30. Mikhail

30

MIKHAIL

The hour is up.

Alexei rallied our men quicker than expected and we're climbing into SUVs and racing toward the location of Lucia's necklace as the clock chimes the hour.

I've lost count of the amount of weapons I've strapped to my body.

I have no idea what I'm walking into, but I'm not about to take any chances, not when Lucia's life is on the line.

Dimitri turns to us the moment we pull up to the house where Lucia is meant to be. "Danil and I will wait in the car."

To a passerby, it's nothing more than a suburban house sitting on at least an acre of land, with a perfectly manicured front lawn and freshly painted shutters.

In a matter of seconds, that illusion will be shattered.

"We have to assume that this is a set up, so we need to ensure we're ready to make a getaway if it all goes to shit."

"Good idea." I nod, turning to Alexei, who's slotting a fresh magazine into his gun. "I take it you're coming with me? "

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

I reach out to grasp my brother's hand.

He squeezes mine. "Let's go and get your girl."

As I climb out of the car, my body hones in on the task at hand.

Get to Lucia.

I barely register the gunshots as Alexei, Anton, and I storm the house alongside our men.

The coppery twang of blood, the grunts of pain as I put bullets in chests are lost to me.

My mind quietens as I clear a path through the house.

When we come to a set of stairs that leads from the basement all the way up to the higher floors, I pause.

I look at Alexei and nod up the stairs. "You go this way, Anton and I will hit the basement."

Alexei nods, signaling Feliks and Carlo to follow behind him.

Anton appears at my side, spitting bloody drool onto the concrete before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Some fucker thought he could take me out with a punch to the jaw."

"I hope you put a bullet through his head."

Anton grins, showing his blood-stained teeth.

"Course I fucking did."

"Well, you're going to have to do it again because we've got company." I jerk my chin in the direction of the stairway leading down to the basement where four men are now heading our way.

Anton and I quickly take out the first two, their bodies going down and knocking the others off their feet like bowling pins, buying us enough time to get down the stairs.

Though what I wasn't expecting to find at the bottom was Alfonzo himself .

"You fucker!" I roar as he stalks down the corridor toward me, a feral smile on his lips as he aims his gun right at my chest.

"Missed me?" He smirks.

"You really should get that tattoo of yours lasered." I aim my gun at his head. "It makes it all too easy to find you."

"Perhaps I wanted to be found, Koslov."

"You won't be saying that when you're dead?—"

One of the men blocking my path starts to climb to his feet, groaning.

Alfonzo's eyes flicker to the man and I take my chance.

I pull the trigger, sending a bullet straight into his chest.

Alfonzo's eyes go wide as he stares down at the patch of blood on his shirt that grows larger by the second.

He stumbles back a few steps, clutching at his chest as he gasps before collapsing on the floor.

I stalk toward him, ready to make the killing blow.

"Mikhail!"

Lucia. My blood freezes.

She's alive.

I look down at Alfonzo, whose face is contorted in pain as he clutches his chest. It seems this fucker is not wanting to die.

"Mikhail!" she cries again, and the air leaves my lungs.

"Go, I've got this." Anton slaps me on the shoulder. "Lucia needs you."

Right on cue, she screams my name again, and I take off.

"Lucia!" I roar as I sprint down the corridor.

"Mikhail!"

Her voice filters through the door at the end, and I race toward her, almost slipping on the damp floor.

I reach for the iron bolt that's keeping the door locked, but it's stiff as hell.

"Mikhail," Lucia sobs.

"Screw this." I take a few steps back. With a deep breath, I launch myself at the door, sending my shoulder into the wood with such force that the bolt breaks off, and the door swings open to reveal Lucia tied to a chair in the center of the room.

"Lucia." I stumble inside.

Her ankles are bound with rope, and her wrists are tied behind her back. Her skin is pale and clammy, and there's a significant amount of dried blood on the side of her head, no doubt from the blow Alfonzo gave her that knocked her out.

If he isn't already dead when I get Lucia out of here, he'll be wishing he was by the time I'm done with him.

I reach into my pocket for my knife and get to work untying her ankles. With every strangled sound Lucia makes, my heart feels as if it's being cracked open.

"It's okay, solnyshka. You're okay."

I gently massage her ankles.

The skin is red and blistered from where she must have fought against the restraints.

I keep repeating the words as I move behind her to untie her wrists.

"You're here," she sobs, her body trembling.

"Of course, I'm here." I slice my knife through the ropes.

She sags as her arms come free, and I move to pull her into my arms.

"I'm right here," I whisper, stroking her hair.

"I-I thought I'd never s-see you a-again…" She buries her face in her hands.

The red marks on her wrists catch my eye, and I try to ignore the bubbling rage inside me .

Igor and Alfonzo fucking hurt my girl, and I'll make sure they both suffer the consequences.

