“I don’t need help.”
“I know you don’t, but you’re still going to have backup,” he says, and I can see by his set features that he will not change his mind. I differ to Vlad’s wishes as Alexey’s brother and righthand man , but I don’t accept his decision because of him being the boss’s brother. I accept him because he is as deadly as I am, and I know that he will die before he lets anything happen to me or anyone else in the Bratva. Vlad is a fighter; he will do anything for the Bratva Fury and for his brother. When someone attacks either, he takes it on himself to find retribution.
“Bjorn is mine,” I state.
“Da, Bjorn is yours,” he confirms as we slide into the SUV. Taking the wheel, I drive out of the underground parking and towards the house where Bjorn is staying. “How is your woman taking all this?”
I look over at him and see him looking out the passenger window. “Better than I thought,” I confirm. “She hasn’t complained, and she’s got reason to.”
“You and Alexey have been lucky. You both found strong women,” he says with a frown, his hands fisted. I can tell something is bothering him besides everything that is happening now.
“You want to talk about it?” I ask, and see from the corner of my eye him turn his head and look at me. He is quiet for a while.
“Why did you leave Raven before?” he asks.
Now it’s my turn to tense. The last thing I want to do is think about the time I missed with Raven and Luke. “I wanted to keep her safe from our life.”
“Do you think you did the right thing by keeping away?”
“Niet, all I did was waste time and hurt her.”
He nods and looks back out the window. We drive the rest of the way in silence, each one with our own thoughts, until I’m pulling up about half a block away from where Bjorn is.
We make the rest of the way on foot, keeping to the shadows until we reach the right house. Vlad tries the gate, and I see it slide open. I know Alexey has someone among Bjorn’s men who is giving him information, but I don’t know who it is. Following Vlad, we make our way up to the house. Most of the lights are on, and we can hear men laughing. Vlad inclines his head to the right to show me one of the men approaching the glass doors. I nod and move to stand in the shadows next to where he will be stepping out. A few minutes later, I have my arm around his neck and am twisting until I hear it break. Pulling him a few feet, I sit him on one of the pool chairs. If anyone must look out, it will look like he is resting.
Turning, I see that Vlad has stepped into the house and is approaching the kitchen door where we saw two men eating and talking. He pulls out the gun at his waist, and I notice that he has a silencer. He stops at the entrance and looks back at me, nodding up towards the stairs. I nod as I make my way towards the stairs where Bjorn will more than likely be at this time.
I keep against the wall as I climb the stairs. When I’m nearly at the top, I hear someone flush, and then the door facing the stairs is open and one of Bjorn’s men walks out. I have one of my guns in my hand and shoot before he even sees me. The bullet hits him right between the eyes, which has him falling backwards. I make the top of the stairs. Looking to my right, I see two more doors, but those are closed. Looking to my left, there are about five doors, two of which are open.
Going by our information, there should still be one man somewhere and Bjorn. I step into the corridor and walk stealthily until I reach the first open door. Looking in, I see that it’s a sitting room with a piano by one of the windows, but the room is empty. I continue walking down the corridor, passing a closed door, making for the next open one, when I hear crying coming from inside the closed room. I stand against the wall and listen, waiting to see if I can detect who might be behind the closed door.
That’s when I hear the man’s grunts and realize what is happening inside. From the layout of the house and what we have been informed, I know that this isn’t Bjorn’s room. Therefore, I hesitate in interrupting the assault in case it’s the other man. I know for a certainty that the woman will start screaming the moment I shoot him, and I don’t want witnesses.
I am saved from making the decision when I see Vlad coming down the corridor. I incline my head towards the door and step away, continuing my way to Bjorn’s room. I know that Vlad will wait for me to breach the bastard’s sanctuary before he kicks in the door. When I reach my destination, I listen, but there is no noise coming from inside. Standing to the side of the door, I turn the handle and open the door, deciding to walk in instead of rushing in.
