Dmitri
Chapter Fifteen
I watched Lara brokenly exit the dining room, no longer the innocent girl she once was, but now a tainted woman who would soon carry my child.
Her presence lingered like a reminder of what I had done, and though every fiber of my being urged me to follow her, a pressing matter demanded my attention.
With a sigh, I carefully tucked my semi-erect cock back into my tailored trousers and departed the dining room, the rich wood panels echoing underfoot as I made my way back to the dimly lit study.
Earlier, intruders breached the mansion—sending a clear warning message.
Despite our inability to capture any of them before they vanished into the night, I was certain of the sender’s identity.
My thoughts drifted back to my sixteenth birthday; a pivotal moment shared with four men who were more than just friends.
They were my brothers in arms. Together, we had forged an unbreakable bond, vowing to stand by each other regardless of the circumstances life might throw our way.
We called ourselves the Krasnyye Rytsari , the Red Knights.
A decade had passed since my father discovered our clandestine alliance.
He had dismissed it as the folly of boys too na?ve to understand the world of men.
“What did I know at twenty-two?” he would often remark with disdain.
There was much my father never understood about the Krasnyye Rytsari .
We operated under a strict code of honor, shaped by his own teachings on the art of killing.
Despite his demands to sever ties and speak of them no more, we continued our mission, clandestinely cleansing the streets of New York City of its filth.
Now, the time had come to end this prolonged conflict with the Cosa Nostra and cement my dominion over the Eastern territories once and for all.
With don Balestrini’s daughter in my grasp, I possessed the leverage needed to lure him into the open.
Perhaps, in doing so, I might also draw out Andrei Zhukov.
With a deliberate motion, I retrieved my cell phone from the pocket of my pants, the smooth surface cool against my palm. Quickly, I typed out a message, setting into motion the next phase of my plan.
ME : brOTHERS AT ARMS. THE TIME HAS COME TO REUNITE. DANGER IS AGAIN UPON US. YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
ALEXEI: Yes, Sire.
MAXIM: Yes, Sire.
ISAAK: Yes, Sire.
NAZAR: Yes, Sire.
They responded immediately, unwavering in their response. There was no hint of hesitation, as if their very essence was attuned to the urgency of the text. It was as it should be: a testament to our unbreakable bond.
My thoughts drifted back to the day following my eighteenth birthday, a day etched in my memory with the sharpness of a blade.
It was the day we extinguished the life of Carmine Balestrini.
I had believed, naively perhaps, that by eliminating Giovanni’s sole heir, the threat to our family would dissipate like smoke in the wind.
I was mistaken. The assault on the mansion was undeniable evidence of my misjudgment.
But why now? The timing was perplexing. He couldn’t possibly know about Larissa being held captive, unless, of course, he had been watching her every move, like a predator lurking in the shadows.
Truth be told, I wasn’t even entirely sure that it was the Cosa Nostra who had stormed the mansion, other than the crest tattoo on the ones who hadn’t gotten away, which could mean anything.
It was a deduction, driven by the relentless war that had raged between us for as long as I could recall.
Perhaps this meeting with my brothers would illuminate the murky path before me, providing the clarity I so desperately needed.
I had to unmask the faceless enemy who was determined to turn my life into a living nightmare.
~***~
It was 2:00 a.m., the dead of night, and I found myself standing alone, the chill of the early morning air biting at my skin as I waited for the others to arrive.
It had been a significant stretch of time since we last gathered in this place, yet nothing seemed to have altered.
The only noticeable change was that the once barren patch of earth behind the old, weathered church was now a vibrant sea of wildflowers.
These blossoms served as a colorful shroud over the resting place of the eight Balestrini heirs, their roots delving deep into the sanctified soil.
The room where we convened for our clandestine meetings retained its familiar aura, dominated by the imposing, heavy round table and the five high-backed leather chairs that seemed plucked from a king’s court.
