Nik and I glance around the scene, spotting the front end of the transport that was left while the load had been taken elsewhere. The crew is busy pulling the driver out while I crouch near the body of one of our younger guys. As far as I know, he was barely twenty.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, scrubbing over my mouth before standing again. I glance at Ivan. “How much was taken from the shipment?”
His expression turns even more grim, somehow. “At least half. While the escort group was busy fending off their shooters, they had another handful come in and hijack whatever they could grab. Luckily, we had backup not too far away, and they managed to secure the rest.”
“And where’s it now?” Nik asks, brows knit with concentration.
“Back to one of our warehouses on the east side. Mikhail’s planning on running inventory there while we settle this here.”
We both nod, taking in the scene with the necessary context.
Even if it wasn’t as brutal as it could’ve been, it’s still too much and far too bold. I can see Yuri grinning in my mind at the thought of him obtaining more of our product and building his assets because of it. He’ll think he’s winning, and I can’t have that.
"This wasn’t a warning," I mutter. “Yuri wanted blood in exchange for what I did, but it won’t be enough.”
Ivan nods grimly. "And he certainly got it. But you’re right…this won’t be the last of it until we corner his ass.”
“How has the search been?” I ask Nik.
He sighs, shaking his head absently at the thought while he adjusts his gloves. “Abysmal. For someone as brazen as Yuri, he’s been impossible to flush out. We’ve seen plenty of his men and managed to catch a few, but he’s slippery. He must be holding back for a reason.”
My stomach sinks at the thought, well aware of what that reason likely is. He made it clear enough before.
But Nikolai’s words catch my attention as they repeat in my mind, and I perk up.
“How silent are the hostages?”
He shrugs. “I’ve been cracking down on two for a few days, but they wouldn’t speak, so I’m waiting them out. But we have a fresh one being sent into lockup as we speak. I was going to visit him after this.”
“Would you mind some company?”
A touch of rare mischief moves through his gaze, and Nik nods. “Seeing as you have a personal tie to this one, I think I could use that anger of yours.”
Good…I’ve been needing an outlet lately.
As relieved as I’ve been about everything being less tense with Kat lately, all of my frustration has been tied to Yuri’s attacks and his intent to get his sister back, but I haven’t had anyone to take it out on. This is exactly what I need.
We wrap up overseeing the cleanup while Ivan heads to the other warehouse, and Nik and I go to the main base, fully prepared to interrogate the hostage.
If we can work him down, then we have the chance of locating Yuri and stopping this before it can go any further. Maybe then I can finally put an end to all of this and give Roman a reason to trust me more.
As we arrive, we step out of the vehicle and head for the side door when the devil himself speaks up.
“Sergey!”
Roman’s voice cracks through the irritation still lingering in my head, making me pause.
He stalks toward me from the front entrance, his face dark with unbridled rage. His shirt sleeves are rolled to his elbows like he’s been dragging this empire on his back all day. Which, to be fair, he likely has.
Standing there, I brace myself for the inevitable, exchanging a glance with Nik before he disappears inside.
“Want to tell me how the hell we’ve managed to lose a fucking absurd amount of product in the last week alone?” he growls, stopping directly in front of me. “That’s another hit, Sergey. Another consequence of you acting out instead of thinking five steps ahead…I thought you were cleaning this up.”
I clench my jaw. “I am. And I’m well aware that this has gone on for far too long.”
He steps close, eyes sharp. “You may be aware, but you’ve done jack to prevent any of this. We’re all picking up the slack for your marriage stunt, and we have been for weeks. You said marrying Kat would corner Yuri and force his hand, but all it’s done is piss him off more. You promised we’d be close to ending this. We’re losing investors, Sergey. Our partners are weary because of the fallout, and our product is spilling out of our goddamn pockets. This shit is costing us every day.”
“I know,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “I know what I said, and I know I’ve made it worse, but I’m trying.”
