With another sigh, surely aware that everything is coming to a head, Roman drops the call.
The drive to the processing plant is short, but the adrenaline makes every turn feel sharper, every second prolonged and more painful. Every moment that I don’t have her with me, not knowing what Yuri has done with her, feels more akin to torture.
Finding several cars around the lot, I pull up and park, leaving my gun in the glove box. I stare at it for a moment longer, wondering if I should try to bring it just in case. But it doesn’t matter. It’s Yuri and all his men against me anyway.
Cautiously enough, I walk towards the plant, finding the place dimly lit once I get inside, save for an open room with a fewoverhead lights on. From there, I find Kat off to the side while she sits in a chair with her hands tied and guarded by two men. Her eyes find me instantly, and relief scurries through them, followed by raw anger.
She’s pissed, but that’s good. That means she’s alive.
Around her, Yuri’s goons hang around, quieting down when they spot me. The place falls so silent that I only hear the soft padding of my shoes against the concrete floor. Then, Yuri steps out.
He looks just like her with his sandy-blonde hair and brown eyes, but there’s something noticeably darker in his gaze. Something that spells out just how willing he is to do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
His lips pull upward while he looks me over. “You actually came alone. Impressive."
I don’t miss a beat. “Let her go. Now."
He keeps a subtle distance between us, circling me like a vulture. At the same time, his guys move in, turning the space into a makeshift ring. “You took my sister, Sergey. You can’t honestly think I’d allow that.”
“You’re only angry that I took her out of your schemes,” I return, keeping a close eye on him while he moves. “She’s not anyone’s property, and you don’t get to trade her like a pawn."
"Says the man who married her in a power move."
My jaw clenches, and my rage spikes ever higher. "That wasn’t all it was. It still isn’t.”
“Fine, I’ll admit your move was an inconvenience to my plans. I had the perfect arrangement planned, but you snatched her up before I could marry her off,” Yuri sneers, allowing his disdain to come through. “If this is about more than power, thenprove it. You and me, right here, right now. No guns, and no blades. Just fists…the old-fashioned way. The winner gets Kat."
My gaze narrows as the thought alone kicks up the storm inside me. Hearing him talk so flippantly about his sister pisses me off beyond belief. “We’re not using her as leverage here. She’s not a prize."
"Then walk away," Yuri shrugs, more than prepared to let me take the high road if it means leaving Kat. "But think I’ll just keep her in that case. And next time our paths cross, I won’t be so nice."
I glance at Kat, and she shakes her head at me frantically.
I’m sure watching us fight is the last thing she wants, and I have every intention of respecting that.
“I believe you’re mistaken,” I tell him, meeting his gaze again with nothing but determination coursing through me. “I won’t gamble her…but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving this place without my wife.”
A beat of stillness lingers in the room, and for a moment, I can’t calculate his next move. I don’t even know what he’s thinking.
But Yuri doesn’t wait.
Instead, he lunges first.
The punch lands square against my jaw, forcing my head back. I stagger but recover fast, forcing the sting down while I bring my arm up just in time to block the next hit. My eyes harden, and the adrenaline pumps through my system.
He wants to fight? Fine.
Then he’s getting one.
Chapter 28 - Katya
The crack of Yuri's fist against Sergey's jaw is louder than I expect, and it snaps me out of my thoughts like a gunshot.
My heart leaps into my throat as I watch Sergey stagger, then recover. He comes back with his posture tense and ready, arms up, while he deflects the next blow. Without warning, he reciprocates, clipping the side of Yuri’s face.
This isn't just some Bratva pissing contest. This is real and brutal.
At the sound of the exchanged hits, my stomach clenches, and I can’t ignore the roaring of my pulse in my ears.
