18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Aleksandr

Sleep eludes me tonight, just like every night since Mikhail's death. The weight of vengeance hangs heavy on my shoulders, and Talia's unexpected presence complicates matters further. She's a means to an end, a bargaining chip until I find Mikhail's killer. But my heart, traitorous as it is, yearns for something more with her—a connection I dare not entertain.

Curbing the need to go to Talia's room, I slip out of bed and go to the office, seeking solace amidst the papers and shadows that fill the space. She has gotten under my skin like no other woman ever has. I thought I could forget her. I thought I left her behind in San Franciso. But as luck would have it, she wound up in my city, my mansion, and my life. Pouring a glass of whiskey, I ask myself if it really is luck or if I manifested her here. I've thought about her every day since I left San Franciso.

The ringing of my cell phone distracts me from my thoughts. Reading the name on the display, I see it is Dimitri.

"Tell me you have good news."

"I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Dimitri replies.

"Give me the bad news."

"I didn't get any new information about Mikhail's killer. But we did find Adachi's men. Two of them escaped, but we caught the third little fucker. He's bound and gagged in my trunk."

Finally. "I'm glad to hear our plan worked. Take him to the dungeon," I command over the phone, my voice low and unwavering. "I'll meet you there in an hour." The dungeon is a relic of our darker past, buried deep in the mansion's basement. It's a special place where I get information from people unwilling to share it.

An hour later, I descend the stairs into that cold, stone-walled chamber. The captive's eyes widen with fear as I enter. Interrogation is an art, one that demands precision and patience. But tonight, my patience wears thin.

Adachi's man is tied to a chair in the middle of the cold room. There are no windows and only one door at the top of the staircase. The only illumination comes from a single light fixture hanging over the chair. Old, dried blood splatters stain the walls and floor. A steel table is flush against the wall in the corner of the room. Instruments of torture are laid out neatly on the table.

Pulling out my gun, I push the barrel against the captive's forehead. He blinks rapidly, focusing on the gun between his eyes. "Do you know who I am?" I ask.

"Y-yes," he sputters.

"If that's the case, then you'll know I'm a man of few words. Tell me where my drugs are."

"I-I don't know," the captive lies.

His wide-eyed stare bounces wildly between me and Dimitri. I push the gun harder against his forehead.

"I swear!" he squeals. "I don't know where they are!"

I pull the gun away from his forehead and strike him with the butt. He spits out blood and a tooth.

"Talk," I instruct.

"Adachi doesn't tell us anything. I don't know where he's keeping the drugs." He coughs, and blood dribbles down his chin.

"Wrong answer." I point the gun at his foot and pull the trigger. He howls in pain as blood pours out of the bullet hole.

"It would be in your best interest to tell us everything you know," Dimitri advises in his thick Russian accent. He leans against the wall, lights a cigarette, and then passes it to me. I take a long drag of it, blowing smoke in the captive's face. He coughs a few times, shaking his head no.

"I d-don't, don't know anything," he insists.

Clearly, I'm going to have to get creative. I slowly roll up the sleeves of my silk dress shirt. I know this man knows where Adachi has my paintings and drugs. He was one of the men seen on the gallery surveillance video from the night of the robbery. He was one of the men that killed Andrey.

Anger engulfs me as I launch myself at him, punching him over and over again until my knuckles bleed. After I feel the bone in his nose crunch under the weight of my fist, I back off. Grabbing a rag from the metal table, I wipe the blood off my hands.

"Tell me what I want to know, and I won't kill you."

His left eye is swollen shut, his nose is broken, and his front teeth are lying on the stone floor. Looking up at me with his one good eye, he shakes his head no, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

"I…I can't. Adachi will kill me," he mutters.

I casually run my finger along the shiny metal instruments on the table. Selecting a thin, long knife, I walk over to him and jam the blade into his thigh. He cries out, his shrill screams echoing through the dark room. Pulling the knife out of his thigh, I wipe the blade clean with a rag.

"If you don't tell me, you won't have to worry about Adachi killing you." I thrust the knife into his other thigh and watch as he chokes on his own screams.

