Chapter SeventeenAlexei
Chapter Seventeen
Alexei
I've never wanted to kill until now. But I'm boiling with fury at the sight of Irina in his grip.
The man grins maliciously. "What will you do, Alexei? Kill me like you did my other men?"
"You're right, I'll do just that." I should keep him alive to torture and question him later, but I'm too angry to be logical. All I can see and think of is my wife fighting to free herself from his grip, and him grinning with amusement.
I'm about to pull the trigger but someone beats me to it, and the fucker falls to the ground next to Irina, whimpering with pain.
Dimitri is standing behind me when I turn back to see who it is. "Sorry, Pakhan. A bullet to the chest would be no punishment for this asshole."
I tuck my gun back in my holster and hurry to Irina. She's soaked with her own blood, she's pale and barely conscious. "Irina," I pat her cheeks softly, "can you hear me?"
She rolls her eyes and musters a weak smile. "Alexei," she whispers. "I thought I wouldn't see you before I died."
"You're not dying today, malyshka . Not on my watch." I lift her up from the ground and carry her to the car. "Call Dr. Petrov. Tell him to meet us at home right now."
Illya pulls out his phone while Viktor climbs into the driver's seat and gets the car moving.
I'd been busy trying to figure out who'd taken the video which put this latest string of events in motion, when Mikhail called me. He'd received a report that a strange car had been following Irina from her father's mansion. No one had any idea who they were or why they would be following her, and I didn't have time to find out.
I'd dressed, grabbed two guns and left the house with some of my men. I struggled to fight the horror that whiplashed through me when I arrived and couldn't find her. Her bodyguards had been outnumbered, and Tinky shot.
Even now, my body pulsed with adrenaline, my heart beating so fast it boomed in my ears. I don't think I would survive it if anything happened to her.
The moment Viktor stops the car at the entrance of my mansion, I lift Irina out of the car and take her upstairs to our room. Dr. Petrov is already here. He tends to her wounds and inserts an I.V.
"Luckily, she was smart enough to control the bleeding," he says, adjusting the I.V. "She's weak, but she'll come around soon enough."
"If she doesn't?" I'm trying not to show how afraid I am something might go wrong, but it's impossible.
Dr. Petrov gives me a knowing smile. "Nothing will happen, trust me."
When he leaves, I pull a recliner next to the bed and watch Irina sleep. I check her pulse every ten minutes, and I don't take my eyes off her until Nikolai comes into the room an hour later.
"Brother, are you okay?" he asks cautiously, which is unusual for him.
"Damn it, Niko. No, I'm not fucking okay." I snap at him even though none of this is his fault. It's all my fault, I should've done more to protect her. I should have gone with her.
"I have something to make you feel better." He glances at Irina who's lying helplessly on the bed. "The bastard is awake, and he's in pain. Now will be a good time to torture some answers out of him."
Anger roars in me. I'm seeing red, and I'm thirsty for blood. Torturing that asshole won't be enough, and I'll make sure he begs for death. I kiss the back of Irina's hand and whisper I'll be back soon, then I follow my brother down to the basement.
The fucker from the restaurant is tied to a chair with his hands behind him. His gunshot wound is still bleeding, and he looks like he's been slipping in and out of consciousness from blood loss.
Dimitri and Mikhail move away from him, making space for me to play with him.
"Has he said anything?" I ask.
They both shake their heads. "The fucker's lips are as tight as a virgin's cunt," Dimitri says.
A mirthless smile plays on my lips. It won't be for long. I roll up my sleeves and squat in front of my prisoner. "You dared to touch my woman. Do you know the price you'll have to pay for that?"
The man has the nerve to smile at me. He has such an ugly smile. He's missing at least two teeth, and his mouth is bloody. "Apologies, Alexei. I didn't know the bitch was yours."
"Bitch? Are you asking to be killed?"
"We both know I won't be getting out of here alive," he sneers. "Do it and get it over with."
I tsk . So much nerve for a man who will soon be dead. "Trust me, you're not getting out of here alive. But how painful and slow your death will be, depends on how useful I find whatever information you'll give me."