Scanning the room, I find it empty. I walk towards the closed door that from the plans of the house is the bathroom, and again opening the door, I find it empty. Where the fuck is he? I stride out of the room and down the corridor. I see Vlad opening the door to the other room and slipping inside. I start opening closed doors and checking inside until I’m at the last door and Vlad is walking down the corridor towards me.
My anger rises when I think that Bjorn might not be here. Opening the last door, I freeze when I see five women and two children locked up inside. The women have clearly been beaten and abused by the vacant look in their eyes. The children can’t be more than three or four years old. The fury that fills me knows no bounds when I think of the atrocities Bjorn is responsible for.
“Fuck,” Vlad grunts when he sees what I am seeing. “He’s not here,” he mutters angrily.
“Do you think he was tipped off?” I ask as I pull out my phone to call Dimitri.
“Fuck, I hope not.”
“Da,” Dimitri answers.
“We have women and two kids who need a pickup,” I update, and he says something to someone.
“Ten minutes,” he says.
Disconnecting the call, I look back and see Vlad walking back down the corridor. His stride is angry, one hand holding his weapon, the other fisted. If Bjorn was warned that we were coming, why would he leave his men here? If he was warned, it means we have someone on our side giving him information, and if that is the case, we need to find out who it is and quick.
I hear Vlad talking and realize that he is updating Alexey. The boss accompanied the women and Luke to his property. I don’t blame him. After everything that has been happening, he wants to make sure Jade is safe. He has twenty men with him, but it is a huge property that needs many lookouts. There is also a panic room that not even a bomb will blast through.
I receive a text telling me that the men are here to pick up the women and children. Walking towards the stairs, I incline my head to Vlad so that he knows it’s time to leave. We make sure not to talk or call out any names when out on jobs. If there are any witnesses, it is more difficult to identify us.
Vlad and I make our way out of the house the same way we came in. When we reach the car, I slide in and wait for Vlad to do the same. He is on his phone, arguing with someone. “I want the information within the hour,” he snaps before he disconnects the call.
“We cannot let him escape. Dimitri says that the men we have watching him didn’t see him leave. How is that possible?” he says angrily.
“You think maybe someone from the other families warned him?” I ask, my hands griping the steering wheel furiously. I was hoping to end this today. I don’t want to be away from my son and Raven, but if we don’t kill Bjorn, there is no way we can take them out of safety or lead anyone there.
“I will find out. I have called in a favour from the Elementals. Celmund is a genius with technology. I asked him to figure out how Bjorn got out of the house without us seeing him and to try to track him down.” I nod, knowing Celmund from the years of working with the Elementals on the smuggling of weapons. Vlad is right in saying that if there is anyone who can find any evidence of Bjorn’s whereabouts, it will be him.
Starting the SUV, I make my way to the club where Dimitri and the others will meet us. If anyone blames us for any killings, we will have an alibi at the club. “As soon as we know where he is, we make a move. No more waiting,” Vlad says as I par
k the SUV.
Walking into the club, I see that it’s a full house. People are dancing and drinking. Others are making out. Looks like any normal night at the Ace of Spades. Alexey has various profitable clubs, but this one is by far the most profitable. Walking towards the closed-off area for VIPs, I take a seat at one of the tables. Vlad sits opposite me. A few minutes later, Angelique is standing next to me with a bottle of vodka and two glasses.
“Here you go,” she says as she places the glasses and bottle on the table. When she straightens, she places her hand on my shoulder and smiles. Angelique has been trying to seduce me ever since she started at the Ace of Spades, but I have always made it a habit of keeping away from women I might see again. “I will be off in the next hour if you would like company.”
Angelique is a beautiful woman, but those are the only ones Alexey will hire. I may have been tempted a few times, but now that I have Raven back in my life, there is no chance I will ever be with any other woman except her. She completes me. I crave her touch even when I’m away from her. She calms the fury in my soul, something that I know is rare.
