Dimitri's POV
The car screeched to a halt, spraying gravel. I shoved the door open before it had fully stopped, my boots hit the wet ground. My men poured out of the vehicles behind me, drawing their weapons.
But there was nothing.
The scene was empty.
It was too quiet. The only sound was the relentless patter of rain on the leaves and the metal of the cars
There were no police lights. No blood-stained asphalt. No bodies covered with white sheets.
Just an empty stretch of road in the middle of nowhere.
My eyes scanned the area.
"Spread out!" I barked. "Search the area! Now!"
My men spread out, flashlights cutting through the darkness. They searched the roadside, the ditches, the woods.
One of my guards approached. "Sir, we found fresh tire tracks. But no blood, no shell casings, no evidence of any fight."
My hands clenched into fists.
This was not real.
There had been no attack.
It was a lie.
I turned slowly, my eyes sweeping over my men until they landed on the one who had brought me the message. Yevgeny. He was standing near the back of the group. His face was still pale, but now it was slick with rain and sweat.
Our eyes met.
For a single second, he held my gaze. Then, he turned and ran into the trees.
"TRAITOR!" The roar ripped from my lungs. "GET HIM!"
My men went after him. He didn't get far. Ivan and another guard tackled him to the muddy ground, dragging him back. They threw him at my feet.
He looked up at me, mud streaking his face, his eyes were wide with pure fear.
"Who paid you?" My voice was quiet, and deadly.
"Pakhan, please! He said they would kill my family! He said…"
"WHO?" I screamed, drawing my gun.
"It was Alexei!" Yevgeny sobbed, covering his head with his arms. He had already peed his pants.
My brother had planned this.
He had lured me out here. Away from the estate. Away from Irina.
While I was chasing ghosts on an empty road, he was…
My finger tightened on the trigger. I didn't even think. I shot Yevgeny in the head.
The shot echoed. Yevgeny's body jerked then lay still in the mud.
"The estate," I whispered, turning to the rest. "Back to the estate! NOW!" I roared.
My men scrambled. But I was already running to my car. I yanked the door open. My driver was moving too slow.
"Get out!" I screamed.
"Sir, I…" his voice trembled.
"GET OUT!" I thundered.
He stumbled out of the driver's seat. I dove in and slammed my foot on the gas. The car lurched forward, the tires screamed against the wet pavement.
How could I be so stupid?
Alexei had played me like a fool.
He had created a fake emergency. And I had fallen for it.
I had left her alone.
"ALEXEI!" I roared into the empty car. "I will kill you! I swear to God, I will rip you apart with my bare hands!"
Rain pounded harder against the windshield. The wipers struggled to keep up.
My hands were shaking. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst through my chest.
I pushed the accelerator to the floor.
The speedometer climbed. Eighty, ninety, one hundred, one twenty.
The car hydroplaned on a sharp turn. I fought for control, barely keeping it on the road. Trees blurred past, rain pelted like bullets.
But, I did not care.
All I could see was Irina's face. Her amber eyes wide with fear.
"Hold on," I whispered desperately. "Please, Irina. Hold on. I am coming."
The minutes felt like hours. Every second that passed was another second Alexei had with her.
What was he doing?
Was he forcing her to leave with him?
My vision blurred. I realized with shock that I was crying.
I never cried.
Not when our parents died.
Not when I killed my first man.
Not through years of blood and violence and loss.
But now, tears streamed down my face as I raced through the rain.
Because I was losing her.
The only thing I had ever truly loved.
Finally, the estate came into view. The gates were closed.
I did not slow down.
I crashed through the gates. Metal screamed and bent. The car fishtailed but I kept control.
I slammed on the brakes. The car skidded sideways, stopping just short of the fountain.
I was out before it fully stopped.
My guards ran up to me. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with fear. They had never seen me like this.
"FIND HER!" I roared.
They scattered immediately.
I ran. Up the stairs. Through the hallways. Past my guards.
My lungs burned, my legs screamed but I did not slow down.
I rounded the final corner.
And my heart stopped.
The door to the room I'd kept her lay on the floor inside, completely destroyed. The lock mechanism torn was apart.
"No," I breathed.
I stepped through the broken doorway.
The room was empty.
The bed was unmade. Her scent still lingered.
But she was gone.
Irina was gone.
My chest almost came out of its case. I could not breathe. I could not think.
"ALEXEI!" The roar tore from my throat, filled with rage and pain and desperation. "ALEXEI!"
The sound echoed through the mansion.
He had taken her.
My legs gave out. I collapsed to my knees in the doorway, pressing my hands against the broken wood.
I had failed her.
I sat there for minutes.
Then, I stood slowly. My face was calm, my hands were steady.
But inside, I was a storm.
Guards appeared cautiously in the doorway.
"Find them," I said quietly. "Use every resource. I want to know where my brother went."
"Yes, sir!" They echoed and went immediately.
I stood alone in the destroyed room. Rain pounded against the windows.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Alexei thought he had won.
But he had made one critical mistake.
He had forgotten who I was.
What I was capable of when someone took what was mine.
I walked out of the room, down the stairs and into my office.
I pulled off my shirt, and took a cigarette. I walked to the window, watching rain pour from the dark skies.
Somewhere out there, Alexei has Irina. He was probably holding her, touching her, claiming what should have been mine.
My reflection stared back at me from the glass. My eyes were cold, empty and dangerous.
This was no longer about laws. Or councils.
This was about blood.
And before this was over, Moscow would drown in it.
"I am coming for you, brother," I whispered to the rain. "And when I find you, you will beg for death before I am done."