Chapter 60

Chapter

Sixty

"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."

― Joe Klaas

Alexsei

"How's life treating you, Leila? Last time we met, you were practically begging to suck my dick, but only in my damn car because you were too scared shitless Sadiek would find out. So, forgive me if I'm a little surprised to see you here —no offense, of course."

She frowned, stepping closer, her hands hidden behind her back. Leila was the missing piece in the wreckage of my life. She killed my son and shattered my marriage, and for what?

When Caia told me the last thing she remembered before being knocked out, I knew who she was talking about. Only one woman could be that pissed Sadiek disappeared in ashes: his wife or his whore. And since he had no wife, I knew it had to be Leila.

She was our only link before Caia walked into my life.

"I cared about you, Alexsei," she said, her voice tinged with some bullshit emotion. "That's why I was scared of Sadiek—I didn't want him to kill you."

I rolled my eyes. "Spare me your dramatics, Leila. Sadiek said you were living in Poland, all cozy with two kids and a husband. But I guess, like everything else he spewed, it was all fucking lies."

She smiled, inching even closer, her high heels doing nothing to level the distance between us. "Please, Alexsei. You know me better than that," she laughed, low and dark. "I could never be a wife, let alone a mother. I love my freedom way too much for that."

"But being Sadiek's whore worked for you?"

She shrugged, completely unfazed. "It did. He was my provider, my confidant. He took care of me financially, sexually, emotionally—without ever asking for anything more than fidelity. And even when he found out about us, he cried and begged me not to leave."

I smirked.

That bastard cried? What an asshole.

"Oh, and for the record, I'm sorry I killed your son, but I had to make you pay for taking Sadiek from me."

My fists clenched at my sides, rage surging through me.

"But you should thank me," she continued, her voice disturbingly calm. "I could've taken Caia too, but I spared her. That was my mercy. I didn't have to leave your precious little wife alive, but I did."

I stepped forward. "Mercy? You tore my world apart, and now you expect gratitude?"

She shrugged again, her apathy fanning the flames of my fury. "Sadiek mattered to me. You took him, so I took something from you. Fair's fair."

Her twisted sense of "justice" was almost laughable. I used that same logic when I killed Sadiek for what he did to Caia. But my son? He was innocent. If she truly believed in "an eye for an eye," she would've come after me. But she knew the deeper pain lay in leaving me alive, with my son gone.

This wasn't revenge. It was cruelty for the sake of it.

"You're fucking deranged," I spat, my voice thick with rage. "Sadiek was a piece of shit. He got what he deserved."

"And you think you're any better?" she shot back, her eyes narrowing. "You think you're some kind of saint?"

"At least I'm not a lying, manipulative rapist like he was."

She laughed, a cold, hollow sound. "Oh, Alexsei, you're so deluded. Sadiek had his flaws, but he wasn't as bad as you think."

"You murdered my son!" I roared, my voice cracking under the weight of my grief. "A baby—he wasn't even two! How the fuck do you justify that?"

"I'd do it again," she said, matter-of-factly, like it was nothing, "if it meant getting back what's mine."

The air around us was freezing, the New York night biting at my skin, but all I felt was the burn of my hatred for her. Tonight would be her last. I'd make sure of it.

"What the fuck do you want now, Leila?" I growled. "You've already gotten your revenge. So why are you still stalking us?"

A slow, unsettling grin spread across her face. "Your ex-wife, Alexsei. She's beautiful. I honestly thought losing your son would've brought you two closer, maybe even forged an unbreakable bond." She laughed, the sound ice-cold. "But then I realized—no, my revenge isn't finished. You've moved on. Caia's next. It's only fitting."

As she spoke, she revealed her hands. In one, a gun gleamed under the streetlights. In the other, her phone's screen glowed, casting an eerie light on her twisted smile.

"I've been watching both of you," she continued, her voice disturbingly calm. "I know everything—every move, every weakness." She raised the gun slightly, her gaze locking onto me. "Now, it's time to finish what I started."

I laughed. "Is that all you've got, Leila?" I said, walking toward her. "You think waving a gun around is going to intimidate me?"

As I approached, her grip on the gun tightened, the cold metal now pressing against my chest. I could feel the chill of the barrel through my shirt.

"You have no idea what you've just walked into, Leila," I said, my voice dropping to a low, sinister whisper as a chilling smile spread across my face.

She leaned in closer, her breath warm against my cheek. "You neither, Romaniev."

Suddenly, the cell phone in her hand began to ring, an unknown number flashing on the screen. She answered it with deliberate slowness, her gaze never leaving mine. With a cold, calculated movement, she put the call on speaker.

The phone crackled to life.

"Ma'am?"

Leila's expression remained impassive as she responded. "You can go through with it," she said before ending the call with a sharp swipe.

My eyes narrowed. "What are you?—"

But before I could finish my question, the building's alarm erupted into a deafening roar. The piercing wail sliced through the air, coming from the rooftop and reverberating through the walls.

