Chapter 25 - Sergey
The longer this war drags on, the more pressure stacks on my shoulders, and the more I stand to lose.
But as much as I feel the urge to stew in all the bad parts, I know it isn’t all going to shit. At the very least, I’ve been making progress with Kat, and I can feel her slowly opening up to me.
Still, I can’t let it distract me.
Sitting in the passenger seat of a bulletproof SUV while Nik drives, it feels like my phone is burning into my palm. The call from Ivan replays in my head, where he details everything that just happened within the last hour.
One of our scheduled trades was intercepted, resulting in dead men and our product disappearing. It’s aggravating to hear, as every hit makes a solution seem farther out of reach. In a sense, it brings a feeling of hopelessness, but that’s the last thing we need.
We’re Lukovs, not any of the weak families below us who continue to claw for whatever they can get from us. We’ll handle it.
My pulse still hasn’t come down completely while I grip the armrest tighter. My jaw has been clenched so hard that my teeth ache.
It’s obvious Yuri’s not backing down. He’s ramping up, even if he’s staying away from the spotlight. Instead, he’s been sending his men out, either throwing them into suicide missions or extremely well-calculated ones.
At the very least, it sounds like our men put up more of a fight this time, and upping our security has lessened the blow.
But even with that reality lingering in the back of my mind, it’s Kat that’s been plaguing me all day.
Her smile from the other day when she walked into the garage replays in my head over and over again, helping to keep me grounded. In every way, it felt... right.
She’s been having a hard time adjusting to the life I’ve thrown her into, but she’s finding her footing again, and it’s more rewarding than I ever could’ve imagined. She’s back in her world, and even if I’m not part of it, I’ve placed it within her reach again.
That means something. At least, I hope it does.
I told her she could bring Roland in if she wants, and I don’t intend to go back on that. While the thought doesn’t exactly sit well with me, the guy has been part of her life in a way I haven’t, and for a lot longer than I have been.
He’s someone she chose, unlike me.
But I’m not going to be some insecure bastard. I can handle it, because the last thing I want is to become the kind of man who cages her. I’ve done enough to hold her back already.
If she’s going to stay, and if we’re going to be something, then I need to trust her.
I have to be better, just like I’ve been trying to do in all aspects.
When we roll up to the meeting place just outside of the city, the chaos greets us before we even have the chance to get out.
Blood streaks the dry ground, our vehicles are all over the place while the clean-up crew gets to the usual work, and the smell of gunpowder clings to the humid afternoon air.
Ivan flags us down near one of the SUVs, looking like hell. I can’t exactly blame him.
"They knew exactly where the load was heading,” he grunts. “Their gunmen were waiting and took out the first part of the convoy before our guys even knew what was happening. It was brutal and quick. The flatbed driver went too.”
Nik and I glance around the scene, spotting the front end of the transport that was left while the load had been taken elsewhere. The crew is busy pulling the driver out while I crouch near the body of one of our younger guys. As far as I know, he was barely twenty.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, scrubbing over my mouth before standing again. I glance at Ivan. “How much was taken from the shipment?”
His expression turns even more grim, somehow. “At least half. While the escort group was busy fending off their shooters, they had another handful come in and hijack whatever they could grab. Luckily, we had backup not too far away, and they managed to secure the rest.”
“And where’s it now?” Nik asks, brows knit with concentration.
“Back to one of our warehouses on the east side. Mikhail’s planning on running inventory there while we settle this here.”
We both nod, taking in the scene with the necessary context.
Even if it wasn’t as brutal as it could’ve been, it’s still too much and far too bold. I can see Yuri grinning in my mind at the thought of him obtaining more of our product and building his assets because of it. He’ll think he’s winning, and I can’t have that.
"This wasn’t a warning," I mutter. “Yuri wanted blood in exchange for what I did, but it won’t be enough.”
Ivan nods grimly. "And he certainly got it. But you’re right…this won’t be the last of it until we corner his ass.”
“How has the search been?” I ask Nik.