"Shh, it's okay. Tell me, kisa , are you hurt?"

She shakes her head, lowering her hands from her face. Her eyes are red and swollen and her cheeks are damp with tears.

I reach out to wipe them away with my thumbs, hoping that my touch will bring her comfort.

I want nothing more than to take her straight home where I can spend the rest of my life taking care of her, but I can't ignore why we're here in the first place.

"Is Igor here?" I glance around the small room.

There's nothing here except the chair she was strapped to.

My mouth goes dry as I think of how terrified she must have been.

"He was. But he left in a hurry."

"Did he say anything? I know this is a lot, solnyshka , but anything you can tell me will be helpful."

Her lower lip trembles as she clings to my shirt.

"He got a call before he left. I-I didn't hear what it was about, but…but he seemed angry. Livid even." She wipes at her cheeks, and I can tell from the worry in her face that there's more.

"Lucia? What is it?"

"He's going to come for all of you. Even Leo a-and…" Her voice cracks, and she buries her face in my chest.

"He can fucking try, but he's not going to get very far." I stroke her hair.

Though my thoughts turn to Maxim, and I can't help but wonder the lengths that Igor will go to in order to avenge his son .

I can only hope that my brothers and I get to him before Maxim's death costs us the lives of our entire family.

"Oh, my god. I-I need to check if the baby is okay." Lucia looks panicked.

"Baby?" I frown. "What baby?"

My eyes flick to her stomach.

My entire body freezes.

"I just found out. Before…" Her hands move to her abdomen.

"You're pregnant?"

Lucia nods, her eyes filled with worry.

"Anton!" I hope my voice carries down the corridor to him. "I need to get Lucia to the hospital right fucking now."

I'm an anxious wreck as I sit beside Lucia in the examination room at the hospital. I still can't believe that she's alive, and that I managed to get to her in time.

Now I just have to hope that our baby is okay.

Our baby…

I still can't quite believe this is all real.

I need a fucking drink.

"Now, how far along do you think you are?" Dr. Harlow asks as she takes a seat beside Lucia.

"I don't know." Lucia glances at me.

I shrug, realizing that we've never once used protection. I sort of assumed it was taken care of as Lucia never brought it up, but it seems we were both irresponsible.

But I don't regret it for one minute.

"Have you been actively trying, then?"

"No," we both say in unison.

She glances nervously between us .

"So, it's a happy surprise?"

Lucia glances at me, and I see the question in her eyes.

"A very happy surprise." I bring her knuckles to my lips.

Lucia instantly relaxes as I offer her a reassuring smile.

"But it could be up to six weeks?" Lucia says, frowning as she tries to do the math.

"The haunted house." I shake my head. "It would be fitting that that's where our child was conceived."

"I don't remember a baby being on the bucket list." Her eyes dance with mischief.

I wink at her before turning my attention back to the doctor, eager to know that everything is all right.

"Have you experienced any symptoms so far?" Dr. Harlow squeezes some ultrasound gel onto the long probe.

"I had some cramping the day I took the test." Lucia looks at the probe warily.

I tense.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I try not to sound hurt.

"It was when Dimitri took me to visit my father. I took a test as soon as I got home, and then…" Her voice trails off, but she doesn't need to fill in the blanks.

I know all too well what happened next.

"Some cramping is perfectly normal," Dr. Harlow explains.

I squeeze Lucia's hand tighter, and she looks up at me with wide eyes.

I can't even imagine how overwhelming this is for her, and it only makes me even more in awe of her.

"Shall we take a look, Mom and Dad?"

I can't seem to keep my hands off Lucia, needing to feel her warm skin beneath my fingers. I clutch her hand in mine as I gently stroke her hair with the other. Even though she barely flinches as the probe is inserted, my entire body is on alert, watching her face intently for any sign of pain or discomfort.

"Now, depending on how far along you are, we might not be able to hear a heartbeat yet, but don't panic. It typically only shows up after the six week mark, sometimes even eight, so it's nothing to worry about."

Lucia lets out a breath as she squeezes my hand tighter, her eyes glued to the monitor.

Dr. Harlow adjusts the probe slightly, and then a fast thumping sound filters out through the machine.

"There's the heartbeat." She smiles at Lucia. "It's very strong, which is a good sign. And…there's your baby." She points to the tiny bean-shaped dot on the screen.

"Oh, my god," Lucia breathes, her expression one of complete awe. "That's our baby?"

"It sure is." Dr. Harlow presses a few buttons on the machine. "And you look to be about six weeks along."

I still can't quite believe that this is real.

"I love you so much," I murmur against Lucia's hair.

She reaches up to cup me around the back of the neck, her fingers sinking into my hair as we both stare at the monitor.

"I love you too, Mikhail."

"Where are we going?" Lucia asks as I pull out of the hospital parking lot.

