Chapter 91
Dmitri
It was one week already and I was yet to believe that Ariel was in love with me, just as I was with her. My lips stretched wide with a grin spreading over my face; a light chuckle cracked from my throat.
Fortunately for Vladimir and me, I wasn’t in the driver’s seat or our lives would have been under threat without how I was chuckling nonstop.
Vladimir spared me a glance, his brows arched. “What’s wrong with you man?”
“I’m in love again, brother. Never knew it would happen this soon,” I declared, pressing my knuckles.
I was sure that if we weren’t on a mission, he’d have parked the car to the side and drilled me of all the details.
“Fuck that shit, Dmitri! What did she do to make you this excited about love again? I thought you just wanted a physical relationship with her,”
“It’s hard to not fall in love with a woman who’s everything to you. She’s carrying my child,”
This time he couldn’t help but step on the break and floor the gas. “How did that happen so fast? I’m so surprised right now,” He exclaimed.
I was too excited for someone who was going on a journey where I was still uncertain of returning safely. “Be prepared to go on an uncle journey with me once again,” I laughed briefly at him.
“No way,” He started the car. “Maybe I’ll just go on a vacation with Marian after this,” He steered back to the road and I picked up my phone to text Ariel.
Just as she wanted, I’d prepared her breakfast, lunch and dinner then packed them into the fridge in case I’d returned late.
“Now you’re acting like a love-stricken teenager,” He whined.
“So what’s up with Marian? Planning on falling for her any time soon?”
“No way. Not everyone is going to fall in love just because you’ve taken a lovebite,” He rolled his eyes and my eyes swept to the front mirror as I smirked.
I adjusted my chair to a lower angle and pulled out a gun from my holster. Vladimir didn’t have to ask any questions before knowing that we were being followed.
“Who’s the fucker following us?” Vladimir swerved through a bend and sped off at a crazy speed.
They still trailed behind us though another car was in between us. At least that would give us enough time to strategize.
“I’ll say Enzo,”
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one trailing us. The bastard had no idea what loyalty meant.
“Nikolai?” He suggested and I shook my head, cocking my gun.
“He might be a douchebag but he’ll never attack us. I know him that much,” I spewed out with so much confidence.
“He might have changed,”
“But he’s still very thorough in his plans. He wouldn’t try to attack us like this,” We both ducked our heads as a bullet tore through the window, shattering the glasses.
Vladimir, being filled with rage wheeled the car around 360 and stepped on the brake, the car coming to an abrupt halt. We lowered the partially destroyed window and I fired a shot.
All hell let loose as gunshots rang in the air and bullets flew around in reckless abandon. I didn’t expect us to be trailed so we were short of ammunition.
I pressed the trigger once more and it clicked without releasing any bullet. I slammed the empty gun on the motherboard and let out a string of cusses.
“We are done for,” A frustrated hiss crossed my lips.
Four SUVs surrounded us, leaving us without any room for escape. Due to the intensity of the shootout, I dropped my phone inside the car and even if I carried it, it would still be useless to me.
One of Enzo’s orderlies stepped out and opened the car door wider for him to come out. A mischievous grin tugged at his lips as he made his way towards us, his men traipsing behind him.
“I was right,” I said to Vladimir.
“How the mighty has fallen,” Enzo taunted us.
I stepped forward, my hands dug nonchalantly into my pants. “And what makes you think so?”
“Have you ever been tortured before?” He chuckled, his malicious grin faltering and switching into a smirk. “I bet you haven’t. You’re the boss, after all,” He turned to his men. “Get them,”
Vladimir and I exchanged understanding glances. My eyes had already done a cursory glance and taken a head count of the men that came along with him.
We were outnumbered and had no arms. It would be foolhardy for us to resist them so I threw my hands up in surrender and my brother did the same thing without doubting my lead.
That was one thing I liked about him, his loyalty. He always looked out for me and this time, I was ready to take the fall as long as my family were safe.
Two men came behind me and roughly tied up my hands then pushed me toward the car. I halted when I got to Enzo, fixing him a daunting gaze.
“You’ll regret this, I hope you know that,”
He scoffed, still smirking. “When you’re dead maybe,”
Having nothing else to say, I nodded as they forced me into the car and masked my face with a balaclava. The engine was revved up and the tires rolled away, taking us into an unknown destination.
*******
A whip slapped my bare skin, rousing me from my unconsciousness. I couldn’t even tell how I fell asleep, became half-naked and tied to a stake.
Under the rays of light emanating from the dim bulbs fixed at different positions in the room, Enzo sat in front of me, a cigarette embraced by his lips with his long legs crossed. How I wished to break those thighs, and I’d do that once I broke free.
I just had to figure a way out of this.
My eyes flitted around the same warehouse where we were supposed to have a ‘normal’ conversation and I was met with the sight of Vladimir which sparked up furor within me.
“Fucking asshole! What did you fucking do to my brother?” I latched out a growl, my breathing deep and erratic.
I glanced at Vladimir again who was still knocked out, his face resting on the top rail of the chair. He was bound on hands and feet.
“Again,” Enzo ordered and I felt another painful stroke on my back. “That’s for cussing at me, Dmitri. Don’t you know that you’re under my mercy right now?”
“Let him go and do whatever you want with me. What the fuck is your problem, man? We used to be business partners. Did Ivanov put you up to this?” I couldn’t hold back a yell and I disliked yelling.
He tilted his head downward and uncrossed his legs. “I have no business with him even though he wanted us to be partners so I’ll go straight to the point,” He threw the cigarette stick on the floor and snuffed light out from the butt. “Where is your safe house?”
A smile pulled at my mouth and slowly transcended into a peal of uncontrollable laughter. I wasn’t sure I’d laughed this way in a very long while, but here he was, playing the role of an unpaid comedian.
The smirk on his face vanished, his brows climbing his creased forehead. “Did I say anything funny?” He asked his men who shook their heads.
The laughter died down and I gulped with a faint smile yet on my face. “You just asked the funniest question of the century. What makes you think I’m going to answer that?”
He sprung to his feet, spinning on his heel to meet Vladimir. My heart did a somersault the moment a gun appeared in his hand and then he brushed his hair, trailing the muzzle along Vladimir’s jawline like the psychopath he was.
“You know what I’m about to do, Dmitri, are you not going to tell me where the safe house is?” His lips twitched into a smug grin, his eyes glaring with glints of triumph.
It was unnecessary to think about who might have told him about the safe house and now I had to choose between the building that housed my properties’ documents, the tonnes of gold- enough gold to keep three generations wealthy, that our late father had passed down to us and the life of my brother.
An idea dropped into my mind, but I had to be careful in carrying out my plans or I’d complicate the issue.
“Don’t bother, I ain’t telling you shit,” I spat to infuriate him.
His fingers tightened around the gun and he pointed at Vladimir’s chest. His eyes fluttered open spontaneously as he coughed violently.
“Your brother is being stubborn so you’ll pay for it,”
Vladimir being audacious and more hot-headed than me spat at him and instantly a gunshot rang out with a shriek resonating in the air.
And at that same moment, the room went pitch black and I felt someone untie my hands.
“Who are you?” All the hairs on my skin stood on ends as I peered into the darkness alerted.
“Nikolai,” He whispered and handed me a gun. “Let’s get out of here,”