Chapter Eighteen

Three days later, Ferma La Guzun...

“You will finish this plate of food today, even if I have to force it down your throat,” Bogdan’s growl resonated ominously through the room. “You barely eat enough to sustain your body.”

“Stop mothering me, Rusu. I don’t need a keeper,” Zafira snapped as she studied the CCTV footage that was routed to her laptop. The IT team had installed facial recognition software and although they were scouring the web 24/7 for signs of Vanya and Maranzano, she insisted on doing it herself.

“What you need is sustenance and rest. You’re no good to anyone in this state, Comare, least of all your daughter.”

“My daughter is in this mess because of me.” She turned on him with fury flashing from her eyes. A fist bumped her chest. “Me! Do you hear me? It’s my fault that she’s missing.”

“No, Zafira,” Bogdan said gently. “Maranzano’s gripe is with Andrei and what he did to him a year ago. It’s him he wants to punish. That the rest of us suffer alongside him is a bonus in his warped mind.”

“That might be, but my gut instinct tells me someone else is behind this. You forget I’ve been the target all along. The assassinations have all been aimed at me. Maranzano might want vengeance on Vanya and Andrei, but there’s something else afoot. I just don’t know what.” A frown creased her brow. “You never got around telling me why we had to leave Czechia so quickly.”

“Triska and Marek Cermak aren’t who they seem, Zafira. Vanya came across content on the dark web that alluded to an association between them, Seymon Mochilevich, and Artem Melnyk.”

Zafira turned rigid. “What do you mean by alluding to an association? What kind of connection did you find, Bogdan?”

“It involves a coup d’etat of the Novaya Volna Group, more specifically eliminating their leader, the Shadow Don, aka... you, Zafira.”

“Are you saying that they want to become involved with the Bratva’s New Order? That they’re aware of my family running the Guzun Bratva Group?”

“Indeed, they are.”

“How? No one knows—not even Seymon or Artem. Guzun is such a common name in the EU, which is why no one ever questioned or suspected us.”

“Because you are such successful business entrepreneurs and support the poor in the community. You’ve covered all the tracks that could lead to suspicion, but somehow, the Cermaks found a loophole.”

“I still don’t understand. Marek is the First Vice President of the Czech Republic. He stands the chance of becoming the next president, so why compromise the career he has built all his life? He turned to politics soon after their daughter Azja was born. You have to be mistaken, Bogdan. He doesn’t have a corrupt bone in his body.”

“Most people will say the same about you and your family, Zafira. He knows you managed to live a double life. Maybe that’s the kind of untapped control he’s after as well.”

Zafira got up. “If what you say is true, it means he’s working with Maranzano, and Vanya was taken to draw me out.” Her eyes flashed dangerously. “No matter their age, only a coward uses children in their quest for power. So, since I’m such an accommodating woman, let’s give him what he wants, Bogdan—me in exchange for Vanya.”

“Zafira, let’s not act in haste. I’m speculating at best and—”

“Show me.”

Bogdan knew it would be best to arm her with as much knowledge as possible, so it was amusing to listen to his muttering of “hardheaded woman” while he logged into his network using her laptop.

With growing trepidation, she quickly scanned and read the various folders Vanya had compiled.

“This is beyond speculation, Bogdan. This is proof that Marek Cermak has been involved and pocketing gains from the Solntvesoka Bratva for over twenty years. In fact, reading between the lines, I’d say he’s the one in charge and not Artem Melnyk.”

“Exactly the conclusion Vanya and I made.”

“You should’ve told me this sooner. Now, we’re fighting from the back foot!”

“We began this fight trailing behind since their onslaught against us began, Zafira. Only it took us this long to realize it. We’ve been fighting the most obvious enemy while the unknown was hiding in clear sight behind a trusted fealty of yours.”

“I find it hard to believe that he would go to such lengths purely for power, Bogdan. No,” she tapped a nail against her teeth as she pondered the situation. “There’s more to this than meets the eye.”

“Maybe, but never discount how being invisible adds to the lure of a criminal. You should know that feeling better than anyone.”

“You were always against what I was doing with the Novaya Volna Group. I never understood why. You’re the only one who knows the real reason why I began the New Order Bratva movement.”

“To honor your father and revive his legacy that Viktor had tainted in his final years. Yes, I know, but in the process, you placed a big, red target on your back, Zafira. More so... you put all your children’s lives at risk.”

