Chapter Six

We spot the train in the distance, slowly making its way through the picturesque landscape of the Siberian tundra. The pilot maneuvers the plane expertly, descending towards the small airstrip in the forest. As we touch down, I can't help but feel a surge of hope. We are here, ready to confront my father and bring Lina back.

We disembark from the plane, our hearts pounding in our chests. The forest surrounds us, providing cover and a sense of secrecy. We gear up and head towards the quads and bikes that have been prepared for us. We mount up and move through the forest, relying on our training and instincts to guide us.

The moment of truth is upon us. With weapons in hand, we prepare to confront my father and his men. This ends today.

YA chuvstvuyu yeye. YA idu, lyubov' moya. (I can feel her. I am coming, my love.)

With Ilya leading, the man is like a human GPS. We make our way through the densely wooded forest of Khabarovsk. The sound of the bikes and quads reverberates off the trees. Ilya stops us, holding up his hand to alert everyone. Two people come into view just ahead of us. A tall man and a shorter woman.

A shorter woman cradling her stomach.

I climb off the bike and make my way forward. It can't be.

"Brat (Brother), wait…" Ilya's words fall on deaf ears as I make my way towards the people.

I have my full gear on, so a balaclava hides my face. The man steps in front of the woman, protecting her with his body.

"Derzhis' podal'she!(Stay back!)" He says, drawing a gun.

I hold up my gloved hands. "I am looking for moya zhena (my wife), Lina."

"LENYA," Lina cries. She runs around the man and throws her arms around me.

Relief floods over me mingled with admiration for her strength and resilience. I pull the platok away from her face.

"Blyat, malyshka( Fuck, baby). It's you. It's really fucking you." I wrap my arms around her, feeling her body tremble. I pull my balaclava off and tilt her face up, capturing her lips with mine. This kiss is everything. It's filled with devotion, longing, frustration, and redemption. I kiss her until we both can't breathe. "I've got you malyshka (baby), you are safe now. I am so sorry. But we'll make it right, I promise. Igor and his men will die today. Forgive me, God, I should have never left you home alone."

Lina looks up at me, her eyes filled with tears. "Moy Lyubov (My love), I won't give you forgiveness because you have nothing to be sorry for. Let's just focus on being together again for our malysh (baby)." We embrace tightly, savoring the warmth and familiarity of each other's presence.

As the tension eases, Lina introduces me to Danil, explaining how he helped her get away. I extend my hand out to him in gratitude. He takes it. Danil nods, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Just doing my duty, Brat (Brother)," he says. "I couldn't stand by with all the brutality. I only worked for Igor because my father is his best friend."

"Your father," I question. "The only friend my father has is Sasha."

"That's him. I'm his. My mother is Finnish. She sent me to live with him once I turned eighteen. Then he forced me into the bratva. I don't agree with Igor's politics. Hence why I helped Lina. I accept any punishment you deem appropriate, seeing as I see you as the rightful Pakhan." Danil steps back and disassembles his gun and drops the pieces before me.

"Do you have any issues with killing any of them?" Danil shakes his head. "Then pick your shit up and hop on a quad," I tell him, we need to get this moving. The train will leave in fifteen minutes. He leans down and picks up his weapon, putting it back together.

We gather our things and head back towards our bikes, ready to leave this treacherous forest behind. I swap my bike with one of my men for his quad. It will be safer for Lina. I climb on and offer my hand to her as she gets on behind me.

"Hold on as best as you can, lyubov (love). Don't let go once we get moving." She nods, and I start up the quad, pulling ahead and between Ilya and Oleg.

I motion for everyone to follow.

This is it. We leave the bikes and quads hidden in the trees. I tug the bottom of my balaclava up to kiss her one more time. I'll never get enough of her.

As we make our way towards the platform, my heart pounds in my chest. I can feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders, knowing that the lives of everyone here are in my hands. I glance back at Lina, her eyes filled with pain and I know we can't afford to fail. She is with a small group of men, tucked away behind the cover of the forest.

We approach the platform, around the back of the train, unseen by anyone. My father's voice grows louder, his anger palpable. His men scramble, searching for any sign of Danil and Lina. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what is about to come. I count ten men plus my father. After leaving Lina with four men to protect her, that leaves me with six men.

