He pursed his lips, pretending to think about it. “Hmm… How about… No. Why don’t I introduce you to a couple of people first, and then we’ll negotiate a real trade.” Before I could respond he motioned to a guard on the far side of the room, and the man left. Dealing with Roy wasn’t so bad, but I knew what was coming next and I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for it yet.
“First of all,” Roy continued, “I don’t work for Olevsky anymore. He’s kind of old news, now. I found a better job. It pays more.”
I shrugged. “So you’ve shown them you’re worth the pay; you got me here. Get to the point.”
He might have been about to, but a grouping of men entered the large, open room. Just their appearance and the formation they made as they came toward us were the essence and power of a prestigious mob family. I could assume that the oldest man in the middle was probably Lev Derevenko; he was maybe close to sixty. The man next to him was most likely Meinikov, and the other three were either bodyguards, or more Derevenkos.
They stopped about fifteen feet in front of us.
“This is he?” Meinikov asked, but it was more of a statement. I could tell he was already intrigued by the similarities.
When Roy nodded his head with a smirk, the man looked me over more intently.
“So… You’re Ty?” He smiled a very pleasant smile, but all I wanted to do was bash his teeth in. Just looking at his chin and nose made me think of my brother. He continued to look me over and I just knew he was comparing me to Trevor. Finally he said, “My name is Aleksey. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You look a lot different than the last picture I saw of you. Much older.”
He’d connected the dots right away as expected. Roy’s expression caught my attention and I could tell he was confused.
So far so good on that aspect, I thought.
“Hello, Boris,” Aleksey nodded. “It’s a pleasure to see you again as well.”
Boris nodded his acknowledgement.
“Still being treated like a servant these days?” he leered. “It’s a shame after all these years of service to Kristof, and you’re still just a babysitter.”
Boris tipped his head in thought. “It is well. We cannot always be ‘the man,’ ” he smiled casually. “I know my place.”
The older man in the middle seemed amused. “Sometimes being ‘the man’ sucks,” he said gruffly. “It’s overrated.” He took a few steps closer to us, particularly looking me over. “So Ty… Tell me what you can do for me.”
“I’m only here for Jayden. Other than that, I don’t know what you want.”
Lev was still looking me over, and I could tell that something finally clicked. He turned slightly to Meinikov, but his eyes were still on me. “Alek, tell me what is perplexing me.”
Aleksey smiled. “You are looking at my son’s half-brother.”
Lev had to chuckle. “Yes, I guess that is so. Then this is Tyler.” He shook his head with amusement, still looking me over, and then he looked back at Roy, who looked slightly ill. “Is this some kind of joke, Merrick? You’re honestly telling me the ballplayer is Kristof’s successor?”
Roy looked a bit shaken at first, but then his cool, even demeanor took control. “This is Olevsky’s number one. That’s what you wanted, right? I took out his operator, but if you want Olevsky, you get him through Ty. I guarantee it.”
Roy glanced at Aleksey with what seemed like a silent plea, and I immediately understood the exchange: Meinikov had used him. He didn’t care about Merrick. Whatever he’d promised him held no meaning anymore.
The old man looked me straight in the eye. “I want to know where Olivia is.”
“You want to know where my mother is?” I repeated bitterly. Roy’s face turned white as a sheet. I was positive he was just beginning to realize what he’d gotten himself into. “She doesn’t belong to you. Is that what this is about?”
“You violate my home and you don’t expect me to be upset?”
Boris began to snicker and one glance at him made me have to stifle a laugh as well.
“This is funny?” Lev asked him.
“Yes, sir, it is,” Boris replied. “Tyler had nothing to do with the extraction of Ms. Olivia. I assure you. He has only recently discovered that his mother is alive.”
Derevenko whipped his head to Roy. “What the hell is going on?”