"Y-you w-won't kill me?" he questions.

"No, I won't kill you if you give me the location." I stare at him, flipping the shiny blade as he contemplates his options.

After a long silence he speaks up. "Everything is at a warehouse near the 79th Street marina. It's next to Flagan's Fish Market."

I put the knife back on the steel table and roll down my sleeves. "I'm done here," I tell Dimitri.

Dimitri pulls out his gun and points it at the captive.

"Wait!" the man screams, his good eye round with terror. "Y-you said you w-wouldn't kill me!"

"Correct. I'm not going to kill you. Dimitri is." I turn my back on him and ascend the stairs. As I reach the top step, I hear the muffled sound of Dimitri's gun shooting a bullet. "Have someone clean up this mess, then meet me in my office in half an hour."

" Da ," Dimitri replies.

I strip off my bloody clothes and step into the shower, washing away the evidence. I stand in the steady stream of hot water as thoughts of Talia consume me. My cock hardens at memories of her tongue sliding up and down on the shaft. Thinking of the way she swirls her tongue around the tip has my cock at full erection. I can't stop thinking about her. All I want is to go to her room, climb into her bed, and bury my cock deep inside her. She's everything I want in this life, but precisely what I can't allow myself to have.

I rub soap over my body and fantasize about Talia being here with me. I think about how I would lather sweetly scented shampoo in her long chocolate locks and meticulously clean every inch of her luscious body. Picturing her in my mind makes my cock throb and my balls tighten. Images of fucking her by the pool possess me. Grabbing hold of my cock I pull and tug, jerking off to the images of Talia in my mind. Remembering how she looked as she fell apart around my cock pushed me over the edge. I release stream after stream of cum until my balls are depleted.

Rinsing off, I step out of the shower and dry off with a fluffy towel. I pull on a black v-neck t-shirt and grey jogging pants before running my fingers through my damp hair.

Leaving the bathroom, I go to the office, where Dimitri is waiting for me. He's already poured himself a glass of vodka and is seated on the sofa.

"What's the plan?" he asks as I sit in the leather chair behind my desk.

Steeping my fingers in front of me, I lean back in the chair. "We need to be smart about this. I don't want Adachi to get tipped off that I know where the drugs are. Take a small number of men with you to scout out the warehouse. You need to find out what kind of security he has and how many men are there. Then, we can work out a plan to retrieve the paintings and drugs."

"I'll go there tomorrow and report back to you." He finishes his drink, setting the empty glass on the low table before him.

"Any word on Sandy or her apartment?"

"Sandy is safe at the hotel. She hasn't gone to work. Our man guarding the apartment said no one suspicious has been there." Dimitri stands and crosses the room to the bar, pouring another drink. "How are you doing?" he asks.

I know he's referring to Talia, but I don't want to discuss it. "I'm fine," I lie.

Dimitri raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Really, brat ? From what I hear, you can't seem to stay away from her. Do you have feelings for this woman?"

"Feelings?" I scoff. "I don't do feelings. Fucking is purely physical. You know this." I glance down at the papers on my desk, shuffling them around to avoid his perceptive gaze.

"No one would blame you if you do have feelings for her. It's time you find a good woman and have an heir." Finishing the second drink, he places the glass on the bar.

"I don't have feelings for Talia. She's only here so I can protect her until she identifies Mikhail's killer," I reply adamantly.

Dimitri sighs and shakes his head. "Whatever you say, brat . Try to get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow." With that said, he leaves the office.

I pass by Talia's door on my way back to my bedroom. Putting my ear to the door, I listen for any sounds of movement. There's nothing but silence. I'm tempted to go in and wrap her up in my arms, but that is a temptation I cannot afford.

I stand there, inches from the polished wood, imagining her on the other side, sleeping soundly or perhaps haunted by her own demons. My resolve hardens, and with a sigh, I turn away.

Alone in my room, I sit at the edge of the bed, my thoughts a tumultuous sea. The night is filled with regrets and desires that cannot be. Tomorrow will come with its own battles, and tonight, I will wage war against the shadows of the past in solitude.