The sound was so fucking intense that I had to cover my ears.

Leila tossed her phone onto the ground with a vicious flick, the device shattering into pieces as it hit the pavement. Her eyes, now steely and focused, turned back to me.

Then, she checked the gun in her hand, ensuring it was ready.

The noise was relentless, making it hard to think, harder to focus.

"Goodbye, Al?—"

Before she could finish, I lunged at her, tackling her to the ground.

We both crashed down, the impact knocking the breath out of me. Her legs thrashed as she tried to kick me, and she bit down hard on my arm, her teeth sinking into my flesh.

Struggling to maintain my grip, I reached for the gun, my fingers scrabbling for the weapon. With a swift move, I managed to wrench it from her grasp. Finally, I scrambled to my feet, clutching the gun tightly in my hand.

"You fucking bastard!" she screamed, scrambling to her feet and charging at me.

I reacted instinctively, pulling the trigger as she lunged. The gunshot rang out sharply, and she cried out in pain as the bullet struck her arm. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her wounded arm, her face contorted in agony.

"What did you do, Leila?"

She looked up at me with a twisted smile. "What do you think? You're going to die the same way you killed my Sadiek."

My blood ran cold. "You set fire to the fucking building?"

A grim satisfaction in her eyes as she struggled to her feet. "Good luck, Alexsei."

With a final, defiant glance, she turned and sprinted toward the edge of the rooftop. She then leaped off the building before I could react.

Wait! She fucking jumped out of the building?

I cursed under my breath as I ran to the edge of the rooftop. Peering down, I saw her body sprawled on the ground. She was spread out like a star, blood pooling around her in a dark, grim halo.

Fucking bitch!

I had no time to dwell on, though.

The building was going up in flames, and I needed to get the hell out before it was too late. But then, Leila's words came crashing back into my mind.

Seeing as you've managed to carry on, Caia has to be next. It's only fitting.

Caia could be in serious danger right now.

I had to find her and make sure she was safe. Ignoring the smoke and heat engulfing the building, I sprinted toward the nearest exit, my mind racing with the fear of what might be happening to my wife.

I bolted down the emergency staircase, the smoke thick and suffocating. Every step felt like an eternity as I descended, my lungs burning from the acrid fumes.

I fumbled for my phone, trying to dial Angelo's number through the haze of panic and smoke.

Just as I reached the landing, the call connected, and Angelo's voice came through.

"Alexsei? Where the fuck are you?"

"I'm coming down," I yelled over the deafening roar of the alarm. "Leila just jumped off the building, and she set the place on fire. But she said something about Caia—I think she might be in danger."

Angelo cursed loudly on the other end of the line. "Damn it, Alexsei! I'm outside with the fire department—Jade, Volk, and Sofiya are all here. I couldn't find Caia before the blast. I thought maybe she got out with everyone else when the alarms went off, but then I realized we hadn't heard from you either. What the hell happened?"

"She's not with me, Angelo!" I growled. "I haven't seen her. Leila said she was targeting her next. I need to find her!"

Fuck, Caia, please—please be alright, moya solnyshka.

"Shit," Angelo muttered. "Okay, listen—we'll start searching for her right away through the crowd. But you need to get out of there first, Alexsei. The fire's out of control."

"I can't!" I yelled. "She must've locked Caia up somewhere in your damn building. I have to find her!"

"Alexsei, don't do this!" Angelo's voice was frantic now. "The building's a ticking time bomb! You could die in there!"

But I was already moving, forcing my way through the thickening smoke, the heat searing my skin.

"I'm not leaving her behind!" I shouted, my heart pounding in my chest. "I'll tear this place apart if I have to, but I'm finding my fucking wife!"

I hung up, coughing into the crook of my arm.

Just hours ago, this place had been buzzing with people celebrating an exhibition of strong women—icons of power and resilience.

Now, it was all going up in flames, set ablaze by a woman twisted by revenge.

The very symbols of strength were being reduced to ashes.

I made my way to the third floor, where I knew Jade's and Angelo's offices were. I barged through the doors, barely able to touch the scorching handles without burning my skin.

The offices were empty—no sign of Caia.

The blaring alarm and growing heat were disorienting, so I stumbled down to the second floor, where the accountant's offices and a small ballroom were.

I threw open every door I could, wincing as the hot handles seared my fingers.

Each room I checked was deserted.

This building was too damn big, and my sense of direction was slipping away.

Frustration surged through me as I tried to think like Leila.

Where would she hide Caia to ensure her ultimate death?

I gripped my hair in desperation, trying to think fast. With each step, the chaos around me seemed to intensify. The fire roared louder, the smoke thickened, and the alarms blared like an angry beast.

Then it hit me.

The building was going to collapse soon because of the fire.

That's where Leila must've hidden Caia—someplace where if the flames didn't kill her, the crumbling structure would.

The thought made me sick as I sprinted toward the most vulnerable parts of the building, hoping I could find my wife before it was too fucking late.