19. Kristof

Leaving Alena is the last thing I want to do, but duty calls.

I spent two hours taking care of her after our session, a session that I never expected to end in sex, but just the thought of her begging me to fuck her brings a smile to my face as I drive back to the Orlova manor.

I made sure Alena was showered, washed up, pampered, and well-fed before I locked her back up in the cage. I expect sleep will take her quickly because of the intense punishment. She needs her rest.

Although, can I really call that a punishment if she grew so aroused?

As I take the winding roads toward the manor, it plays on my mind. She was beautiful, obedient, and surprising. I'd prepared myself for more pushback and attitude, but I knew we were cut from the same cloth when she thanked me through her tears.

Alena is mine.

I just need to keep it that way.

When the Orlova Manor gates loom into view, I push Alena from my thoughts. I can't afford to be distracted here, not when Aleksander has been blowing up my phone for the past twelve hours, demanding information and answers. As I park in front of the manor, my heart tenses slightly at the sight of Nastja's car. Ivan's is parked just behind it.

They didn't tell me they were going to be here.

There must be a reason.

That reason becomes clear the moment I step inside the house, and I'm greeted by Alexei, who gives me a bright smile that then turns apologetic.

"Kristof. I'm going to need your phone."

"My phone?" I lift a brow and carefully straighten the sleeves of my leather jacket. "What for?"

"Pakhan's orders. No tech for this meeting."

We haven't had a rule like that since the first war that existed between the Families. Aleksander is really taking this seriously. Sighing, I take my phone from my back pocket and pass it across without worry. Even if they look through it, they'll find no evidence. Besides, it's not even my real phone. This one is just a clone. My real one is back in my car, and no one is getting into my vehicle without my say-so.

"Thanks." Alexei takes my phone and adds it to the collection of devices in the box in his hand. "He's waiting for you in the rear office."

I nod and step past Alexei, striding away until a thought strikes me, and I pause, turning back on my heel.

"Alexei."

He lifts his head from the box and straightens immediately. "Sir?"

"Come."

"I…" He pauses, and a frown flickers across his face. "I'm not allowed to sit in on this one."

"I don't care." I turn and continue down the hall at a swift pace. Within ten seconds, I catch the sound of Alexei hurrying to catch up with me, and my lips press together faintly. Excellent.

"Kristof!" Aleksander rises from the head of the table the moment I step in the door. Mara is seated to his left, dressed in black as if the bitch is already in mourning. Several other lieutenants sit around the table, but my eyes go first to my brother and sister who each give me a subtle head nod in greeting.

"Aleksander."

"Where the fuck have you been?" Aleksander presses a fist against the table as he glares at me. "No check-in. No calls. What the fuck?"

"Sorry, did you want me to pause the search for your daughter in order to make useless phone calls every hour? I told you I would call when I had news," I reply, carefully managing the irritation in my voice. The door closes behind me, and everyone's eyes snap to Alexei. Still, no one has a chance to say anything as I continue.

"I visited the front guard station and checked the cameras there. Nothing was shown entering or leaving the street. I expanded my search to the surrounding area and reached out to a contact at the local police department, but there's no sign of her. I've been reaching out to my contacts in all surrounding Families for any hint of her."

A half-truth. My house isn't in the surrounding area.

"Fuck." Aleksander slams his fist down on the table and sinks back into his thick leather chair. Nervous glances dart around the room. It's clear everyone at the table was expecting me to return with an answer, but there's nothing I have to give.

"Well," Mara says sharply, pressing her red lips into a thin line. "How disappointing."

"Excuse me?" I hover near my chair, staring down the table at her while Aleksander's head falls forward and he rubs at his chin.

"You're supposed to be the best, Kristof," Mara says coolly. "And you haven't found hide nor hair of our daughter. How on earth are we going to explain this to the Kuznetsovs? The wedding is next week."

"Odd priorities," I remark coldly, finally taking my seat. Nastja reaches across and clasps my wrist, squeezing in greeting while Ivan offers me a slight smile.

"The garbage man collected today," she says in a low voice.

That's all I need to hear to know that Nastja took care of the limo driver. He won't be an issue. As subtle conversation rises around the table in the wake of Aleksander's silence, Ivan leans closer.

"Everyone in the house is accounted for," Ivan says.

Good. No one noticed Katja's absence and it has to stay that way.

As I listen to the hubbub around the table, people offering their own lack of information while assuring they searched high and low, I spot Alexei out of the corner of my eye. He hovers not far from my left shoulder, clearly feeling out of place in a meeting where he doesn't belong. He came, though, and that's what is important to me.

He came because I asked him to. Choosing that over Aleksander's order for high-ranking lieutenants only tells me all I need to know about where his loyalty lies.

"Enough," Aleksander barks out and silences the room in an instant. He stands slowly, straightening his waistcoat, and one hand drops to the gold chain near his pocket. He fiddles with it as he stares down the table, and we lock eyes for a few moments until Mara's touch to his arm draws his attention away.

"Alena has been missing for over twenty-four hours, and such a thing cannot stand." His voice booms around the table. For a moment, he almost seems like a concerned father desperate for the return of his daughter. "We cannot have any of the other Families finding out that she's missing."

There it is. His real concern. I swallow down a scoff.

