Chapter 27 - Roman
Something’s wrong—I feel it before I hear anything.
Then, the sound of someone crying in the distance only confirms that inclination, and I’m on my feet just as a shrill voice reaches me.
“Roman!”
My blood runs cold, and I hurry across the patio, skipping the steps to find my sister a few feet away, hunched over while she sobs. Our brothers are close behind me.
My brows furrow as I take in the sight of her—barefoot and hobbling like she hurt her ankle, skin uncharacteristically pale and streaked with tears.
Worst of all, she’s alone.
The moment she sees me, she breaks, losing all semblance of her composure.
I’m there in an instant, collecting her in my grasp before she can fall.
“Elena, what happened?” I ask her, concern wrapping me up so tightly I can hardly breathe. I steady her with my hands on both her arms. “Where’s Victoria?”
Elena pulls in a shattered breath, unable to look at me. “They took her…Victoria—they grabbed her before I could stop them. I tried, Roman—”
My stomach drops, but I force myself to stay steady regardless of how I immediately feel off balance. I cup her cheek, making her look at me. “How many?”
“Two, I think…maybe three,” she says with a sniffle, looking more terrified than I’ve seen her in a long time. “They were fast—had masks. They almost took me, too…but they wanted Victoria.”
My expression hardens at that, but I pull in a slow, almost painful breath, barely focusing on her face at that point.
Elena’s chin wobbles. “I’m so sorry, Roman—”
“Don’t be,” I murmur, pulling her in briefly to offer her what comfort I can despite the tension rippling through me, threatening to set me off. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
She coughs and wipes at her eyes, nodding before I let her go again.
Mikhail swoops in, expression tight as he hooks an arm around Elena’s shoulders and shields her, letting her cry it out. “What happened?”
“Maxim has her,” I mutter, letting it slip like a curse.
Everything stills at once, punctuating the flicker of silence between us.
Nikolaev took her…it couldn’t be clearer.
Victoria..my wife, the mother of my child, my everything…
Pulling in another breath, I feel as if my thoughts go silent, leaving behind razor focus. Clean, steady determination.
With practiced conviction, I look toward Mikhail and the others, who all understand the gravity of the situation.
“Someone take Elena home. Everyone else, get the vehicles. Alert backup, but don’t wait for them.
If we find them first, we’re going in without hesitation,” I tell them, doing my best not to let the personal aspect of the situation throw me.
“Victoria will have her phone with her. Track it, and we’ll find Nikolaev.
I don’t care what happens…I’m taking that bastard out tonight. ”
With mutual understanding, I receive a nod from everyone like a wave, and we head out.
Nikolai is already tracking the coordinates by the time I slide into the front seat of my car, engine roaring and ready to go.
Everyone splits off, doing as instructed, and at once, we’re on the move.
I grip the wheel dangerously hard while my jaw nearly aches from clenching it.
But that discomfort means nothing compared to the job ahead. The highway feels longer than ever before, but with my foot on the gas, there’s no way I’m letting Nikolaev get away from me.
My heart feels heavier than it ever has while it burns with pure rage, but as much as it hurts, I’d rather bear that burden than wait a moment longer for anyone else to take care of it.
Even thinking about him laying a hand on her has me ready to level the entire city…to take Maxim apart limb from limb, all while making him watch.
He has no idea what kind of storm he has brought on himself.
***
The busy streets make the drive longer than it needs to be, but with tenacity and swerving, we find the place before I can tear the steering wheel out.
We surround a place outside of the city—a crumbling warehouse seemingly long forgotten off the beaten path.
It’s desolate and remote enough not to raise any alarms, but it’s so quiet that the atmosphere around the old building is nearly crushing.
Maxim was always one to retreat somewhere private…to lick his wounds and continue scheming in silence.
But now, his confidence will be higher than ever before.
Finally, after our years of pursuing this godforsaken chase, he has something of mine that’s worth killing for. Someone who has the ability to change the tide in his favor.
There’s no storming in. Not with the group of us.
Instead, I press forward first with my gun raised, poised, and prepared for anything behind those doors. Mikhail is directly on my left while Ivan and Nikolai take up the rear. Sergey took Elena home, but he has since set out to join us with backup.
We move as one, keeping our heads cool as we press forward. Everything about it feels precise and surgical, well aware that the whole thing can go south quickly if we aren’t careful.
There aren’t any guards to greet us out front. No…the place is still. Waiting.
Mikhail nudges the door open, and I push through first, keeping my pistol up with a sharp eye.
Surveying the area, I do an initial sweep and continue without seeing anything at first.
While we press on, there are faint voices up ahead. The white light above our heads flickers.
Then I hear Victoria’s voice—muffled, but there.
Another shot of adrenaline fires through me, but I zero in on the door ahead and approach. I glance back at Ivan, who already knows what I’m silently asking of him.
With a nod, he gains momentum and pounds his boot into the door, causing it to slip from the mechanism like a knife through butter. Pieces fly, and the door quickly swings before slamming into the wall next to the frame.
Mikhail and I slide through first, cocking our guns the moment we greet the room.
There he is.
Maxim.
He stands across the room with a pistol down at his side like he’s been waiting. A few of his men are scattered around the room, holding their assault rifles, on standby.
And Victoria…she’s on the floor with her hands bound in front of her. Her eyes are wide with panic, but she’s alive. She’s safe enough, all things considered.
Maxim lifts a blonde brow at me, wearing that usual smugness. He seems vaguely amused. “There he is…you came faster than I expected, Roman. I couldn’t even get out of this godforsaken city before you started trailing us.”
“You’ve always been sloppy,” I mutter, not in the mood to entertain any of his pointless chatting.
“Only where it counts…But I was hoping we could talk. Man to man.”
I grit my teeth. “This isn’t a negotiation. Don’t make this longer or more painful than it needs to be.”
Maxim hums. “But surely you aren’t in the position to be making demands, Lukov…not when I have your precious wife.”
My gaze narrows, and I watch closely while he steps closer to Victoria before kneeling behind her. My grip on the gun tightens, but it’s far from an ideal shot. He’s too close to her. Too risky.
Catching my reaction, he grins. “It’s a shame you showed up so soon…I was just getting to know my darling sister here. She’s just a doll, isn’t she?”
As he reaches forward with a gloved hand, Maxim caresses the side of her jaw, paying her far too much attention for my liking.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” I snap, voice piercing through the space.
His men shift their positions, but he only chuckles. “You know what…I don’t think I will.”
At his touch, Victoria flinches, and that fear only worsens in her eyes.
I want to kill him. Right here, right now.
But I can’t shoot yet. Not yet.
“You’ve been busy, Roman,” Maxim says, tone far too knowing while he slowly runs the barrel of his pistol along her shoulder. “Riskier than usual, too. Falling for her of all people…you should’ve known how dangerous it was.”
“I don’t care,” I utter, watching with pure disgust while he remains in her personal space, making her cringe from every teasing touch. “She’s mine, and you made the worst mistake of your life taking her from me.”
He takes in my veiled threat, chuckling to himself. “I don’t think you can lecture anyone about making mistakes…”
Before, I might’ve agreed with him. But after finding out who she really is, I’m well aware it was no mistake. Taking Victoria was perfectly intentional.
But things have changed. My reason for wanting and needing her has changed.
It has nothing to do with Maxim anymore. Not when I need her for her . My wife…the mother of my child. The only one who can bring me to my knees.
And soon enough, Maxim will be the one begging.