But most importantly, she has given me a son, taken care of him even when she went through difficulties, never once giving up on him, fighting on even when life pulled her down. I will always worship her and give her the respect she deserves.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Angelique, but you must stop this.” I point to the two of us and then pull her hand away from my shoulder. “It will never happen.” I stretch out and take the glass Vlad has already filled for me.
“You won’t even give it a try? Why? Is it because I work here?” she asks. “The others say you never get involved with anyone at the club.”
“Niet,” I state. “I won’t even give it a try because I have a woman and I will not disrespect her like that.” I see her face tense, and then she nods and walks away hurriedly.
“You want me to get rid of her?” Vlad asks with a raised brow. Since last year when one of our waitresses was in league with the Catalonian mafia, feeding them information about Alexey, we have been very careful of what information and what dealings we have with the staff.
“Niet. If she becomes a problem, I will deal with it.” I will not let it escalate until it becomes a problem. I will not take a chance where my relationship is involved. I would not like it if a man was interested in Raven. Just the thought makes me fist my hands. Therefore, I will make sure that she doesn’t have to worry about other women in our relationship.
“Vlad, Vlad!”
I look to where a sexy blonde woman is waving to Vlad from the entrance to the VIP area. Looking at him, I see him grimace. “Fan?” I ask, and he frowns. He lifts his hand to our man at the entrance so he can let her enter.
“Hello, darling,” she gushes as she bends down and kisses him on the lips. “I’m so glad to have found you here today.” Placing her hand on his chest, she sits on the chair next to him, her hand lowering to his stomach and then his upper leg. He stretches out his hand and pulls the napkin from the table and cleans the red lipstick from his lips.
“Monique,” he says, “don’t you think that if I wanted to talk to you, I would have?”
“Oh, don’t be grumpy, darling,” she whines as she strokes his leg. “Would you like to get out of here?”
“No, I’m busy, and you need to leave now so we can continue with our discussion,” he states as he inclines his head at me. I see her stiffen, but then she’s standing from the chair.
“Fine, but I might not be around later,” she says angrily as she walks away. He looks at me and shrugs as he fills our glasses.
“When’s your next fight?” Vlad is undefeated in the ring, and if there is anything he excels at, it’s knocking out his opponents. I am a good fighter, but I know that when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, Vlad will beat me. We have trained together many times, and I know that a punch from him is nothing to take lightly.
“In three months’ time. Hopefully this business with the Catalonians will be over.” Last time we had an altercation with the Catalonians, Alexey postponed Vlad’s fight because of security. I know that Vlad doesn’t like the idea of not being in control. Therefore, him not being able to fight when he was supposed to had him and Alexey going at each other, but Alexey as the boss and Vlad’s older brother, he respects and listens to what Alexey has to say, so the fight was delayed but not forfeited.
From the corner of my eye, I see someone approaching. Turning my head, I see Dimitri. Pulling back the chair where moments before, Monique was sitting, Dimitri makes himself comfortable. “Celmund called. He has information for you.” Vlad picks up his phone from the table and frowns. Nodding, he rises and walks away to return Celmund’s call.
“Has he found him?” I ask.
“You know the Elementals. He didn’t say anything, just asked that Vlad call him,” Dimitri answers with a frown as he raises his hand to one of the waitresses and points to Vlad’s glass. A minute later, a glass is being placed before him. “I still don’t know how the fuck he got out of there without us seeing.”
“In the garbage truck,” Vlad reveals as he takes his seat. “Apparently they picked up the rubbish today. Celmund caught that one of the bins wasn’t emptied and was stashed in the truck. One of the garbage guys had a Bratva tattoo on his neck.”
“Motherfuckers,” Dimitri grunts angrily.
“He may have a location for him, but he will get back to me in the next few minutes,” Vlad reveals just as his phone flashes with a text. Looking down , he tenses before he looks up at us with a frown.
