My chest tightened. Sebastian’s wasn’t just a restaurant. It was our meeting place. Our safe haven. “A problem? I asked. I could hear the dread in my tone as my voice faltered. “What kind of problem?”
“ Just get here!” I could hear the urgency in his voice. Something was very wrong. Before I could ask anything else, the line went dead. Closing my eyes for a second, I felt my grip tighten on the steering wheel. The unease rising in me pricked my skin like a fire.
“I’ll drop you off. You have to stay at the office for a while,” I huffed as I sped up. There was a sharpness in my tone, cutting the air. “I have to take care of this!”
Sophia’s eyes snap to mine. Her stare was unyielding as she protested. “I will be coming with you!”
“Sophia…” I hoped to reason with her. My voice dripped with the weight of the unknown. “I don’t know what’s wrong there. It could be dangerous.”
Her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she shifted in her seat. She raised a defiant wall between us. “I can help! Maybe you need a legal point of view, ever consider that?” she argued.
I breathed out hard. It was filled with frustration. She was so darn stubborn. But she had a point. A part of me admired this side of her. Nodding, I agreed. “Fine, Sebastian’s it is.” Making a sharp turn, I headed in the right direction.
The ride felt like it was suffocating me. My head was heavy and throbbing. My mind kept filling with the worst-case scenarios. Every second stretched into a lifetime. Coming around the last corner, I saw the restaurant up ahead. The mere sight of it made my stomach turn. Everything inside me pushed up.
“What the fuck?” I huffed as I stopped. Getting out of the car, I had to bite back the rage. The metallic scent of blood rushed to me. My heart slammed against my ribs. A pounding thunder in my ears.
Glass, blood, and people lay everywhere. So much blood. My eyes darted around frantically. I scanned the rubble for my cousins. Relief washed over me as I noticed Hendrik towards the back, seemingly fine.
Towards the other side, I spotted Yogu aiding some of the injured. Iosif came around the side of the building. “What happened?” I shouted as he walked towards us. Remembering how she reacted after I had shot that man the other day, I glanced at Sophia.
She stood there, her mouth open and her eyes wide. I felt sure she was about to scream or faint, but she did neither. She stood frozen. Looking back at Iosif, I saw him raising his hands.
He shrugged. “I have no idea,” he said, stopping before me. “Your cousins are all fine, but the workers, not so much.” Glancing over his shoulder, I felt my heart sinking. “I have to go. I’ll send a clean-up crew. Sorry about this, Kolya,” Iosif added before leaving.
I rushed to Yogu, my feet moving faster than ever before. My chest burned with urgency. “Are you okay?” I asked. My voice was raw with panic. Scanning him, I looked for any injuries.
“Yeah,” he replied. “All good here. You might want to check with Hendrik and Mikhel, though.” His hands were smeared red from the blood. “I tried to save her,” he whispered, looking down at one of the waitresses lying by his feet. “We tried stopping them. But we got here too late. I’m sorry.”
Stepping closer, I pulled him into a brief hug as I replied. “It’s fine, you did all you could. Thank you.” Before heading in, I stopped. “Did you recognize any of them?” I questioned.
“No!” Yogu replied sharply. Stepping through the door, I had to close my eyes briefly. The employees were down all over the place. These were people I knew. People I greeted daily. Now, most were lifeless bodies on the floor.
A cold numbness spread through me. The devastation was greater than I could ever have imagined. Glancing back, Isaw Sophia standing behind me. “You can wait in the car,” I said softly.
She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears. “No,” she mumbled as she stepped closer.
Mikhel came to us, moving slowly from the bathroom side. “Did someone call the authorities?” I managed to get out in a shaky voice.
“Yes, they will be here soon they said,” Mikhel responded. “I’m sorry.”
I nod at him, but somehow the gesture feels hollow. My eyes sweep over the fallen. Good people, they were all good people. None of them deserved this. They were never part of our operations. They were normal people working for a paycheck, feeding their families, and building their lives.
“We have started taking out the wounded. The first couple of ambulances should arrive any second now,” Mikhel stated as he moved past me with one of the workers.
Most of them were gone now, my mind kept screaming. My hands trembled as I silently recited their names, committed to memory. The families, I will have to call their families. This will shatter more lives. Whoever did this will pay, I swore as I tried to focus. I will make them pay. It will be slow and agonizing.
A soft, warm touch on my arm pulled me from the storm raging within. Looking into Sophia’s brown eyes, I could see her compassion. Her eyes spoke of care and worry through the tears. Yet, it felt like she was measuring me. Trying to figure out how deeply this has cut me.
Turning my gaze back to the room, I heard her speaking. “What can I do?” Her voice was barely audible as she was afraid of shattering the silence of the dead.
I took a moment to compose myself. Looking at her, I tried to keep my tone steady as I spoke. “The office. Go to the office, find all the employee files. We need family details.”
Sophia nodded as she turned. She focused on her destination as she moved left and right. “Yeah, I can do that,” she mumbled. Her voice was shaking. “I can assist with calls as well if you want.”
I watched as she disappeared into the office. I wasn’t sure if I would let her make any calls, but I will see when the time comes. Before I could move, I heard her calling out. “Kolya!” There was something about her tone that made my insides crawl. “You need to see this.”
My legs moved before my mind had completely processed her words. Entering the office, I froze. The place was wrecked.
