He moved so fast that I didn’t know he’d let me go until I watched him charge after Nikolai. The look on Seth’s face was fierce, his eyes blazing with a fury I’d never witnessed before. I stumbled back, my heart racing as I watched the two of them clash in a violent struggle.
“You pathetic, worthless coward!” Seth shouted. “You killed our mother. You’re going to wish I ended this quickly.”
Nikolai’s eyes widened like a deer in headlights, his fear turning to panic. I held my breath as each punch, each kick played out slowly, as if watching a video in slow motion. One of Nikolai’s guys was close, and Nikolai ran to him, stealing the gun from his holster. He was about to point the gun at Seth, but a shot was fired first, and the world stopped.
Nikolai stood frozen with blood pouring out of a hole in his chest. He looked down at the wound and then at the man who delivered it. Tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of Julian, his eyes showing the heartbreak and rage he had to be feeling. Nikolai fell to the ground, choking on his own blood.
Julian walked over to him and stared down at his dying son. “You are dead to me,” he growled, his voice full of pain. “You took the one thing I loved above all else away from me.”
With those final words, he turned his back and walked away. Seth took my hand, and we walked over to Nikolai. There was so much blood on the floor that I knew it was only a matter of seconds before he took his last breath. I only wanted to see him suffer, and I got my wish. Sadly, it took the torment of killing his mother to bring about his end.
“Things could’ve been different, brother,” Seth said. “I hope you rot in hell.”
Nikolai coughed up blood, and I could hear the gurgling in his lungs.
“And he will,” I agreed, squeezing Seth’s hand. Nikolai’s petrified blue eyes turned to me, and I made sure he could see all the hate I had for him. “Goodbye, you sorry sack of shit.”
I wanted to rejoice when the light left his eyes, but I couldn’t. Seth draped his arm over my shoulder, and everyone gave him a wide berth as we walked out of the warehouse. His father was nowhere to be seen, and I could only imagine how devasted he was.
“It’s over,” Seth murmured.
Tears fell down my cheeks as we got into Benny’s car. “Yes, it is.”
But it was at a monumental cost.
CHAPTER32
SETH
ONE WEEK LATER
My mother’s funeral was a couple of days ago and my father was in total despair. He lost his wife and son all in one day. It was strange not hearing my mother’s laugh as I walked around my parent’s house in New York.
Everything was too quiet.
My father was in his study and when I passed by, his empty gaze was focused on the windows, only I knew he wasn’t really seeing anything. I wanted to believe he’d be okay in time, but even I had difficulty dealing with my mother’s loss. She was everything to my family.
When I walked downstairs, Benny was standing in the foyer. He nodded toward the living room and I spotted Valentin, his somber gaze focused on me.
“Hey,” he said, walking over to me. “How are you holding up?”
I rubbed a hand over my chest. “It fucking hurts.”
Valentin placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I know, brother. Is your father still not speaking to anyone?”
“No,” I replied with a shake of my head. “I don’t even know if he’s listened to anything I’ve told him.”
The FBI investigated the explosion and documented it as a gas leak. Nikolai’s guy, Diego, Drake, and my mother were noted as the casualties. As for Nikolai, his body was found by police in the warehouse; a drug deal gone awry was what they called it. My father wanted nothing to do with Nikolai’s body, so I had him cremated and buried in a plot among nameless gravestones. Nikolai was nothing to me, just like he’d be nothing for all eternity. I didn’t want anyone speaking his name in my presence. It was as if he didn’t exist. I was going to ensure all his operations in the Michelson name were disbanded and forgotten.
Valentin dropped his hand from my shoulder and sighed. “Have the FBI said anything new?”
It just so happened that I talked to Brooks this morning.
“I was told my family is in the clear as of right now, unless I do stupid shit like my brother.” I blew out a relieved sigh. “So, we’re good. With everything else going on, I didn’t want to deal with the fucking FBI breathing down my neck. Luckily, Wren has close connections with them. I’m pretty sure I owe her.”
Valentin nodded. “How is she? I know you haven’t seen her since she left for California and you came up here.”
Wren and I spoke to each other every day and I missed her more than anything. “She’s fine,” I said, leaning against the wall. “She’s happy to be back in California with her friends. Soon, she’ll be training again but she’s still sore from the explosion. Hopefully, life will get back to normal for her.”