Boris spoke before Roy could respond. “Mr. Merrick, you choose not to take credit for such a magnificent feat? Isn’t being boastful one of your strong points?” Boris turned to Lev. “Sir, there seems to have been a misunderstanding. Mr. Merrick has been dishonest with you. With that in mind, we would like to have Miss Jayden released, please. She is innocent to this and deserves to be treated as such.”
Lev Derevenko was silent, but I could tell he was very angry. Meinikov stepped forward and put a hand on his boss’s shoulder. “This must end. Kristof has a debt to pay and this will do. Let’s finish this and go home.” I could almost picture a serpent’s tongue slithering out of his vile mouth.
Derevenko turned his attention back to Roy. “Is it true? You made your way into my organization just to betray me?” Roy was about to protest but Derevenko stopped him. “I can find out for sure in a matter of seconds, so don’t you lie to me.”
Roy stammered with an excuse, but before he could finish it, the boss made a single motion with his hand. Roy was knocked backwards with a dark hole to his forehead. Dax, who had been silent the entire time, tried to run, but he received the same fate to the back.
I was stunned and hadn’t even realized that Boris was now standing directly in front of me. The whole thing lasted a few seconds and I hadn’t even comprehended that two men were just killed right before my eyes.
Derevenko looked at Boris standing in front of me. “Get the girl,” he told his men behind him. As one of them left, Aleksey was at his ear again.
“But this is not what we’ve decided. I want my son back,” he snarled.
“Your son?” I exploded. “Are you for real? You rape my mother and you have the nerve to call him your son?”
Boris turned around and tried to shut me up as he backed me up a few steps.
“He wants nothing to do with you!” I shouted. “Don’t fathers take pride when their sons respect them? Trevor has no respect for you! You kept him as a prisoner his entire life! What makes you think he would ever want to see your face again!”
Meinikov drew his weapon to come at me, but Derevenko stopped him with a single command. Boris was again standing directly in front of me, but Meinikov was peering around him, staring at me angrily. He finally lowered his weapon and said, “At least my son was raised properly and would never speak to me that way.”
“Yeah, you’re right, I’m sure he wouldn’t. But I’m not him.”
Derevenko looked amused. “Then tell me what you think of all this. What should happen now?”
“All I want is to take Jayden with me.”
“Ty!” I heard her call. I saw her coming across the warehouse, trying to hurry, but the man with her kept a hold of her arm. She yanked it loose, only for him to grab her even harder. “Let go of me,” she growled.
I made a start for her but Boris held me back. “Just wait,” he said in a low voice. “Remember what I said.”
“Yakov, be gentle with her,” Derevenko ordered. Yakov let go of her, but he still wouldn’t allow her to come any further. Another one of Derevenko’s men was now blocking her way as well.
I looked her over to make sure she was okay, and from what I could see, she looked all right physically. I saw her cast a look across the room at the two dead bodies on the floor, each now in a pool of blood, and then she made eye contact with me. I knew she was scared, and my heart went out to her.
“I want my son back,” Meinikov said to me.
“Mr. Huntington is not in the position to make that happen,” Boris informed him.
“Then it is only fair that he trade himself until it happens.”
Before I could open my bi
g mouth and give him a piece of my mind, Boris was quick to reply. “Mr. Derevenko? What are your wishes at this time?”
He raised his eyebrows at the inquiry. “I am here to settle a debt that is owed me.”
“Which is?”
“Well, the value is approximately twenty million American dollars. Plus thirty years’ interest.” He glanced at Meinikov, who was giving him an encouraging smile. “But…Aleksey would like his son, so that will do instead.”
“And you think he is deserving of such a gift? The torment that has been inflicted upon Mr. Olevsky and his organization has not been sufficient? The loss of his beloved Olivia? Mr. Huntington’s life without a mother?”
“Spare us the tears,” Meinikov retorted.
Derevenko hushed him with his hand. “Are you presuming that I care about the lives of my enemies?” he asked Boris with a smile.
