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“Get whoever you need. That becomes your first priority when you return to the estate. That also means that additional manpower will be needed for protection. They succeeded once. They’ll do it again.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Let’s get this over with.”
My bloodlust was stronger than ever, the need to solve this mystery weighing heavily on my mind. Since my rather untimely announcement regarding my heritage to Emily, things had been tenser than before. I was everything her father had fought to bring to justice. At least she had a full understanding of what we were facing.
And the odds of our survival.
To her credit, I’d seen the strongest side of her yet. When I’d left for the meeting, leaving her in a posh hotel room with six soldiers keeping her company, she’d simply wished me luck while showing no emotion. All I could think about was getting back to her, sharing what could be our last peaceful night.
If not our last night together.
“Duly noted,” Diego said under his breath then moved toward the back door. As Alexei had mentioned, the lock had been disengaged, allowing us to walk inside. I had six other soldiers surrounding the building, prepared to provide warning should they detect any sign of Volkov’s men preparing for an ambush.
There were saltwater tanks and crates of supplies filling the two rooms we walked through, several illegal species of fish and other creatures visible throughout. Some were large enough to hold sharks, others with piranhas, their razor-sharp teeth drawing my attention. This venture was clever if not lucrative, allowing for a clean disposal of certain… elements.
Hearing noise, we located several Bratva soldiers including Kirill, their enforcer and Vasily Morkoff, the man who handled the cleanup crew. Blood would be spilled on this night.
Alexei had brought his younger brother as well, Sevastian seeming disinterested in the three men who’d been worked over prior to our arrival. The scene was macabre, the tension in the air thick. But it was obvious Alexei held the same level of bloodlust that I did. The Russian was always hungry for a kill.
“Gentlemen,” I said with no inflection. What I refused to do was to take the time to indulge in my darker proclivities, spending hours with the traitorous pigs until they broke or succumbed to the various injuries inflicted. Tonight I had no patience for elongating the process.
“Perfect timing,” Alexei stated as a greeting. “Things were about to get more interesting.”
“What have you learned so far?” I asked as I moved closer, Diego remaining in the background.
“Nothing useful,” Sevastian answered, his tone terse. The man had limited patience as well. I appreciated his typical candor, his ability to weed through bullshit.
“Then it’s time to change that.” I took long strides toward the three men, taking my time to make eye contact with all three. “This is simple. You tell us what we want to know and you might be given clemency. If not, your death will be slow and painful. It’s entirely up to you.”
“Bozhe k chertu,” one of the assholes spouted off, spitting at me as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
“You don’t need to wish me to go to hell. I’m already there.” I smashed my fist against his face, abhorring the usual banter that always began this kind of negotiations. I shifted my attention to the one who seemed the most vulnerable. Struggling with the steel bands snapped around his wrists, he was also sweating profusely, darting his eyes toward the exit. Perhaps he believed he would make it out of here alive. I’d use that to my advantage.
The force of my blow almost knocked the first man over, two of the Bratva soldiers righting him instantly.
I took my time walking toward the timid, younger man, taking a deep breath. “Where is Volkov?”
It took the son of a bitch a full minute to look me in the eye, both of his swollen from hours of interrogation. “Not here.”
That was something.
“Then where?”
“Skazhi yemu I umri,” the first one snarled. Tell him and die.
Another fool who thought he’d live through this.
Sighing, I glanced at Alexei, giving him a nod. “Allow him to fully embrace what he’s facing.”
Alexei grinned, providing orders to two of his men who immediately grabbed the traitor, bringing him toward us. I studied Sevastian as the man’s head was yanked back at an awkward angle. Then he was punched several times in the gut, the hard thudding sounds echoing in my ear.
“Enough!” Sevastian barked ten seconds later.
By the point the bastard was tossed forward onto his knees, a bullet put in his brain, the third man had a wet spot on the front of his trousers, the second shaking from either an adrenaline rush or terror. I couldn’t give a shit which one.
“Let’s try this again. Where. Is. Volkov?”
