Then I heard the screams of men.
I opened my bedroom door and stepped out onto the landing, freezing when I saw my uncle lying on the floor of the foyer in his boxers and tank top. A police officer was kneeling on top of him, putting him in handcuffs. My aunt was screaming in the hallway below while another police officer pushed her against the wall.
I shut the door and looked around, breathing heavily. On the bed, Bandit was growling loudly.
I dragged his bed and dishes into the master closet before commanding him to go inside. He didn’t want to, and made it clear that he was protesting.
“Come on, Bandit,” I cajoled, as I ripped open a pack of puppy pads and lay two down.
With great reluctance, he slowly walked inside.
Before he could change his mind, I shut the closet door, knowing this was the only way I could keep him safe. I couldn’t let him bark at men with guns.
Pounding sounded at my locked bedroom door.
“I’m unarmed,” I yelled.
“Unlock this door,” a male voice screamed.
“Please don’t hurt me,” I cried out. “I’m unarmed and opening the door.”
“Open. The. Door.”
I opened the door and the moment I did, someone was twisting me around, pushing me to the ground, and pinning my arms behind my back.
“My dog is in the closet,” I panted, my mouth against the carpet. “Please don’t hurt him. He’s reactive.”
“We’re not interested in your dog,” the man grunted as he hauled me to my feet. “Come on, time to go.”
He half pushed, half dragged me down the stairs. Police were everywhere, streaming into the house with cameras and bags. I could hear my aunt screaming from the kitchen, and my uncle was yelling in Russian on the front lawn.
“What is happening?”
“Shut up and move it,” my captor told me. “Time to get in the van.”
“Don’t hurt my dog,” I begged.
He put his big hand on the back of my head before pushing me inside and slamming the door after me.
Part Four
THE TRUTH
CHAPTER THIRTY
AXEL
It was pouring rain,and I was driving one of our vans. Beside me sat Maksim, and crowded in the back seat were Anton, Oleg and our two security guards. Their dogs were in their crates in the back.
I had sent them all texts the night before, instructing them to pack, bring all their paperwork and meet me at the docks early this morning. Without telling them where they were going, I loaded everyone into the van and then asked them for their phones and all their weapons.
No one questioned me. No one asked me where we were going or what I was doing with them. These were men who had worked under me for months, and they trusted me implicitly. They didn’t even exchange looks. They simply complied and got into the van with me.
I drove in silence until we pulled up in front of the Vancouver International Airport. I parked in the waiting zone and then turned off the engine.
I turned to speak to them. “You are all good men who, like the rest of us, made some bad choices along the way.”
“Boss?” Maksim said quietly beside me.