“I am presuming that this feud between two empires has become old for you. I am presuming that you would like to bring this to an end. Mr. Meinikov has already imposed a great deal of devastation upon the Olevsky family. The effects of his actions have been felt for nineteen years now. Kristof will pay the monetary debt you feel is owed, but we feel there is no solution to the other issues at hand because Olivia and her son should be free to make their own choices. What may appeal to you, however, is the end of Kristof’s organization.”
Lev actually raised an eyebrow with interest.
“We would like to resign our position in the industry and allow the Derevenkos to take complete control of our shares. And if they so desire—according to our recommendation and persuasion—you can have our associates and their business as well. I am here on behalf of Mr. Olevsky with his full approval of such terms. Miss Adams—and Mr. Huntington—shall not be used as bargaining chips. Instead you have my word.”
Silence resonated throughout the building as the old man considered his offer. Finally he took a deep breath and turned to the men behind him. With one nod of his head they stepped away from Jayden to let her pass. Without hesitation she made her way to me and I took her in my arms. I slowly released a breath of air, praying that we were one step closer to making it out alive. Boris said Derevenko would be the one to end this, and even though I had been filled with loads of doubt, I was now grateful he really was hungry for money and power.
“Tell Kristof that this is done,” Derevenko said. “I fully agree to those terms, and we can meet at a later time to discuss details.” He was turning away from us when Meinikov stepped in his way.
“You are making a big mistake,” he told him.
“You are the one that is mistaken,” his boss said evenly. “You let this go Alek. You have caused me enough grief to last a lifetime. Your business with your son can be handled on your own.”
As quick as he said it, Meinikov’s temper reached its peak, and as soon as it did, I had the sense to turn Jayden away. The gun in Aleksey’s hand went straight to the old man’s heart and fired, and before two of the other men could react, they were dead on the ground as well. The other three men in front of us seemed to be under Meinikov’s payroll, and they positioned themselves to protect their boss.
Boris had rushed us away from the scene as it happened, but we only got so far before a shot was fired into the back of his leg. As soon as Boris went down, he got back up again, only to receive another shot to his leg on the front side.
“Shall I keep shooting, or do you want to stop moving?” Meinikov sneered. But at the same time, the gun was shot out of his hand—courtesy of the sniper hidden in the rafters. The same sniper had been silently eliminating any other hidden threats in the warehouse—at least that’s what the plan had been—and it was kind of eerie to think about.
“This is between the two of us, Aleksey,” a familiar voice rang throughout the warehouse.
Kristof had appeared from the front entry. I was shocked to see him standing there in person, along with eight other men that were heavily armed. Now there was a standoff as Aleksey’s loyal soldiers faced the new arrivals. The Meinikov cronies were definitely paranoid, half of them looking around the warehouse with guns raised to fend off an invisible assassin that was somewhere in their midst.
Meinikov’s appearance was like stone, so I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he did nothing when the man at Kristof’s right slid a weapon across the floor to Boris. I recognized the man immediately; he was the one that patted me down earlier when we first arrived. Boris picked it up and carefully stood, and then he began guiding us from the scene. I could tell Aleksey wanted to protest, but it was then that I realized every one of Kristof’s guns were pointed only at Aleksey, and he chose to remain silent.
“This has been quite a life for you, hasn’t it?” Kristof asked him. “I can’t imagine why you would spend it hunting one man. I’m here now. What is it you want?”
“I want my son back,” I heard him reply.
“That will never happen, Alek. He and his mother can finally have a life they deserve; a life without you. The war between you and I is over. You now have the rest of the Derevenkos to deal with.”
Boris held his hand to his ear, apparently listening to the tiny device that was in place for him to hear. He hobbled us along until we were within the safety of a hallway. We could no longer see the masses of weaponry, but it still didn’t ease my tension.
“Boris, you okay?” I asked. His pant leg was full of blood, front and back, and I could tell he was barely putting any pressure on his leg.