Zafira turned pale. She couldn’t dispute what he said, but she refused to acknowledge the truth of it. The decision to form a coalition with Bratva groups eager for change and a modern outlook to evolving criminal enterprises was the right one. She had come too far and given up too much to walk away from it now. The end was in sight. The New Bratva Order of Novaya Volna would rule over all... with her as their Shadow Don.

No one was going to stand in her way. Not Marek Cermak, Bogdan Rusu, or even... her own children.

Resolutely squaring her shoulders, she chose not to debate the issue further and said in a clipped tone, “You can accompany me or stay, but I’m going to the Chez Republic, Rusu.”

“Very well, but heed my warning, Zafira. Maranzano doesn’t yield to any man. In his eyes, he has all the power. He’s not going to give up his revenge on an order from Cermak, of that I have no doubt.”

“I’ll take care of Cermak, so I guess it’ll be up to you to make sure my daughter and our grandchildren don’t get hurt in the process.” Tossing her head in defiance as he opened his mouth to protest, she walked toward the stairs. “Enough. Get ahold of Arian and Andrei and update them. I prefer they all accompany us. We’ve always had more strength as one family unit. I want to be on the way within the hour.”

“We’re in the air, so where exactly are we going, Zafira? It serves no purpose to arrive at Cermak’s house without a well-thought-out plan. All we’ll achieve is endangering Vanya’s life.” Bogdan refused to cower in the face of Zafira’s glare.

“Bogdan is right,” Arian said. “If we go to his house, he’ll be sure to use it to his benefit. We don’t want to give him more ways to increase his popularity with the public. Yes, we’re all in agreement that he has control of the Solntvesoka Bratva and that Seymon Mochilevich, Artem Melnyk, and probably many other syndicate leaders are under his power, but we have to be clever about our approach. If we fail, we might not find Vanya, and he will gain more power than any single person should have in the criminal empire.”

“So, what do we do, Arian?” Zafira paced the cabin. “It’s been days, and there have been no demands for Vanya’s release. That means only one thing—they want us to fall apart.”

“And once we do, we’ll be vulnerable,” Vadim interjected quietly. “They have no fucking idea who they’re dealing with, do they?”

“Calm down, honey,” said his wife, Sabira. “Anger isn’t going to achieve anything. We need to strategize.”

“Sabira is right.” Andrei hadn’t said a word for days. He had been searching longer and harder than anyone else. The black circles under his eyes were proof that he hadn’t slept much since Vanya had been taken. “Vanya is clever. She knows Maranzano better than anyone. She’ll stay alert and keep out of trouble, but we have to get to her... sooner rather than later. That Sicilian bastard is unpredictable. We know Cermak is involved.” He looked at Zafira. “Phone him. Ask him bald-faced what he wants.”

Bogdan mulled over Andrei’s suggestion. “It has merit, and it will put a damper on his initial plan of playing emotional mind games with us. He will have to regroup and meet with Maranzano, so let’s wait until we’re in Prague before you call him, Zafira. The closer we are to him, the quicker we can react.”

“Catch him off guard, in other words,” Zafira agreed with a nod. “How long before we land, Arian?”

“Forty-five minutes. The private airstrip is a ten-minute drive from Kramá?”s Villa. I’ve already asked our IT team to send one of our drones to the Villa and confirm the Cermak’s presence. If they’re not there, our plan will fall apart.”

“Good. Wake me when we’re about to land. I need to think.” Zafira summarily closed her eyes, and within seconds, she was asleep. It was one of the perks she had learned over time. To completely switch off and drift off quickly. Short naps like these were powerful and just what she needed at present.

The last thoughts milling through her mind weren’t centered on their current mission. No, it was directed at Bogdan and how sleeping gave her a reason not to look at him. The dratted man had been unsettling her more and more the past couple of weeks with his brooding stares and expressive eyes.

Exactly! Since when does the master of stoicism show his feelings? It’s like he’s stamping his ownership over me with every glance.

What concerned her even more was that the thought of belonging to him filled her with thrilling expectations. There was no doubt he was a powerful Dominant, a fact he had proved more than once. The way he made her lose control and guided what her body craved without her realizing it confirmed what she had always known—Bogdan was more in tune with her needs than Viktor had ever been.

Not just my needs... he knows—I’m sure he has figured out—that I still love him. With a start, she came to a realization—that was why he had stayed all these years. Maybe it was time she opened her heart and stopped blaming him for things he had no control over. Not maybe—it’s time, period. I need him in my life. I know it, and God help me, so does he.