Chapter 24 - Piotr

Glancing at my phone, I realized Alyssa was late. She should have been back about two hours ago. Checking the house, I thought I might have missed her arrival while I was out back. I looked in her room and mine, but she wasn’t there.

Heading back down, I checked out front and back, but there was no trace of her. The house was quiet; even the kitchen was empty. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, I called up. “Mila, Konstantin, anyone home?”

I heard a door open and some scurrying. Mila peeked over the railing from one floor and Konstantin from another. “Hey,” they replied, almost in sync.

“Have either of you seen Alyssa today? She left this morning for a quick errand. But she hasn’t returned yet.”

Mila and Konstantin glanced at each other and back at me. “Nope, do you know where she went?” Mila asked.

“I don’t know, and she’s not answering her phone. I’m worried, guys. What if something happened?” With this, Mila and Konstantin both came down the stairs.

“Let’s call who we can and check the regular places. I’m sure she just got distracted by a new dress or met someone she knows and went for coffee. I’m sure she is fine,” Mila said, squeezing my arm.

I could see she didn’t believe a word of the bull she just spat out. I was sure she only said it to lessen my worry. I gave her a tiny smile and nodded in appreciation. I had a nauseating feeling that something was very wrong.

Konstantin offered to go to Ashan to see if Cindy knew anything. He would also ask Ashan to put out word that we were searching for her. Nodding at him, I watched as he left.

“I’ll go check all the shops and places I took her to; if she got lost, maybe she would go to one of those places, Mila said as she grabbed her bike keys.

“Right, thanks, Mila. I’ll ride the streets and find out if anyone saw something out of place today. I’ll visit our sources.”

We all split in different directions, hoping to find a clue as to where she could have gone. I was on the road heading to my second informant when my phone rang. Pressing the button on the earpiece, I listened for a response.

“Hey, Ashan hasn’t heard anything but has sent out his me to comb the suburbs.” Konstantin blared into my ear.

“Right, thanks,” I replied and ended the chat. I had just left the second informant when my phone started ringing again.

This time, when I answered, it was Mila. She spoke in a rushed tone, mumbling about some bar. I had to pull over and ask her to slow down. I couldn’t make out a word she was saying.

Mila took a deep breath and tried again. This time, I heard the concern in her voice clearly. “Piotr, you need to come to the bar where you picked Alyssa and me up the other night. You want to hear what Layle has to say,” she blurted out.

“Okay, I’m on my way,” I said before disconnecting and taking to the road. I wasn’t far from the bar she mentioned, but it felt like I was driving for hours even though it wasn’t even ten minutes. Pulling into the parking area, I had to pull the brakes hard as I was almost going at full speed.

My front tire connected with the front wall of the building, picking up the bike's rear slightly. Catching my footing, I steadied the bike, switched it off, and headed in. I found Mila talking to the waitress who assisted me in getting the two tipsy women in the car the other night.

As I got to them, I spoke up, looking at the waitress. “What information do you have on Alyssa?”

Hearing the door open behind us, we turned to see Konstantin entering. Turning back to the two women, I noticed a look of anguish on Mila’s face. “Come on now, spit it out!” I said harshly.

“Calm down, brother, we’ll get her back,” Konstantin added as he stopped beside me.

“She might be in danger,” I spat at him as my concerns were eating me up inside.

Mila glanced at the woman next to her. Taking her hand, she squeezed it as she spoke. “Layle has information on Alyssa you need to hear.”

This action took both Konstantin and I by surprise. But this wasn’t the time to discuss such matters. Looking at Layle, I raised my eyebrows in anticipation.

“Yes, yes,” Layle said. “We were cleaning earlier when we heard a scream outside. Me and the other two waitresses stormed out to see what was happening. That was when I saw her.”

“You saw Alyssa?” I asked.

“Yes, it looked like her. She was bound and being chased by big men. There were three cars at the stop street as well and another man shouting orders.” Layle added, looking at Mila.

I grew anxious at her lingering and needed to know what happened. “Okay, and then what?”

Mila gave me a warning look and said to stay calm. She would also be uneasy if she only knew how my heart was racing and my mind flying.

“Well, the woman who looked like the one here with Mila the other night. She threw something to the curb as the men dragged her back to the car. I picked it up and kept it,” she said hesitantly.

“Where’s it? Where’s the phone?” I blasted at her.

Mila stepped between us and shoved the phone against my chest. “Here,” she said. “It’s Alyssa’s phone.”

I wanted to ask Layle why she didn’t answer when we called, but knew I would be pushing my luck with Mila. I decided it wasn’t important, as I needed to know who had taken her. I stepped back and took a deep breath. My heart felt like it was about to blow if I didn’t do something.

“Okay,” I said, raising my hands before me. “Sorry, I know you are trying to help. The man that took her, can you describe him?”

Mila stepped to the side again, and Layle continued. “There were a lot of guards, but I couldn’t get a clear look at them as they scurried around her. The three cars were all black, though.”

Layle rubbed her head as if thinking very hard and then added, “Oh, yes, the man that shouted the order was a fat man in a smart blue suit. He had black hair and a scruffy face, as if he had forgotten to shave this morning. Sorry, that’s all I got.”

