So I stood in wait until the call ended.
“It's the rivals.” He said.
“And what do they want?”
“They demand that we pay her ransom. It's affordable, and I think we can close the deal.”
“How much?”
“100 million dollars.”
“What if we don't pay the ransom?” I asked in retort to what Dimitri said.
“I don't know. But I'm sure things like this don't end well.”
“We could pay the money, but that wouldn't ensure our safety,” Mikhail said beside me.
I stood in thought for a moment. It made sense to pay the ransom, but for the guts they had to take my wife, paying the ransom would be an act of kindness.
“What do you think we should do, boss?”
“Nothing.” They all looked at me, dumbstruck. “They expect us to pay the ransom, but we won't. We're going to get her back. It's high time these people know who they're dealing with. Where are the men you said you captured?”
“They're in the back.”
“Bring them in,” I ordered, and Dimitri went out with some guards to collect them.
They dragged the soldiers in front of me, one by one. My brothers stood back to watch, and no one dared to speak.
The men were thrown to their knees in the hall. Their faces were bruised, but I didn’t care. To me, it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough until Emilia was back, safe and sound from her abductors.
I stepped closer and askedwith my voice lowered and intense, “Where is she?”
Silence ensued for a moment. The men looked at each other, in fear of letting one reveal her location, and this vexed me.
I smiled, regardless. If only they knew what was coming, they would comply.
“It's either you talk or bleed. I promise not to spare you either way, so start talking.”
They didn't say anything.
I grabbed the first man by the hair and pulled his head back. His eyes met mine, and I sensed the fear that enveloped him. Father was right. Men don't fear me. They fear monsters. And I was willing to be the monster until I got what I wanted.
“If no one starts talking, things will begin to get messy in here, so don't make me count down from five.”
The man I held uttered something Russian. I laughed again, but when he was done speaking, my fist cracked against his jaw, and the sound echoed around the room.
“Answer me!” I said with a thunderous roar. I saw the blood that flowed out of his nostrils, but I thought he needed more. So I punched him harder than the first, and he growled in pain.
His silence made me want to do more, so I drew the dagger that hung in my belt. For a moment, the man’s eyes widened as he realized that I held a weapon that could end his life. I pressed it against his cheek and dragged the edge slowly.
“If you don't speak, I'll kill your partner before I kill you, and I'll make you watch. So give me something to work with. I need names and locations.
His lips trembled while his eyes flicked, but still he shook his head.
The knife slid across his throat, and he fell down lifeless while choking on his own blood. My chest heaved, and my knuckles were now hardened.
I looked at the next man. “Your turn, or else you face the same fate,” I said.
