Chapter 24 - Mikhail
I know I should’ve shrugged them off in the first place. Now, I’ve only given them more ideas.
It’s nothing new either. The women here have always been shameless and relentless, especially around my brothers and me. They know exactly who owns the place, and they’re always hoping to use that to their advantage.
But the women, the noise, and everything else in the club are nothing but distractions. I know better than to let them linger, especially with my wife being in the same room.
One of them laughs at whatever came from her mouth, not even at something I said, and her fingers brush against my arm like we have history.
We sure as hell don’t. In fact, I don’t even know her name; I just know she works here as a bottle girl.
The other two are dancers, and they’re making it more than obvious they’re likely hoping for a jump in pay, or maybe just a night with me.
They probably assume it’s easier to flirt with someone holding power when they’re drunk and distracted.
Tonight, I’m neither.
Maybe at one time, I would’ve indulged. But that’s behind me now.
Lily isn’t just some figurehead, like a step-in to fill that role for me. She’s my wife, and that means something to me, as I hope it means the same to her.
Glancing over at Sergey and Ivan, I silently wait for one of them to step in and take my place, like they usually have no problem doing. But they’re both distracted by a brunette between them.
Roman is in his own bubble with Victoria, Nikolai is off by the bar on his own, and Elena is somewhere talking to Lily—at least, she had been.
Glancing over at where I saw them last, my brows furrow when I find nobody there. Instead, Elena is chatting with one of our guards, distracting him from doing his job.
Turning my head, I do another quick scan, but I don’t see Lily anywhere. She’s gone.
Frowning, I step away from the women without saying a word. They pout and look dejected, but I don’t care, and I don’t pretend to. I don’t give them a second glance.
It’s almost unsettling to realize just how tethered I am to Lily. How she doesn’t have to do anything to reinforce my intentions or my commitment to her.
She may still be uncertain about me and our future, but I’ve never been more sure about anything else in my life. About anyone.
Continuing to look around, wondering if I just happen to keep skipping over her in the crowd, I still don’t see her. No matter how slowly I scan the space, I can’t find her.
She was with Elena not even ten minutes ago.
Not wasting a beat, I move over to where Elena’s chatting, and I throw the guard a look before waving him away. He moves obediently, correcting himself upon being caught. Then I focus on my sister.
“I was having a perfectly fine conversation—”
“Where’s Lily?” I ask, not giving her the chance to linger on anything else.
Her expression sobers at my concern, and she looks vaguely confused. “Lily? She just went to the washroom. She said she would be right back.”
“When?”
“I…I don’t know. Just a few minutes ago, maybe?” She questions, taking in my expression. “Why, what’s going on?”
I don’t even answer her. Instead, I’m already moving, heading in the direction of the washrooms.
The hallway is narrow and empty, but the moment I step further inside, something feels off, and my stomach turns. Immediately, I knock on the women’s door, and when I don’t get any response, I push my way in.
Inside, I don’t see Lily fixing her hair or taking a break from it all. I don’t find anyone there.
I check the men’s room just to be safe, but it’s just the same.
The hallway is empty, and it only makes that cold dread in my chest feel worse.
Something’s wrong.
Without a second to fully process, it all hits me at once, and the nightmare I’ve been trying to avoid seems to be unfolding right before me.
Heading back to the main room and into the VIP section, I wave down Nikolai as he glances in my direction. I grab Sergey by the shoulder, pulling his attention to me, along with everyone else’s.
Roman’s brows furrow as he sits up more. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t find Lily,” I mutter, certain that my voice is carrying the concern I can’t even begin to hide. “She’s not in the washroom or the hallway. She’s gone.”
Everyone pauses as if digesting those words at the same time. Then I hear Elena’s quiet, hesitant voice dripping with horror.
“She’s gone?”
“Yes. She’s been gone too long, and we need to move now.”
They all nod, getting up and correcting themselves while Victoria pulls Elena closer, trying to soothe the obvious guilt in her features.
I want to offer my sister the same, but at the moment, I can’t think of anything other than Lily.
Roman murmurs something to the girls, surely telling them to wait, and on the way out of the section, he says sternly to the guard standing there, “Don’t let them out of your sight.”
Showing only a flicker of the intimidation he feels, the guard nods and stays in position.
The rest of us storm the back hall, trying to cut as much time as possible. When we make it to the service entrance, I find the door cracked slightly, being propped open by something.