He spits at my feet. His eyes are mad with fury. "Go fuck yourself, Vadim. You're not getting anything out of me."
"You seem determined to be a loyal dog." I smile, slowly unwrapping the bandage around his wound. Dr. Petrov stitched him up pretty well, it's a shame I'll have to make a mess of it.
He trembles. "What the hell are you doing?"
I dig two fingers in his bullet wound. I relish in his scream, but I'm disgusted by the blood and flesh clinging to my nails. "Trust me, I have no problem torturing you for the next couple of days, weeks even. I'll keep you well fed and conscious enough to feel all pain I'll inflict on you."
"Fuck you!" he manages to yell through clenched teeth. "You'll never get a thing from me."
I twist my fingers hard enough to feel his bone. He screams louder, his voice nothing but pure agony. I'm thinking of a hundred ways to torture him. I want him to feel the fear and pain Irina felt while he dragged her on that floor.
I stand to my feet and grip his hair, then stretch out a hand for a knife. "This is what you did to her. You tortured her, inflicted pain on her. All with a grin on your face."
Dimitri passes me a knife. I stab the asshole's shoulder blade with it. His teeth cut into his bottom lip. His attempt to smoother his cry is useless. He's only causing himself more misery. I wait until he's almost calm before I pull his hair all the way back. His cry is like music to my ears.
"Now, you can tell me what I want to know." I hold the handle of the knife and twist it while it's still buried in him. "Or I can torture you in other creative ways. I can start with pulling a tooth every two hours, or you could lose your fingers and toes, one by one. I'll make you choose."
He groans, but he doesn't say a word.
I smile. I like how stubborn he is. It's no fun torturing men who tremble with fear the second they're in front of me. I turn to Mikhail. "Get me the bolt cutters, we'll start with his fingers."
Mikhail nods and walks off. When he returns, he's holding the tool.
My prisoner's eyes widen the moment I click the handles together. "W-wait! I'll talk!"
I bring the bolt cutter closer to him.
"I'll talk Goddamn it. Keep that thing away from me. I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know."
A grin pulls my lips back. "That sounds more like it." I grab a chair and sit in front of him, the tool resting on my thigh. "Who sent you?"
"The Phoenix. I work for the Phoenix," he quickly answers. "I've done hundreds of jobs for them. Your wife, she's been their target for months now."
"Months?" So, they weren't after her because of me. They were watching her before they forced us to get married. "Who runs the Phoenix and why are they after my wife?"
"The Phoenix has three leaders. I don't know who they are." He pauses and gasps for air. "Your wife's father is one of the top dogs, but they sensed a betrayal. They wanted to control him."
"Keep talking."
"You're an idiot if you think you can take them down. They're too powerful." He groans. "They'll wipe you and your legacy from the face of the earth before you even discover their true identity."
"I told you to tell me all I need to know, and you're threatening me instead?" I scratch my chin. It's obvious he doesn't know how badly I take to threats.
His chuckle sounds like a death rattle. "You're a fool, Alexei Vadim. And your foolishness will be the end of you."
"Maybe, but I'm not dying any time soon." I stand and pull a gun from my holster. "Guess who is?"
His begins to writhe, his eyes widening. "Fuck—"
I pull the trigger. Blood trickles from the hole between his now lifeless eyes. They're still wide and filled with terror.
"Get rid of this mess," I say, returning the gun to my holster. "We've gotten a lead and we have work to do. If there are three leaders, one of them is sure to have left a trail."
"How do we find them though?" Dimitri asks, giving the dead fellow a disgusted look. "Matteo won't tell you anything, even if you asked him."
"I don't intend to." I'll keep digging for any information I can find on the Phoenix, no matter what it takes. "One more thing, Irina must not hear of this. She holds her father in high esteem. It'll break her to find out he's nothing but a piece of trash."
"I think it's a little too late for that, brother," Nikolai says, his tone laced with sick amusement.
I shift my attention to the door where he's looking and my blood curdles. Irina's standing by the door, teary-eyed and shaking. "What did you just say about my father?"