"Where do you want to go?" I glance over at her, and she's anxiously chewing on her lower lip.

"I don't want to go back to Alexei's just yet. Can we go to the townhouse?"

"We can go wherever you want to, solnyshka . "

Lucia naps on the drive back to the city, and I take the opportunity to make a few calls to make sure that there are guards waiting at the townhouse.

I'm not taking any chances, especially not now that it's not just Lucia's life at stake.

I also check in on the status of Igor and Alfonzo.

Anton made sure to take care of the later, but Igor was nowhere to be found.

By the time I pull up at the townhouse, two of my men are waiting outside the door.

I greet them with a nod as I get out of the car and walk around to Lucia's side, hauling her into my arms.

She stirs, peeling her eyes open as she realizes where she is.

"Go back to sleep." I hold her tight against my chest. "I've got you."

I take her upstairs to my room and settle her in the center of the large bed, tucking the sheets up around her.

Once everything has calmed down, I make a mental note to move her things into my room. I never want to spend another night without her in my arms.

"Sleep tight, solnyshka ," I whisper as I kiss her forehead.

She lets out a contented sigh as she snuggles down into the bed.

I want nothing more than to join her, but I have a few things I need to take care of first.

After closing the door softly, I make my way to my office. I desperately need a drink to try and clear my head.

I still can't quite believe that in a few short months I'm going to be a father. It's not something I ever pictured for myself, but I'm excited, nonetheless.

I keep the door to my office ajar in case Lucia wakes up. Even though she's only down the hall, I can't shake the anxiety that something is wrong.

I've known what it is to live with her and without her, and without is not something I ever want to experience again.

It will take some time to trust that she's safe, but until then, I'm going to act like the overprotective asshole that I always teased my older brothers for being around their women.

Pouring a double vodka, I take a seat behind my desk. But before I turn on my computer, I spot a small red jewelry box with gilded edges beside the photo frame of my family.

It's the last photo of all of us before my parents died, and it's something I cherish.

I reach for the small box and flick open the lid.

"Fucking hell." I wrinkle my nose at the severed finger.

I toss the box back on my desk, causing the finger to roll, revealing not only a small cursive tattoo along the edge but a hand-written note beneath it.

I straighten as I read the Russian cursive.

It's a distinctive tattoo, one I have no problem recognizing as belonging to one of my men who should be outside my front door right now.

But then I glance at the handwritten note beneath it, and my spine stiffens.

The Koslov Bratva WILL pay

"Fuck." I slam the lid of the box shut.

My eyes flick to the photo on my desk, and an overwhelming sense of rage builds inside me.

I have no doubt that this is a message from Igor.

I reach for my phone and dial Alexei.

"What is it, Mikhail?" My brother already sounds stressed.

"I received a little present. I suspect from Igor."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Severed finger of one of the guards who is meant to be outside my townhouse right now."

"He's not going to fucking stop." He huffs out a breath. "Do you both want to come back to Forest Hills?"

"Lucia wants to stay away for a while."

"Understandable. Well, the offer always stands, or you could stay at the family penthouse."

"I appreciate that, brat ."

I glance again at the photo and my chest tightens. If I have any chance of keeping my family safe, then it's about time I come clean to Alexei about Maxim.

"There's something else I was meaning to tell you." I take a deep breath. "Anton and I were caught in an ambush at one of Igor's shipment locations, but we managed to capture Maxim."

"Igor's son?"

"Yes."

"Shit! Okay, where is he?"

"He had to be…taken care of."

"Fucking hell, Mikhail. As if Igor doesn't have enough reasons to come after us already."

I bristle at my brother's tone.

"Anton made a call, and it saved my fucking life, so I'd take Igor's revenge plan over being dead any day."

"No shit, but that has added some serious fuel to the fire."

"Perhaps, but he did reveal some useful information."

"It better be really fucking useful considering the price we'll have to pay for it."

I grind my teeth as I fight the urge to snap at Alexei.

"He told me that our brother is named Lev, and he's still alive."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm having Rosa look into it, but he seemed like he was telling the truth. And from the sounds of it, Lev might have had a bit of a shit time, so it's likely he'll be willing to turn against Igor if we can get to him."

"He's alive…"

"I'm sorry I couldn't get much more." I rub at my jaw.

"It's still a lead, which is a hell of a lot more than we had before." He takes a deep breath, and I brace myself for a lecture, but it never comes. "I'm proud of how you handled all of this, Mikhail. You've really stepped up in the last few weeks. Because of you, we're one step closer to taking Igor down."

I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding as I allow myself to accept the praise.

"I appreciate that, Alexei."

"It's well deserved. Now, please go and get rid of that fucking finger."

"I was actually just about to send it to Dimitri for safe keeping."

"Fucking hell." Alexei laughs. "I think Lucia has been rubbing off on you."

"I take that as a compliment, brat ."