“Celmund sent me the location, but it’s our headquarters,” Vlad states angrily as he stands. “The motherfucker is there.” All three of us stand, making our way towards our cars. He somehow made his way to our headquarters, and there has been no alert from anyone there. I see Dimitri on his phone, more than likely updating the security at the building.
If the fucker is inside, that means someone let them in. Why would he go there? Surely he knows that he is dead if found there? My mind is going through all the possibilities, trying to find a reason. I know he wants me. He will try to take me down no matter what. Therefore, I’m sure he is there to finish what he began.
Maybe he thinks that Raven and Luke are still there, because only a handful of men know that the women and Luke were taken away. I take in a deep breath as I drive towards where we now know he is, calming my mind and my anger. Bjorn will die today, not only because of the despicable person he is by having no care for women and children, but for the future I want with Raven and Luke.
I want my son to grow up like I never did. I want him to have a family who loves him, to have people in his life he can trust. To grow up not being beaten continuously until he has no more fear in him, until his outlook in life is kill or be killed. While I have breath in my body, I will make sure my son grows up to be an honourable man, that he will know how to treat a woman and children and that he will respect and honour the Bratva.
Driving into the basement of the building, I notice the men all fully armed, their weapons ready for any eventuality. Dimitri has placed everyone on high alert. I’m sure every corner is being checked to find Bjorn. Knowing Bjorn like I do, I doubt he is here alone. He would have his most trusted men with him.
Pulling out one of my weapons, I cross the parking lot and make my way to the stairs instead of the lift. First I will check my apartment, because if he was looking for me, that is where he will be. I find men helping some of the women and children down the stairs so that they can be taken to safety. This is something that shouldn’t be happening. Our families shouldn’t be dragged into this, but Bjorn has no morals and will make sure that he creates the biggest havoc he can.
After various flights of stairs, I reach my floor and stop. Quietly opening the door to the corridor, I step out, looking both ways for anything out of place. Everything seems undisturbed, but they wouldn’t be able to get into my apartment unless they had my password or my
fingerprints or Raven’s. Keeping against the wall, I make my way to my door and instantly see that the keypad has been tampered with, as two wires are pulled out. The door is also not shut completely, just pulled closed.
Feeling a presence behind me, I snap around, my gun at the ready, but relax when I see Vlad and Dimitri approaching, both with enquiring looks. I incline my head and nod, letting them know that he may be inside.
Dimitri nods and moves towards the other side of the door against the wall. Vlad stands behind me. Lifting my gun, I place it against the door and slowly open it.
“Don’t be shy, Nik, come on in,” I hear Bjorn say from inside before I see him sitting on my couch. His arms are stretched out on the back of the couch as if relaxed, but I can see the tenseness in his features.
In all our apartments, the decoration has been done by a professional decorator who has looked at our security above everything. Therefore, I look at the floor-to-ceiling windows that catch the reflection of everything in the room and see a man standing behind the door, and another one against the wall to the kitchen. Pulling out my other gun, I hold one in each hand as I take a step inside, and then I’m dropping to the floor and turning so that I can shoot the one hiding behind the door.
He drops to the ground, clutching his shoulder. Vlad rushes in, his gun pointed at the guy by the kitchen.
Dimitri steps in, his gun pointed at Bjorn. “Don’t even think about it. You will be dead before you can pull it out,” he says.
“I am dead anyway,” Bjorn says. I stand swiftly and kick the gun away from the guy on the floor before he can reach for it.
Turning, I aim at Bjorn. “Behind us,” I grunt, and Dimitri turns to keep an eye on the wounded guy. “Just you and me, Bjorn. Just like you wanted.” I approach him.
“You will die for what you did to my son.”
At his words, I frown. It’s clear he has no way out. Why he would still think he can kill me is puzzling.
TURMOIL: Bratva Fury (book 2) Page 13