"The moment they learn we've lost the most important weapon in our arsenal, we will look weaker."

"And if one of the other Families has taken her?" I ask. "The Italians? The Irish? They will already know."

Aleksander's eyes narrow.

"Then it's even more important that we appear to continue as normal. Whoever has taken my daughter, when they look at us they will still see strength, and if they have sense, it will scare them into bringing her back. While I do not know which rat would decide to target my daughter, I still have not ruled out that it may be one of our own. Staff and security have been thoroughly interrogated, but we breed strong souls here. As such, all properties will be searched for any hint of Alena to ensure that this was not an inside job. None of the lower ranks have been allowed to leave their current locations until such a search has been conducted."

"What about us?" pipes up a voice further down the table. "Are we under suspicion too?"

"Everyone is," Aleksander remarks sharply, and his eyes narrow to slits. "I trust every person around this table, but make no mistake. The full weight of the Orlovas will come down on the culprit of this kidnapping, no matter who it is. Only when I have cleared this net will we look further afield."

So, Aleksander suspects an inside job.

He's right, in a way. My mind begins to run. Misdirecting Aleksander toward another Family bears the risk of being found out, especially since Alena isn't with anyone else. But I won't be able to keep her in my house for much longer. I would be discovered immediately, and my plan, as weak as it is, would crumble.

Nastja and Ivan share the same concern if their warning glances are anything to go by.

This is the problem with a spur of the moment plan. The threads are thin.

I had told Alena a white lie last night. I am loyal to the Orlovas to a fault. That part is true. But it's the Family I am loyal to, and by strong extension, her. Not Aleksander. The past year has shown me enough that his hold on power is wavering. If his own daughter can sneak out of this prison right under his nose, then he is no longer a man fit to lead this Family.

I am, though. With the woman I adore by my side.

I ignore my siblings and focus on Aleksander as he begins handing out assignments to the other lieutenants. Areas to search, people to interrogate, and as Mara shifts in her seat, dabbing at her eye, a thought sparks in my mind.

"What about the Kuznetsovs?" I ask.

Aleksander pauses, and silence falls, all eyes drifting to me.

"What about them?" Mara asks.

"It would be impossible for an outsider to sneak in here, snatch Alena in a house flooded with security, and sneak her out of here without a single soul seeing."

Aleksander's hand clenches into a fist.

"However, a Family that has your ear and can come and go as they please without arousing suspicion may be able to do all sorts of things."

"That is a dangerous accusation," Aleksander remarks tightly.

"Is it?" I lean forward, resting my elbow on the table. "They are the only people who would gain something from this, don't you think? Snatching Alena makes you—makes us—look weak, like we can't even protect our own. An outside Family, even the Irish or the Italians, wouldn't make such a reckless move when we're already on the brink of war. But the Kuznetsovs? With Alena, they could bargain for more than just a seat at the table."

Aleksander's lips part as his bushy brows pinch together, but Mara's brittle voice carves through the air before he can speak.

"Ridiculous," she spits. "The Kuznetsovs have too much to lose with such a move. They wouldn't risk this wedding."

My suspicion flares slightly. "Are you sitting there, telling me that the Kuznetsovs really have more to gain from the wedding than from a kidnapping?"

Mara's eyes narrow, and she smirks ever so faintly. "You are not privy to that information."

What the hell does she mean? The suspicion in my mind rises once more. Suddenly, I'm struck with the distinct feeling that I'm missing a puzzle piece with the Kuznetsovs.

"Enough," Aleksander barks. "I will not be alerting the Kuznetsovs to Alena's absence until I am certain who took her."

"What if she ran away?" pipes up a voice from behind me, and all eyes turn to Alexei, whose cheeks flush slightly the moment the attention is on him.

His shoulders rise, and he glances at me, clearly seeking aid as the silence drags out with people either waiting for him to speak or shocked that he spoke without permission.

"Run away?" I ask, finally giving him an out.

He looks insanely relieved. "I just mean… if it's been considered. I spoke to my sister, Katja. She's Alena's maid, and she mentioned that Alena had been secretive lately. Maybe she ran away?"

Mara's sharp laugh brings my attention back to the table, and I glance at Ivan, who winks at me. This must be his doing, part of his way of ensuring Katja remains guiltless through this.

"Alena is not bright enough to do something like that," Mara remarks. "Besides, we questioned the maid, didn't we?"

"Yes, I did," Ivan speaks up. "That girl is slow. I suspect Alena was simply tiring of her friendship."

"No wonder." Mara sniffs sharply. "Friendships with the help are never a good idea."

"I don't care!" Aleksander yells suddenly, and Mara jumps in her seat as he slams his fist down once more. "I don't care about these useless details. Alena is missing, and we have to find her. I will tear down this entire country to get her back, do you understand me? From this moment, friendships do not matter. Love does not matter. The only loyalty that holds any weight is the loyalty that will bring my daughter back to me, understand? And if it is the Kuznetsovs…" He pauses and glances at Mara. "They will not be safe from my wrath. Deal or not."

That has to be the most passion Aleksander has ever used to speak about his daughter, and she's not even here to hear it. His determination to bring her back is almost admirable, but he's already shown his true colors. It's not a father's love that wants her back.

It's the fear of the resulting weakness if she's never found.

And they will never find her.

That I will make sure of.