He sighs, shaking his head absently at the thought while he adjusts his gloves. “Abysmal. For someone as brazen as Yuri, he’s been impossible to flush out. We’ve seen plenty of his men and managed to catch a few, but he’s slippery. He must be holding back for a reason.”
My stomach sinks at the thought, well aware of what that reason likely is. He made it clear enough before.
But Nikolai’s words catch my attention as they repeat in my mind, and I perk up.
“How silent are the hostages?”
He shrugs. “I’ve been cracking down on two for a few days, but they wouldn’t speak, so I’m waiting them out. But we have a fresh one being sent into lockup as we speak. I was going to visit him after this.”
“Would you mind some company?”
A touch of rare mischief moves through his gaze, and Nik nods. “Seeing as you have a personal tie to this one, I think I could use that anger of yours.”
Good…I’ve been needing an outlet lately.
As relieved as I’ve been about everything being less tense with Kat lately, all of my frustration has been tied to Yuri’s attacks and his intent to get his sister back, but I haven’t had anyone to take it out on. This is exactly what I need.
We wrap up overseeing the cleanup while Ivan heads to the other warehouse, and Nik and I go to the main base, fully prepared to interrogate the hostage.
If we can work him down, then we have the chance of locating Yuri and stopping this before it can go any further. Maybe then I can finally put an end to all of this and give Roman a reason to trust me more.
As we arrive, we step out of the vehicle and head for the side door when the devil himself speaks up.
“Sergey!”
Roman’s voice cracks through the irritation still lingering in my head, making me pause.
He stalks toward me from the front entrance, his face dark with unbridled rage. His shirt sleeves are rolled to his elbows like he’s been dragging this empire on his back all day. Which, to be fair, he likely has.
Standing there, I brace myself for the inevitable, exchanging a glance with Nik before he disappears inside.
“Want to tell me how the hell we’ve managed to lose a fucking absurd amount of product in the last week alone?” he growls, stopping directly in front of me. “That’s another hit, Sergey. Another consequence of you acting out instead of thinking five steps ahead…I thought you were cleaning this up.”
I clench my jaw. “I am. And I’m well aware that this has gone on for far too long.”
He steps close, eyes sharp. “You may be aware, but you’ve done jack to prevent any of this.
We’re all picking up the slack for your marriage stunt, and we have been for weeks.
You said marrying Kat would corner Yuri and force his hand, but all it’s done is piss him off more.
You promised we’d be close to ending this.
We’re losing investors, Sergey. Our partners are weary because of the fallout, and our product is spilling out of our goddamn pockets. This shit is costing us every day.”
“I know,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “I know what I said, and I know I’ve made it worse, but I’m trying.”
Roman narrows his eyes. “And how exactly do you plan on accomplishing that?”
“However, I have to,” I tell him, well aware that there’s no time left to grapple with ideas. “I’ll go out and surveil the places his men frequent myself. I’ll find a way to get whatever information I can on Yuri’s whereabouts, and I’ll take him out. This is on me. I’ll make it right.”
He watches me for a long moment. I can see the gears turning in his head, almost like he’s both surprised to hear it and questioning if I mean what I say. Roman doesn’t forgive easily, and he sure as hell never forgets.
“I’m trusting you to handle this, Sergey,” he says finally, just barely softening the edges of his anger. “Get Yuri under control and end this shit. Prove to me that nobody else has to clean up your mess for you.”
His words sting, but I swallow them back, and I nod. “Understood.”
With a final glance, Roman walks off and leaves me to process what all of this means for me, and how I have no more room to slip up.
My stomach knots while the weight of it all presses down on me.
This isn’t about Kat anymore. It can’t just be about love or obsession or whatever the hell’s been influencing me to do whatever the hell I please.
This is about our legacy and the family. About proving I’m not just some impulsive heathen with too much money and spare time.
After seeing Kat for the first time, I put my old habits behind me. I stopped spending too many nights at the clubs, drinking, and using women to numb the pain of feeling unimportant. It was a start, but now I need to take it a step further.
I have to fix this.
And I need to prove myself, regardless of what it takes.