That was enough for me. My fists tightened at my sides as I knew who had taken her. There was only one fat man who wore blue suits and didn’t like to shave every day. Rage surged through my body as I spoke out in anger. “I know who has her. It’s Jones.”

Turning on my heels, I headed for the door. Before stepping out, I heard Konstantin yelling behind me. “I’ll call Leon and let Ashan know.”

I was burning with anger as I raced through the street on my way to Jones’s underground facility. Arriving at the worn-down building that was a front for his operations underground, I noticed the place was packed.

At the entrance, the guards opened for me without an issue. I found this a bit discerning as I would have expected Jones to try and keep me out. As I parked and headed inside, I speculated on his reason for taking Alyssa.

With no time to waste, I stormed inside. At the entrance, two guards blocked me from entering. They were asking about my reason for being there. Raising my voice as I spoke, I hoped Jones would be able to hear me. “I came to collect Alyssa. She is my wife, and you have no right to keep her.”

I could hear voices in the earpiece the guards wore. “Is that Jones,” I hissed. “Tell him to come here, I want to talk to him.” As I screamed at them, I tried to step between them. The guards kept me back by each taking hold of an arm. I was furious and ready to take on the world if that’s what was needed.

Looking over their shoulders, I saw Jones coming closer. I could no longer control my anger as I shouted at him. “Where is she motherfucker? Where’s my wife?”

The guards tightened their grips as he came to stand before me. I was like a bull, shoving and pushing with all my might.

“So, you came for her,” Jones said in his smooth, let’s do business tone.

“She is mine, remember. You gave her to me.” I spat back, trying to contain the rage within.

“Well, well, well,” Jones added, rubbing his prickly chin. He started turning, looking back at the ring and the people standing around. “Things have changed since we last met.”

“Nothing changed, Jones. I am her husband, and we are still married. You have no right anymore.”

Jones swung back, glaring at me. “I didn’t know what you were up to when you came here the first time. But now I know better. So, you have two options.” He said, grinning.

Pushing out his hand toward me, he tapped my chest with his short, fat finger as he continued. “You can either pay me a monthly fee for, say, the rest of your life.”

“I can what?” I shouted at him. “Who do you think you are?”

Jones slapped me across the face as he continued. “Concentrate, boy, you wouldn’t want anything to happen to that pretty wife of yours now, do you?”

His smile was pure evil, and I knew I would have to change my tactics if I wanted to save Alyssa. Straightening my composure, I gave the impression that I was complying.

“Alright, then,” he huffed. “The second option is for you to fight for her life.”

Looking behind him, I noticed more guards had accumulated around us. These men stood with their guns aimed at me. I knew there was no other option. I would have to choose one. Blinded by my fury, I agreed to fight.

Jones’s face lit up as he smiled. As he spoke, all I could think of was how despicable he was, and if I got an opportunity, I would kill him. “Excellent choice. Let’s go; the fight starts now.”

I was a bit shocked at his words. I had thought I would have time to warm up. Time to make a plan or stall until the others came. I didn’t think he would just throw me into the cage instantly.

As the guards dragged me toward the cage, I tried to protest and kick back, but it was no use. They shoved me into the cage and closed the door. Two guards stood before it with their guns aimed at me. Turning, I saw the opponent.

He was a large man built like an ox. I was sure he towered about two head lengths out above me. “This is an unfair fight,” I called to Jones as he moved around the cage on the outside.

The man had scars across his body. He resembled images of Frankenstein’s monster I had seen in books. My insides dropped to my feet as he stopped on the ground, growling. Jones whispered to him while looking at me. I knew this wasn’t going to end well. But I have never given up in my life, and today was no different.

The crowd was cheering and going mad around the cage as he moved towards me. We stepped around each other for a bit. I was sure he was trying to sum me up. As we were basically back where we started, he stepped in and threw a right hook. I blocked his hand but felt his brute power vibrating through my arm.

I had to stay clear of his hits if I wanted to survive this fight, I thought as I gave a few quick jabs to his stomach. The problem with size is speed. I was smaller and thus faster. I might defeat him if I could stay clear of his blows and give enough of my own.

We did another dance around each other through the cage before he swung at me again. This time, he swung left and right. The left hand collided with my side, moving me up two steps to the side. I felt my muscles lighting up as fire spread through me.

Somewhere, I thought I heard Alyssa screaming. Glancing around, I didn’t notice the knife he had pulled from nowhere. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught him moving in. Turning to him, I placed another set of quick jabs on his stomach. This time, he let out a long, moaning breath.

As I had thought, he was not used to fighting. His size was also his disadvantage. Bocking the next two hits, I managed to get a right hook in. The man fell to the ground. A loud thud rang through the building. Looking to my right, I saw Jones moving through the people. He glanced back and gave me that evil smile again.

Something was happening; I had to get out. As he disappeared into the crowd, I heard Alyssa screaming. Distracted, I didn’t see the knife coming at me. I felt a stinging pain in my shoulder. Turning swiftly, I was just in time to see the man stabbing at me again.

I sprung to the side but wasn’t quick enough. The knife entered my side, and I grabbed onto it. I didn’t let go as I kicked the man between the legs. He let go of the knife, grabbed his goons, and sank to the floor.