"No civilians die," I repeat firmly, my voice carrying over the whispers of the wind. "Am I understood?"

The men respond in unison, their voices filled with conviction, "Da, Ser. (Yes, sir)"

I nod, satisfied with their answer. They may have been loyal to my father, but their loyalty lies with me now. They understand the importance of protecting innocent lives, even if it means going against their former leader.

With a sense of purpose, we move forward, carefully navigating behind the train. I peer between the train cars and my father comes into view. The train's engine hums softly. We must act quickly.

I turn to the twins, who have been such pivotal allies in this dangerous game. "Oleg, Ilya, keep your eyes sharp. We can't afford any surprises."

Their gaze remains fixed and determined as they nod in agreement. As a collective group, we work together to guide everyone towards the platform, using the train"s cover as a protective shield. Observing closely, I witness the train staff diligently herding all passengers back onto the train. Everyone except my father's men. However, at this moment, I cannot locate him among the group of men.

As the train releases a shrill whistle, the moment to act has arrived and there is no time to waste. We climb onto the platform, making our presence known.

"Zdravstvuyte, predateli. Lev zdes', chtoby dostavit' vas na smert'. (Hello, traitors. The Lion is here to deliver you to your deaths.) I laugh, listening to the sound echo around us. "Gde moy otets?(Where is my father?)"

His men stand there silently, offering nothing. The train behind us moves slowly.

I tsk, "Ubey ikh. (Kill them)" I yell.

A symphony of guns firing, knives being thrown, and the sound of bodies dropping is a melodic masterpiece that I find captivating to listen to. The act of removing my gloves has caused stiffness in my hands. The feeling of the blade in my hands becomes a vital part of my experience when ending the lives of men. In a swift and aggressive movement, I thrust myself towards a man, piercing his neck with the blade. As I withdraw the weapon, a cascade of blood spatters onto the surrounding area.

I count the men down in my head.

9…

I watch as Oleg takes down another man, shooting him in the face.

8…

Ilya takes on two men, stabbing one in the eye, then withdrawing his knife and driving the eyeball-covered blade into the mouth of the other man.

7,6…

Gunshots ring through the air.

5,4,3,2,

Danil holds on to the last living man and drags him toward me. I cock my head to the side, wondering why he would be dragging me this ublyudok (motherfucker).

"Ser, etot kusok der'ma iznasiloval tvoyu zhenu.(Sir, this piece of shit raped your wife.)"

My vision tunnels, and everything goes black.

Without uttering a single word, I seize hold of him tightly. Rage pulses through my veins as I grasp his squirming body and drag him from the platform. Lina calls out to me, but I don't hear a word she says. The beating of my heart is overwhelming, echoing loudly in my ears. My rage consumes me. He struggles the whole time I drag his ass through the woods, my men following close behind me. Their muffled chatter seems so distant, though they are right behind me.

I stop next the river. My blade finds its home in his stomach. Over and over until his black shirt is clinging to his skin, saturated in his blood. Undoing his pants, I expose his flaccid dick. "This is what happens to men who touch what is mine." The blade cuts through the flesh of his dick, leaving a gaping wound in its place. The man screams as blood flows freely onto the snow. I shove the bloody, flaccid dick into his mouth. I drag his body to the edge of the river. A trail of his blood now stains the snow.

Using my foot I push his body into the icy water. Watching as the rivers current takes him away.

Lina makes her way over to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. She nods her head in approval. "Domoy, moy lev. Davay poydem domoy.(Home, my lion. Let's go home.)

As we make our way back to the plane, I can't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude and pride. My men have stood beside me, staying loyal. Now all that's left is my father. His supporters have dwindled to two, Sasha and his brother, my uncle. I will find my father and his blood will stain my hands. It will be my blade that ends his pitiful existence.

Boarding the plane, we leave behind the forest, the memories of the ordeal fading into the distance. Lina and I find solace in each other's embrace, knowing that we are stronger together. She sits in my lap and I cradle her into my chest. Covered in blood, she doesn"t seem to mind. And as we fly back home, I can only think of her and our child.

"I cannot wait to get you into a nice hot bath, Tsvetok (Flower). Once you are back in our bed, I will never let you go again."