I push my way out and glance over to find the guard normally posted there slumped against the wall with blood around his nose and dazed eyes. I lightly kick at his boot, holding the door open, knocking him back into his body again. He’s barely conscious.
My anger spikes.
“Get up,” I snap, grabbing him by the collar and standing him up.
“I tried,” he mumbles with a cough before leaning back against the wall. He presses the sleeve of his jacket to his nose and winces. “There were three guys, and they came out of nowhere.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Who were they? Did they say anything?”
He shakes his head, trying not to throw himself off balance. “I couldn’t see…they got me too fast. They didn’t say anything…”
Useless.
The rage rises within me, and I’m half tempted to make his bloody nose worse before Roman steps in and puts an arm between us. His gaze is hard on the guard, however, and he hands him the square from his pocket.
“Find someone to cover for you and get your ass home…and if anything like this happens again while you’re on watch, you’ll wish you never took this job,” he mutters, to which the guard nods anxiously before hobbling away.
I scrub a hand down my face, trying to force air into my lungs again. Trying not to lose my mind.
Picking up on this, Roman puts a firm hand on my shoulder to keep me grounded. “Nik’s scrubbing the surveillance now…we’ll find out what happened.”
I know he’s right, but I also know it’s damn impossible to be optimistic right now. Not while Lily’s safety is in the balance.
I don’t know where she is, or if someone has her. And if they do, I have the sinking feeling I know exactly who’s responsible.
“I found something,” Nikolai mumbles, moving in with the tablet in his grasp. He holds it out, giving me a good view of it. “Here…Lily steps into the frame and heads into the washroom.”
My brows furrow as I look closely, seeing her figure move into the shot before disappearing into the other room. A moment later, she comes back out and pauses. The others come into frame next, and my heart drops.
We all go silent while the feed continues, showing as they crowd around her, making my throat close up.
Then, she’s rendered unconscious, and I’m ready to be sick at the sight of her body going limp.
At them hauling her out.
Immediately, I’m seeing red, and someone has their hands on me to stop me from losing it.
As badly as I want to rage, I keep it in and mutter, “Back it up a few seconds.”
Nikolai nods and does exactly that, rolling it back to the moment the men come into frame.
“Pause it.”
The feed stops, landing on the man who stopped her from retreating into the washroom. Just barely, I catch a few pixels of something on his hand—a tattoo right on the junction between his thumb and forefinger. My jaw tightens.
“Fucking Maxim…”
Their eyes are on me immediately, and Sergey furrows his brows. “How do you know that’s him?”
“Because I know that tattoo…I put the damn cuffs on him the last time,” I utter, feeling as every nerve in my body comes to life, prepared to do everything in my power to get Lily back. “He took her…he really tried it…”
“He was never supposed to have this much manpower…but now he’s feeling brave enough to handle this shit himself,” Roman says, arms folded tightly over his chest. “Where the hell is he getting these people?”
“I don’t care,” I mumble, finding it hard to look at any of them then. Not with the footage repeating in my head. “I want him dead.”
Of course, nobody argues.
“I’m calling our units out now,” Roman says, not missing a beat, while he pulls out his phone and glances at Nikolai. “Go through more cameras and see if you can find a plate. We need to know where the hell they took her.”
Nik nods and gets to it while Roman makes his calls, but I don’t wait. I can’t.
I’m already whirling around and heading down the alleyway when I hear Ivan and Sergey’s steps following.
“We’re coming with,” Sergey says, giving me a supportive look without needing to say anything else.
“We’ll get a head start,” Ivan adds.
I can hardly manage a nod at the moment—not while it feels like someone is gripping my heart and squeezing it as tightly as possible.
I don’t say it, but I appreciate their company.
Hurrying to the underground parking, I don’t wait for the valet. Instead, I rush to the car while the other two file in after me.
Even if I try to keep it in, my pulse is roaring in my ears, and I can’t focus on anything but Lily.
She was taken by Maxim. Goddamn Nikolaev.
I let it happen. I allowed myself to be distracted, and now she’s gone.
It’s only a matter of time before Nik sends over the information we need, but a near-blinding pain pounds against my temples in the meantime.
My nerves are completely shot, and my mind is set on only one thing.
She’s one of ours, regardless of how rocky the past few months have been for her.
She’s my wife, my future, and the mother of my child.
If Maxim thinks this will be his winning move, then he’s an even bigger jackass than I originally thought.
He’ll go down regardless, but if he hurts Lily even more than he already has, then everything he has will burn with him.