29. Katerina

“How much more fucking incompetent can you all possibly get? The city’s not that big. I dispersed every man to look for him and you bring me nothing?” I scream.

It’s been five hours and seventeen minutes since my baby was kidnapped. Five hours and seventeen minutes since I haven’t been able to take an easy breath. After Xander and I got over our shock at the news, we immediately leapt into action. He went to the police for help and I came here to the mansion. In the past three hours I’ve asked from help from all the Dons. Roman, Christian, Enzo, every single one of them has dispatched men to search through every corner of the city. And so far, there’s been no news.

“We’ll find him, Don,” one of the capos standing in front says to me.

“You’d better. Because if my son doesn’t turn up alive and well, I swear I’ll turn this house into a blood bath. Maybe I’ll start with your head,” I threaten.

He swallows nervously and the men hurriedly disperse. I feel a soft hand on my shoulder and turn to look at my sister. Sophia came here as soon as she heard the news. Right now, Rico, Tony and Xander are out there, driving around the city, trying to find him as well.

“Kat, you need to sit down,” my sister says gently. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine,” I mutter, turning to walk towards my office.

I’ve been looking through every CCTV camera in the area of Nate’s abduction, trying to figure out what route the kidnappers took. Not only were their faces covered, but they managed to avoid streets with cameras that could help to pinpoint their location. I’m not daunted. If I have to hack into a satellite to find my son, I will.

When I reach the door to my office, I sway on my feet. My father’s there immediately, his face etched in concern.

“You’re of no help to anyone if you collapse, mia cara,” he says to me.

Like Sophia, I brush off his concern, heading for my laptop. A few minutes later, Sophia enters the room with a plate of food. I shake my head at the sight.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat to at least have some strength, Katerina. You can’t save Nate if you have no energy.”

I grit my teeth, looking up at her. “I said I was fine, Soph, I just need to keep working on this. I’ll eat when I find him. I just need to find him first.”

Behind her, Xander suddenly appears, walking up to my table. I see the same bone deep expression in his eyes, I’m sure can be found in mine. His jaw is clenched as his eyes roam my face. Then he’s accepting the plate of food from Sophia.

“Thanks. I got this,” he says to her, offering a small smile.

My sister nods, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. Xander doesn’t say a word for several seconds. He places the food on the table in front of me, before sitting on the other side.

“What’s it going to take to get you to eat something and rest, princess?” he finally asks.

“Finding my son. And bringing him back to me,” I mutter.

He sighs softly. “We’ll find, Nate, Katerina. It’s only a matter of when we do. It’s killing me every single moment he’s away from us. But I’m not going to sit here and watch you destroy yourself in the process. I can’t.”

I fix him with a hard stare. “Then don’t watch,” I snap.

“No. You don’t get to shut me out, baby. I know you’re in pain. I get that you think all your worst fears are being confirmed. But whatever it is you’re going through, we do so together.”

My face crumbles at that. My chest fucking aches. “Xander, he could be dead,” I whisper.

“He’s not dead,” he retorts, assuredly. “He’s alive. I can feel that our son is alive, I know you feel it too. Sokolov wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of kidnapping him just to kill him. He wants something. We just have to wait until he asks for it.”

“And what am I supposed to do until then?” I question.

“There’s a whole army out there looking for our son. I’m sure they’ll find him soon. What I need you to do right now is have a few bites of that salad at least, and then take a nap. You don’t have to sleep for too long. Just an hour or two to clear your head. If there’s any news, you know we’ll be told immediately.”

I hesitate, feeling my chest tighten.

“Okay fine. I’ll do it, but only if you lie down with me.”

He agrees and after eating, he leads me towards my bedroom. The two of us climb into it. Xander holds me from behind and I shut my eyes trying not to imagine what my baby must be going through at the moment. Like I expected, it’s impossible for me to fall asleep.

But I stay still because I can hear Xander’s soft breaths. He hasn’t had a wink of sleep since earlier this morning. It’s almost 11pm and he must have been exhausted. I don’t move a muscle for an hour. Until my phone suddenly lights up on the bedside table.

My heart starts to pound at the sight. I manage to wiggle out of Xadner’s grasp without waking him to read the text.

Come here alone if you want to save your son. Katerina, you know who this is. And you know what happens if you disobey me. I want you here, alone.

I hold my breath as I read the text over and over again. There’s a location attached to it. Directions to the place he’s keeping Nate. My gut reaction is to wake Xander and show him the text. But I can’t help but think about the fact that he’ll be in danger as well if he goes.

