouldn't just disappear. She'd slam doors, give me the cold shoulder, cry—but she wouldn't leave a note and run.
This wasn't her.
I had to figure out what happened.
I dialed Lilith's number from the landline. No answer.
I pressed the intercom. "Dmitri, get to the main house now. Lilith's gone—pull all the manor surveillance."
"What?"
Dmitri sounded stunned. "I just dropped her off not long ago. I made sure she got home safe... I'll check the footage right now!"
I grunted and headed downstairs, knocking on Rebecca's door—she'd been home all evening. If Lilith did something, she'd know.
Two knocks, no answer. I pushed the door open. Empty.
My chest tightened. Something smelled wrong. I backed out of the guest room as Dmitri arrived.
"Where did Lilith go today?"
"Madam went to the hospital for a checkup.
Miss Ivanova went with her. Later, they split up, and I accompanied Madam to see Elena.
Her condition deteriorated today—the heart showed rejection, very dangerous.
I had Professor Feodorov brought over. Wasn't until after midnight that Miss Elena stabilized.
Then I brought Madam home." Dmitri reported every detail.
"Lilith went to the hospital? What's wrong with her? How could Elena suddenly... why didn't you tell me sooner—" I suddenly remembered my phone was smashed. I clenched my fist, wanting to punch myself. Elena in critical condition, Lilith couldn't reach me—she must have been frantic.
Thinking of her crying herself sick made my heart plummet.
No wonder she left in the middle of the night. I must have broken her heart.
"Never mind—not the time. Now—get me a phone."
"Yes, boss." Dmitri yanked Marcus's phone over and swapped in my SIM card. "Use this for now. You can check the surveillance on it too."
I pulled up the footage.
12:47 AM. Lilith had just gotten home, then ran back out the front gate. Her face was streaked with tears. She flagged a cab and left.
My heart clenched.
The way she ran—like someone was chasing her, or something had scared her to death. What could terrify her like that?
1:10 AM. Another angle showed Rebecca driving her white sedan out the back gate.
Why was Rebecca leaving? My gut told me their timing wasn't a coincidence.
"Trace that cab's destination."
Dmitri was already on it. Minutes later he hung up, face grim. "The cab drove to a block from Elena's hospital, then collided with Rebecca's car. Surveillance goes dark after that."
"What?"
Fury churned under my skin. I slammed my fist on the table, and everything on the edge crashed to the floor. My knuckles split open, blood seeping through the bandage.
Just then, urgent footsteps and guards shouting came from the entrance.
Luca burst in, hair wild, face white as paper.
"Dad! Something happened. Lilith—Lilith's in trouble!"
"Tell me!" I crossed to him in one stride.
"I-I saw Rebecca near the hospital dragging Lilith into a car! Lilith was unconscious. I wanted to rush them—" he gasped, words breaking apart, "but Rebecca had a knife. I didn't dare. I was afraid if I charged, she'd slit Lilith's throat right there—"
Luca raised his hand and slapped himself hard. "I'm a coward! I just stood there and watched them drive away! I did nothing!"
Luca's shoulders collapsed. He dropped his head and cried.
"Enough, you made the right call." I gripped his shaking shoulder. "You didn't let her get hurt worse."
I took a deep breath.
Rebecca didn't act on impulse. She'd planned every step. She knew where Lilith would go. She must have left that goodbye letter to buy time.
That bitch wanted to tear me and Lilith apart—or worse, murder her.
Regret and rage twisted in my gut.
I kept her in my home, treated her like someone who needed protecting, but all along she was plotting against my wife. I'd invited a wolf to the table. I owed Lev my life, but I'd paid that debt to the wrong person. Rebecca was nothing like her brother.
"Pull surrounding surveillance immediately. I don't care what it costs—find Rebecca's location."
Surveillance tracked Rebecca's white car heading toward the eastern suburbs. In the footage, another dark car followed at a distance, staying on the same route.
Then all surveillance cut out. The eastern suburbs were abandoned industrial zones, cameras sparse. No more footage to pull.
Did Rebecca have help? I couldn't be sure. But Lilith was definitely in extreme danger right now. I had to get to her fast.
As I coordinated personnel for the rescue, my phone rang. An unknown number sent a picture message.
I opened the attachment. The moment the image loaded, my hand shook uncontrollably. The phone dropped, screen cracking against the floor.
The photo showed Lilith.
She was chained to a concrete wall, heavy iron shackles on her wrists. A red mark crossed her face, blood at the corner of her mouth, more blood on her arms. Her hair stuck to her cheeks in tangled strands. She stared at the camera, those brown eyes filled with terror.
My breath caught; my chest felt like ice crushed under a speeding truck.
Then the text appeared, stomping harder on my heart.
"Your little wife's pregnant. Twins. Congratulations, Andrei.
But you probably won't live long enough to be a father.
Your sister's here too. Come alone. Bring the pakhan seal.
You know where I am. Every ten minutes you're late, I'll cut something off them and send it to you. "
My finger froze on the screen, the words flashing repeatedly like a blade scraping my nerves.
I knew who.
Pavel.
He was alive and using my wife to threaten me.
He stood in front of her with a knife and made her bleed for the camera. And my Lilith, carrying my two children, chained to that filthy concrete wall.
A wave of scalding rage surged through me. More primal than fury—pure killing instinct.
"Get everyone assembled." My voice pressed out from deep in my throat.
"Guy Industrial District, eastern suburbs, abandoned warehouse.
Everyone holds position one kilometer out.
No one moves without my order. Strike team circles to the rear and roof.
Dmitri leads assault, Sergei handles perimeter sniper positions. "
Pavel wanted to see me alone. Fine. Let him think I came alone.
Dmitri glanced at the image on screen, face iron-gray, then turned and ran out.
I fought the migraine from overwhelming rage and forced myself to focus. Lilith was waiting for me.
I opened the safe and removed the bronze seal representing the Volkov family, slipping it into my coat's inner pocket.
Pavel could have the damn seal. He could swallow the worthless piece of scrap metal for all I cared, as long as he gave me back Lilith.
Then Luca looked up at me, eyes bloodshot. "Dad, I know I have no right to ask. I've been thinking about everything I did to Lilith. I'm not asking for forgiveness, but this time, let me do something for her."
"Enough. Saving her is what matters." I lifted my hand from his shoulder, voice cold and hard again. "You wait outside. Don't enter the warehouse. Don't be reckless."
"I won't." Luca's voice was hoarse. "I won't hurt her again. I swear."
I said nothing more. Luca got in the car with me.
The drive to the warehouse was long. The eastern suburbs highway was desolate and broken down, lined with abandoned factories and rusted fences. I leaned my head against the seat back, eyes closed, but couldn't shut off the images in my mind.
Updates came through the earpiece—snipers in position, strike team at warehouse rear and rooftop, undetected by Pavel.
We arrived. I pushed through the iron door.
First thing I saw was Lilith. Chained to the wall, iron shackles suspending her wrists, glaring red trailing down her arms, dried blood crusted at the corner of her mouth.
When she saw me, she lifted her head, those desperate eyes meeting mine.
That one look made my blood surge, my chest crushed under a thousand-pound hammer.