The sconces, suspended high on the ancient stone walls, cast flickering shadows, giving the space a medieval ambiance, a constant reminder of the legacy and power symbolized by the Red Knight.
Immersed in my thoughts, I was abruptly brought back to the present by the sound of footsteps echoing through the tunnel.
No one outside the inner circle was aware of the Red Knights, so it had to be one of us.
As I turned toward the entrance, a figure emerged, standing about six feet tall with broad shoulders and long hair cascading over them in loose waves. It was unmistakably Isaak.
“Isaak. Good to see you, old friend,” I greeted him warmly as I moved forward, embracing him in a firm half-hug.
“Dmitri. You haven’t changed a bit,” he responded, his voice filled with familiarity and warmth as he returned the gesture.
“Hey, you two, you’re starting to make me jealous,” a voice chimed in from behind, causing us to break our embrace and turn around.
“Nazar,” Isaak and I said in unison, our voices echoing in the silent room as we each gave him a welcoming half-hug.
Soon after, Alexei and Maxim arrived, their presence completing our gathering as they greeted each of us with heartfelt embraces.
Once we settled into our respective seats, we spent a few moments reconnecting, sharing stories and laughter, but the weight of our purpose hung heavily in the air.
It was time to address the matter that had brought us all back together after such a long hiatus.
“I know you guys are wondering why I called this meeting after all this time,” I began, my voice steady as each of the Knights focused intently on my words.
“Yesterday, a group of men stormed my mansion. They killed six of my men. I have every reason to believe it was the Cosa Nostra, and I suspect the Balestrinis were behind it.”
“That’s impossible,” Alexei replied, his voice laced with disbelief. “All of the Balestrini heirs are buried behind the ancient stone church, their legacy interred with them.”
“There is something else,” I interjected, my voice heavy with the weight of the secret I had been keeping.
I hadn’t planned on revealing anything about Larissa, but the gravity of the situation demanded it.
“Three years ago, Andrei Zhukov murdered my father in cold blood. He had a daughter, her secret whereabouts I unearthed only recently. I found her and have since made her my wife.”
Maxim’s lips curled into a mocking smirk. “I guess congratulations are in order,” he snickered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “But what does your marriage have to do with any of this?”
“We uncovered documents that revealed Larissa Zhukov isn’t the daughter of Andrei Zhukov, but rather the daughter of Giovanni Balestrini,” I explained, pausing to let the revelation seep into their understanding.
The silence hung heavily in the room before I continued.
“I suspect Giovanni somehow discovered that I have her and is now attempting to reclaim her.”
“But the Balestrini legacy is dead and buried. There is no one left,” Nazar argued, his voice steady.
“Giovanni Balestrini vanished into the shadows shortly after we eliminated Carmine. His reputation was shattered—his power stripped away. Rumor has it he killed himself. We aren’t even sure he is still alive. ”
“Are you certain it wasn’t someone else who invaded your mansion?” Alexei probed, his skepticism palpable. “You have no shortage of enemies, Dmitri.” I turned to face him, my gaze icy and resolute.
“I’m certain,” I retorted sharply. “One of the men we killed bore the unmistakable Cosa Nostra insignia tattooed on his neck,” I lashed out, my voice edged with frustration. It might not have been the Balestrinis directly, but it was undoubtedly someone conspiring with them.
“What do you want from us?” Isaak inquired, his voice cautious but willing.
“I need to uncover the identities of these people, and I require your expertise,” I implored, my voice earnest. “No one can know about this.”
If those who stormed my mansion had connections to the Balestrinis, I had to shield Stepan and the brotherhood from discovering anything about the Red Knights.
If it surfaced that I played any role in targeting the Balestrini heirs, it would ignite a devastating war between the Bratva and the Cosa Nostra, a conflict that would extend far beyond the Eastern territories.
~***~
When I returned to the sprawling mansion and entered the dimly lit bedroom, I found Lara fast asleep on the bed. She was curled up on the very edge, as far away as she could get from the other side. That arrangement was certainly going to change.