I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to him. He and Nate are my whole entire heart. I have to do everything in my power to keep them safe. So I manage to sneak out of the room and then the house, although it’s no easy task. When one of the capos catches sight of me in the garage, I ask him to keep quiet. Not to raise any alarms until I’m gone. He does, handing me a key to one of the cars. I drive out of the compound as fast as I can, imputing the location in the DPS.

I arrive there nearly an hour later. I’m not surprised to find an abandoned warehouse. It’s usually a criminal’s first choice when it comes to conducting unsavory activities. The large doors that lead into the warehouse are unguarded.

I walk in with my heart in my throat, wondering if I’ve made a mistake. Finally when I’ve stepped up to the middle of the cold and dusty room, there’s the sound of laughter at my side. My head snaps up and my gaze connects with Maxim Sokolov’s for the first time in ten years.

“Katerina, how nice to see you again,” he says grinning. “I’m not surprised you came. You always did have bigger balls than half the men I’ve met in my entire life. Welcome, moya lyubov,” he says calling me his love in Russian. “It’s been too long.”

The first thing I feel at the sight of his face is disgust. And not just because a side of it has been burnt badly beyond recognition. My stomach roils because I can’t believe I ever for one second ever thought he was charming enough to sleep with him. The Maxim I knew back then was good looking enough. With blonde hair and blue eyes. The man that stands in front of me is nothing like him. He’s older, probably in his early forties and he’s holding a cane, limping as he starts to walk towards me.

“What the hell happened to you?” I can’t help but ask.

He stops short. “Oh, you mean all this?” he questions, waving at his face. “Occupational hazard, my sweet kitty cat. I was in the hospital for several months after you left Moscow. I feared that I would never recover and I would never see you again but eventually I began to heal.”

“That’s too bad,” I mutter, reaching behind me and pulling out the gun tucked into my chest. “Where is my son?”

“You mean our son,” he intones, looking at me with a serious expression.

My heart thuds in my chest. “Are you kidding me? You can’t possibly still be delusional enough to think he’s yours.”

Sokolov cocks his head to the side, before chuckling.

“No, of course not. All I had to do was look at him to realize he’s not mine. Such a shame he’ll have to die for it.”

The carefree way he delivers that statement has my eyes widening.

“Maxim,” I swallow softly. “He’s only a child. He doesn’t deserve all this.”

“Relax, Katerina. I’m not going to kill him immediately. He’s fine actually, asleep somewhere in this building. Maybe I’ll even let you see him before I kill you. After I kill you, then I’ll kill him and destroy your family.”

“Big words for a handicap that’s a thousand miles from his home,” I spit.

He smirks. “That may be true but I’m quite tenacious, Katerina. I never stop going after the things that I want. Now be a good girl and come over here. Maybe if you give me a sweet enough kiss, I’ll reconsider your death sentence.”

My lips part. He walks towards me and I move away until we’re circling each other, a good deal of space between us.

“You’re insane,” I tell him. “Have you ever considered checking into a mental hospital? Or at least seeing a shrink.”

“Your wit is as sharp as ever, kitty cat. But your time is up. Drop the gun. Or the kid dies.”

I let out a soft breath before slowly lowering my gun to the ground.

“Okay. I’ll do as you say. Just please don’t hurt him.”

I never should have come here on my own. I think about Xander back at home. He’s going to be so angry. But I also didn’t leave him without a plan. I brought my phone along, left it in the car. My best guess is that Sokolov has put in place something to jam the signal around the building. Which is why I parked my car as far away from it as I could without it being suspicious.

Xander’s coming for me. I know it in my heart. I just have to stall for time. I have to wait for him. Sokolov watches me hungrily as I place the gun down, raising my hands in surrender.

“Before you kill me, at least tell me where he is,” I plead.

“He’s up there,” he tells me, pointing at a gallery on the second floor of the warehouse. “One of my men gave him some pills to make him sleep. He will not wake until the morning. Maybe I’ll kill him in his sleep. Give the little boy a peaceful death. That would be a mercy, no?”

“You’ll do no such thing,” I say through gritted teeth.

My muscles are bunched up tight. Everything in me screams to go up there and see my son. But I can’t make any sudden movements. That much is made clear when Sokolov steps forward and picks my gun from the ground.

“Again with the fucking orders. You may be a Don, Katerina. But you are nowhere near my level. You’re a female. You’re weak, pathetic.”