He nodded. “Yes, sir. I am fine. Cole’s team is inside. We’ll wait here for now—“
Suddenly the sound of gunfire erupted from the warehouse, and it made us jump. I couldn’t see what was taking place on the other side of the wall, but I had seen enough movies in my life to paint a clear enough picture. Boris leaned up against the wall for a second and prepared his newly acquired weapon.
“There might be others still in the building,” he quickly told us. “I want you both to stay close to me until we find safety.”
We could still hear gunfire from the warehouse, and Jayden’s hands gripped me tighter as we followed Boris into an office. It was pretty dark except for a beam of light that came through a window from a streetlight.
“Ty, the window,” Jayden whispered.
I looked across the office and saw shadows moving outside. A loud thud came from the end of the hall and then there was a brief silence. Finally I heard, “Ty? You in here? Jayden?”
I could tell it was Cole’s voice from the hallway, so I peeked around the corner to make sure. The door at the other end was now wide open and several bodies in combat gear came filing down the hall toward the warehouse.
I replied, “We’re here,” just as he appeared at the doorway.
He seemed to exhale his relief. “Follow me.”
Cole led us outside and across the street where there were a handful of men assembled alongside another vacant warehouse. A medical team was there to look us over, but Jayden and I were fine. It was Boris we were worried about, and I heard someone say that his knee had been shattered from one of the bullets.
Jayden put her hand on the back of my shoulder but didn’t say a word. I felt bad that I couldn’t offer her any emotional support, but I just didn’t know what to say. We were both pretty leaden from the events that had just transpired.
A minute later they loaded Boris into an ambulance. He saluted me with a nod and it made me smile, but my chest still felt heavy with worry.
“Is he going to be all right?” I asked one of the paramedics.
“Well, he’ll live,” he sighed. “Don’t know about the use of that knee, though.” He climbed into the bus and shut the doors as the ambulance took off.
I released a breath of air and looked at Cole. “What’s going on at the other side of the building?” I asked him mechanically. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. I could hardly understand what I was feeling at that moment.
Cole sighed. “Let’s just say there’s a
shortage of body bags.”
“Is anyone alive?” I asked numbly.
Cole paused for a few moments. “Yeah, a few. Four of Olevsky’s guys… And Olevsky himself.”
Again I didn’t understand what I was feeling. I was relieved for some reason. I was still very angry about how he had affected my life, but I was relieved. I took a deep breath, not sure I felt up to sorting my emotions at the time.
I leaned against a car and held Jayden in my arms as Cole spoke to us both. I hardly cared what he said, but I do remember him informing us of what to expect from all that had transpired. I almost felt like we were completely isolated from the rest of the world. It was a completely surreal moment, standing outside of a warehouse on the outskirts of town following a mob massacre.
Life was never going to be the same.
The next few days were a mix of everything from miserable police details to…well, some great moments with Jayden. There was a lot to sort out, but I could survive anything as long as I had her by my side.
First there were the trying times with her father and the fact that he still hated me. Then there was the difficulty of finally talking to my father. It was hard, but I think I told him about my mother and Trevor in the best way that I possibly could. It had helped that I’d recounted the story first to Jayden (she was absolutely blown away) but I felt different emotions as I shared it with my father. He was…well, stunned, to say the least. He was confused, angry, and sad, all at different intervals. I couldn’t even imagine what he was going through, so when he asked to be left alone for a while, I easily complied. However, I was afraid to leave the house in case he felt close to slipping into his old habits. Jayden and I stayed with him for a couple of days until he felt strong enough to be on his own.
Jayden took me to visit Brandon in the hospital, whom had miraculously survived being shot three times. He’d been through three surgeries so far to repair the damage the incident had caused, and he was still in ICU. Jayden slipped into his room one afternoon, prepared to just leave him the get-well wishes she’d brought, but Brandon called her name when we were quietly heading out the door.
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