Chapter 35 - Aleksandr

After staring at the door for a solid ten minutes, it seemed that Katie wasn't returning. No doors down the hallway slammed, there was no sound of breaking glass, yelling, or crying. It seemed like she had shut down.

I had to give her time. The memory of her face as she understood I was the head of the most powerful Bratva in California wouldn't leave my mind. It was stronger when I closed my eyes.

Sleep was impossible. Not without Katie in my bed.

I took a bracing shower to clear my head as much as possible, then made sure the house and grounds were locked up tight. Extra security roamed the walls, and the gatehouse was as well-manned as any medieval fortress.

I had left Lev in charge of the two men who kidnapped Katie, and had almost forgotten about them in the rush to get her to the hospital. Now they were fresh on my mind, and I headed to where Lev was keeping them. It was a long drive to the warehouse in the seedier part of downtown LA, and I used every minute to plan out their punishment.

Lev was waiting for me, chatting to someone on his phone, but he ended the call the moment he saw me pull up to the darkened building.

"Max is inside already," he told me as we pulled open the garage-style door and went inside the vast, nearly empty space.

I had to chuckle at the sight. My brothers had tied them up to folding chairs in the middle of the warehouse, a lone light shining down on them. They'd already been given a few knocks, and their heads rested on their chins. When they heard the screech of the rusty door hinges, they both looked up, horror emanating from both sets of eyes. All we needed was a dramatic score to really set the scene.

"They've already spilled their guts," Max said, seeming disappointed. At their weakness, but also thinking we were done punching now that we had the information we needed. "Spineless cowards gave up everything as soon as I brought out the blowtorch. Didn't even need to fire it up."

I strode over to the men with Max and Lev on my heels. Making a tutting noise, I shook my head at them.

"Do you think I'd thank you for telling me where your boss is?" I asked.

They cringed at my menacing tone, and one of them began to snivel. "We were just following orders. We didn't hurt her."

My fists clenched. "That's where you're wrong," I said, still thinking of the pain in Katie's eyes.

She was trying to be strong, but witnessing Sergei be ruthlessly murdered in front of her, then going hours without knowing if they were her last, was going to stay with her for a long time. I turned to Lev and pulled him aside.

"It wasn't just Katie they fucked with," I said in a low voice only he could hear. "It was my child."

His eyes widened, and the hint of a smile peeked through before he covered it with a scowl. "I'll congratulate you properly later," he said, then raised his voice so the two cowards could hear. "It seems like it's time they paid the price for what they did."

Oh, I was more than ready. We beat the ever-loving crap out of them, and once my fists were satisfied, I stepped away to survey the damage. Wiping my bloody knuckles on a handkerchief, I told Lev and Max to finish the job here while I went to find their leader.

It really was time to deal with them. They had proven they'd continue to be a threat to me and mine, so now they had to be eradicated, once and for all.

I stepped outside the warehouse, looking up at the night sky. Clouds rolled across a sliver of a moon, and as usual, so deep in the city, there were no stars visible. I wondered if it would rain like the magical night Katie and I had spent underneath the stars. No drops fell as I headed toward the Armenian's lair, arranging for a team to meet me there.

It was a detached building with a bar on the ground floor and living space on the two floors above. My men and I hung back while a specialist did some calculations, stealthily walking around the entire place a few times and eyeing the neighboring buildings.

"We know that the leader and at least a half dozen of his most important advisors are in there right now," my surveillance guy told me. "Word is that they're going to leave for Baja in the morning."

We sipped coffee from one of the all-night shops nearby, as calmly as if we were waiting for a bus.

"Well, we know that's wrong," I said.

He nodded, barely cracking a smile. "I've also received word from my informant that the next target was your sister."

My body chilled, and I turned to him. He nodded tersely, telling me they'd already picked up someone who'd been tailing her while she was in San Francisco.

"He wasn't able to fulfill his mission, or report back," he continued. "If they don't get word from him by tomorrow, they're planning to send someone else."

"They'll never get that chance," I said, furiously tapping out messages to Lev. "Is Mila aware?"

"Yes, she's got her regular guard on high alert and is just waiting for your orders. She's safe where she is for now, though."

I nodded, messaging Lev to get up there that night to escort her home. She wouldn't like the extra attention and would accuse us of babying her, but my heart couldn't handle another scare like the one I'd just had. If I could gather all of us into my house and keep constant tabs on everyone at all times, I would. I laughed and shook my head.

"I'm getting more and more like my father," I muttered. "This should be over soon."

"Yes, sir," he agreed.

The explosive specialist joined us, rubbing his hands together. "All set. If my calculations are correct, there should be no damage to the surrounding buildings."

"You've never been wrong before," I said. He nodded, no need for false modesty.

"Shall we go up and have a few words first?" he asked. My men stood nearby, bobbing on their toes, eager for a fight.

But my hands already hurt from dealing with the kidnappers, and I wanted nothing more than to be at home in case Katie had a change of heart and needed to talk to me.

"Just bar the doors and get it done," I said. "Make sure nobody gets out."

With a snap of my fingers, I dispersed the disappointed men. It only took one person to detonate the explosives, and the place would be ablaze within minutes. Crawling with the emergency crew minutes after that.

As I walked to my car, parked half a block away, I heard the first explosion, hardly sounding louder than a bag of flour hitting a tile floor. By the time I was in my car, the bright orange flames licked toward the dark sky, illuminating the heavy clouds overhead.

This should end it. The leader and his top men were currently barbecuing in the inferno that used to be their hideout. The blaze swelled in my rearview mirror as I pulled away, heading home to a wife who most likely despised me.

In the distance, I heard the first wails of fire engines, racing to the scene. They'd be too late to save anyone. I'd made sure of that.

I didn't feel anything except desolation about Katie.