Each of those words being thrown at me, feels like a gun shot. I clench my fists as he draws even nearer. His hand wraps around my wrist and my heart skips a beat as I come face to face with him. He’s always been a monster. But now he really looks like one.

He’s about to say something when we hear the sound of successive gunshots and a struggle outside the warehouse. My entire body nearly sags with relief. I know it can only mean that help has arrived. I say a quick prayer for the people I love. For every member of my family. Sokolov’s face twists into rage.

“What have you done?” he asks, hands gripping mine tightly.

“My family’s come to rescue me,” I whisper, reveling in his fear. “And not just them. The Dons of New York City stand with me, Sokolov. You’re going to die today.”

He makes a low harsh sound at the back of his throat. Before I can blink he’s lifting his gun and jabbing it into the side of my forehead. I cry out, stumbling back as my vision blurs.

“I’m not fucking going down unless I take you with me, Katerina,” he says, lifting the gun in his hand and pointing it at my chest.

My breathing slows. Time seems to fall still around me as I stare down at the barrel of the gun. I’m terrified that that will be the last thing I see. Not my son’s smiling face, not Xander but this. A monster that’s intent on killing me.

And then I think to myself that I’m still such a fucking idiot. I should have told Xander I loved him. I never said it. Not once. And now it might be too late.

“Good bye, Katerina,” Sokolov says, eyes filled with triumph.

He starts to squeeze the trigger and my eyes fall shut. A shot goes off in the next second. I gasp at the sound. Then slowly my eyes open when I realize the shot wasn’t for me. I place my hand over my stomach, my chest, realizing that I’m fine, unhurt.

I look up at Sokolov and he’s on the ground, a bullet wound in his head. I whirl around with my heart in my throat. Standing there is Xander, holding a gun in one hand while he also tries to clutch his bleeding arm. My eyes widen and I’m rushing towards him before I can blink.

“Xander,” I cry, reaching him the moment he falls to his knees.

“You good, princess?” he asks, looking pale.

I nod as tears start to fall down my eyes. I press my hand on his wound, praying that it’s not serious.

“I’ll be fine,” he assures me, eyes roaming my face. “Where’s our boy?”

“He-he’s up there,” I say shakily.

“Could you please go get him? Now, Katerina.”

I don’t want to leave him. But the urge to see our son is stronger.

“Just stay here, I’ll be right back,” I tell him, getting to my feet.

“Not going anywhere, princess,” he mutters, still clutching his bleeding arm.

I manage to find the stairs leading up to the gallery and then I’m running as fast as my legs can carry me. Relief nearly knocks me to my feet when I arrive and find Nate sleeping soundly in a cot, completely oblivious. I move closer to the bed and lift him, searching his body for any bruises, making sure he’s not in pain.

After confirming he’s okay, I manage to lift him up. He stirs once I do so, his green eyes landing on my face.

“Mom?” he asks and my heart nearly drops at that.

“Hi, sweetie. I’m here, you’re okay.”

His eyes fall closed again and I can’t help but be scared that whatever they gave him to sleep was too strong. I’m also terrified that his dad won’t okay. I’m not sure where I get the burst of strength from, but I carry him down the stairs, back to his father who is still in the same position I left him.

He exhales in relief at the sight of us, reaching for his son. I place Nate on the floor and Xander runs a hand across his face reverently.

“Is he okay? He’s okay, right, Princess?”

I nod, “He’s fine. I’m fine. You saved us, Xander. You saved us.”

I’m still crying. Out of fear, gratitude, and relief. My emotions are a roller coaster. I reach for Xander and he cries out in pain.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry, Xander,” I mutter.

“It’s alright, baby. Just get me to a hospital,” he says softly still staring at our son. And then his eyes meet mine. I can see the strain in them. He’s barely fighting to stay conscious. He must have lost a lot of blood. I have no idea how he got shot in the first place.

“Katerina, remind me to kill you for going off on your own when I get better.”

Despite the situation I laugh. “I will,” I say through tears.

He touches my face with his injured arm for a second, frowning at the bruise that’s forming at the side of his head. His eyes start to fall close and I manage to catch him just before his head thuds against the floor as he falls unconscious.

I stay right next to the two most important people in my world. I wait until help arrives. It only takes a minute or two until my cousins’ face shows up in my peripheral. And once I finally see Rico, everything in me sighs with relief. And then my vision goes black.