27. Andrey

27

ANDREY

"How bad is it?"

Vaska sighs and drops into the chair in front of my desk. "It's depressing, is what it is. I'm informing on the men who are supposed to be my brothers— your men."

"It's all depressing, but this is where we're at. With Slavik making moves, I need to know where loyalties lie."

Vaska's knee jumps. "Not gonna lie, boss: there are more than a few men who'll defect if it comes down to it."

My fist tightens around the pen in my hand. Slavik abandoned ship over ten years ago and there are still idiots who're willing to abandon my leadership for his? Have I not done enough for them? Have I not led this Bratva out of the fucking Dark Ages? Have I not provided?

"The rumors are that Slavik never abandoned the Bratva. They think he merely left you in charge in his absence and his seniority overrides the last decade of your rule." He sighs heavily, hating this every bit as much as I am. "They miss the freedom to do whatever they want."

I snort. "Meaning Slavik let them off their leashes, but I don't let them fuck around like they used to."

"That about sums it up."

" Blyat' ." I abandon my chair for the window. "Maybe one good thing will come out of this: I can weed out the weak."

"And if the weak outnumber the rest of us?"

Before I can respond to Vaska's annoying pessimism, my phone rings. It's Leif. "Cops," he grunts in a low voice before I can say a word. "They're here to question Natalia. Something about that shady motherfucker you got rid of."

Fuck.

"Are they with her now?"

"Questioning her. I don't like the look of the detective. They're talking right now, but, boss?—"

"I'll be there soon. Keep an eye on them."

Just before I hang up, I hear a strangled whimper. Was that Remi? Why isn't he with Natalia?

"Vaska, keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear anything, report it to me or Shura immediately."

"Got it, pakhan ."

I rush towards my Escalade, determined to get there before the cops are done questioning Natalia. Shura's just turning into the drive when I start the engine.

"What's going on?" he asks, hopping out of his car and running towards my window.

"Natalia." It's all I have to say before Shura jumps into the passenger seat. "The cops turned up to question her about Byron."

"I thought you took care of that."

"I've got a few guys in my pocket, not the whole damn department," I growl. "Leif thinks something is wrong."

"Don't worry: Leif, Leonty, and Olaf are with her?—"

"Yeah, but I'm not."

Shura shuts up, and I concentrate on trying not to run over any unsuspecting pedestrians. We're only ten minutes away from the Sunshield building when my phone rings again. Shura grabs it and puts it on speaker for me.

"Leif?"

"The motherfuckers took her down to the precinct for questioning." Cold dread floods through me. "Natalia insisted that she go with them, but she said something strange before she left."

"What did she say?"

"She told me to ‘cancel her meeting with Misha Remington.'"

"She was trying to tell you that these guys aren't legit!" I roar. "They work for Slavik. Or Nikolai, or… Fuck. Do you have eyes on them?"

"We're tailing them in the jeep. They're cornering 3rd and 41st, headed north."

I reroute quickly, cutting off half a dozen furious drivers at the same time. "We're close. Stay on the line and don't take your eyes off that fucking vehicle for a second."

"Boss…" Leif's voice is drenched in regret. "She was pale when she came outta that room. I should've stopped her from?—"

"Doesn't matter now," I cut him off. "The only thing that matters is getting her back."

"They're turning again. Hold on, hold on…"

He falls silent and my hands tighten on the steering wheel. I'm in danger of breaking it clean off at this point.

"They're slowing down."

"Where?"

"A closed Chinese restaurant at the end of 39th."

"We'll be there in two minutes."

Ninety seconds later, I screech around the corner and park alongside the curb where my men are waiting. Remi bounds over to me the second the door is open, whimpering and growling like even he knows something is wrong.

"It's okay, boy. We're gonna get her back safe and sound." I take in the boarded-up windows and the cracked parking lot before I look at my men. "Let's go."

Shura catches my arm from behind. "We don't know what we're walking into, Andrey."

"We're walking into the building where my wife is being held hostage," I growl. "However many men are in there, we can handle them."

Remi nudges my thigh with his nose, and I whisper to him in Russian, "Stay with me."

The dog's ears perk up and he stays close at heel as though he understands every word.

It takes a single kick to the weathered plywood covering the front window to snap it in half. The woods crashes in on the shattered glass that litters the floor, giving me a perfect place to land.

My men follow after me.

The first few idiots are slaughtered where they stand, dumbfounded and gawking. Remi's teeth are as blood-soaked as the bottoms of my shoes by the time we wade through the carnage. The dog leads me to a rickety door down a back hallway and barks as I join him there.

Another kick, and I send the door careening off its hinges.

The crash almost hides the high-pitched scream that emanates from within. When the debris clears, I find myself staring at Natalia.

She's sitting in a chair, her hands trembling…

As the man standing next to her holds a gun to her head.

He's wearing a sweat-stained suit and a smile that doesn't quite cover the worry lines in his forehead. "Back off right fucking now or I blow her brains out."

I step onto the fallen door, Remi at my heels. He's growling menacingly. The suit isn't sure who the bigger threat is: me or the dog.

"Keep that fuckin' mutt away from me."

As if he knows he's just been mentioned, Remi snarls.

"Get that gun away from my woman." Despite the fact that I barely raise my voice, it carries. "Right fucking now."

The man must realize he's in over his head, because he begins to barter. "Let me go or she dies."

Fucking pathetic.

"If she dies, I'll make you wish you did, too."

His eyes dart frantically around the room until they land on a window in the corner. It's just big enough for a grown man to squeeze through.

"Fine. I won't hurt her," the suit says. "But first, put down your gun."

Natalia's eyes go wide. I try to make eye contact with her, to reassure her with a look. But I'm not in total control of my face right now.

"Done."

Bending down, I switch the safety on and set my gun on the floor. The moment I stand, the suit darts towards the window, intent on making a run for it.

In his rush to make a quick getaway, he's made a grave oversight.

"Remi," I growl. " Ataka !"

The dog bolts forward and sinks his teeth into the suit's leg just as he's trying to squeeze himself through the narrow window.

I barely hear the howl as I run to Natalia and pull her into my arms. She sinks into my chest, her hands over her ears to shield from the agonized screaming.

"It's okay," I assure her as I pull her from the room. "I've got you."

Her eyes meet mine. "I knew you'd come."