Ivan’s POV
“Do not fucking joke with me, Igor!” I barked. “What do you mean the mansion was attacked and Sophia escaped?” Fuck! I went away for a few days and a lot happened.
“Boss, it was really bad. Some guards died and some were injured, we were taken totally unaware. I checked the security cameras but the memory cards were altered beforehand. This looks like an inside job and they only came for Mr Smith’s daughter, I think he paid one of our men,” he explained.
My grip around my phone tightened, anger coursing through my veins like an erupting volcano. Who dared to do this? “Inside job, you say?” I growled. There was another control system only I had access to, I just need to get back and hope it had enough proof.
“Yes, boss. Most of the guards were drugged. We are usually alert, everything was so messed up that Friday night.”
“Friday? If it happened Friday why are you just calling me?”
“I was injured too. I also had to clean up so we didn’t attract the police.”
“Who was on duty by the gate that night? Did anything unusual happen?”
“Alek and Marco. Nothing unusual happened-” he paused. Then he cursed under his breath. “Boss, Miss Anna came by in the afternoon of the attack. She said left something and since she was a regular visitor, we let her in. I’m still not sure if she was involved because she was unarmed, she can’t handle a weapon also.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, reining in my fury. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. I’ll be back before tomorrow ends.”
How could this happen? I need to find the rat amongst my men and deal with them. Fuck! I wasn’t ready to let her go, I wasn’t prepared.
I turned it d to find Sasha standing behind me, concern etched on her face.
“How much did you overhear?” I asked.
“Well, enough. What are you going to do about it? And who’s Sophia?”
I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair.”No one you need to know, Sasha. I’ll be heading back to Russia tomorrow. Think you can handle things here? I don’t want to have to leave so soon right after we buried Mother.”
Sasha stepped forward, her voice soft. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine with things over here, you don’t have to feel guilty.”
“Thanks. I better inform Maxim so we can get ready.”
“Right, but you’re taking Sidorov with you, I need someone who can report back to me on how you’re faring. Besides he’s been saying he wants to work with you while he’s back in Europe,” she insisted in a tone that left no room for argument.
I sighed inwardly, I was going to agree to that from the moment he asked earlier anyway. “Fine, he can come along.”
Turning away from her, I made a call to Maxim. “Maxim, we’ve got a situation,” I said as soon as the call connected. “We are heading back to Russia. Get ready.”
He hesitates for a brief second. “Sure, Ivan.”
As soon as we were back in Moscow, I wasted no time going to check the alternate control room in my bedroom. The whole camera system in the mansion was also connected to it and no one but me knew about it.
I turned on the control system, its screen came on and I watched in silence as it replayed the videotape from the day of the incident.
My jaws clenched as I took in the scene before me, Anna had distracted the guards, giving room for the intruders to sneak in.
I closed the feed, so much rage inside me. I needed to teach Anna and everyone involved a lesson. The penalty for disloyalty in my books was death. I wasn’t going to spare anyone.
I set a plan in motion to fish out the rats myself. I was going to invite Anna over without telling anyone, it’s obvious she didn’t work alone, I needed to be smart.
“Maxim put you up to this?” I growled as anger roared inside me. I had texted her myself, asking to meet up at her place, which I’d never done before. She didn’t need much persuasion before she exposed Maxim with a gun pointed at her temple.
Her cries were infuriating. “I swear to you Ivan, I only did as Maxim told me. Please spare me, please!”
With blinding fury, I pulled the trigger, killing her on the spot.
I drove back home after discreetly asking Igor and Alek to clean up after me.
It was a few minutes past midnight by the time I got back home, I headed straight to Maxim’s room. I pushed the door open without knocking, in time to catch him frantically typing on his phone as he paced about.
He was shocked when he saw me but he changed his expression immediately.
“You’re here so late, what’s wrong?” He asks.
“Nothing much, I was just wondering,” I say, moving to sit on the chair beside the bed. “The intruders, they must be really good, right? I mean, for years no one has dared to come to my territory or even succeeded but this time, they did so effortlessly. What do you think about that?” I asked, studying him closely, I wanted him to come clean himself. I was giving him a chance to do so.
His eyes were looking everywhere else but me. “I think they had help or something.”
“Had help,” I repeated. “This mansion is guarded by highly trained professional guards and the intruders had it easy, they drugged and killed some of my men. The ‘helper’ must be really good and smart then.”
“Maybe Smith came back to attack again,” he said nervously.
I stood up. “Maybe, but he didn’t. I think you have a better explanation for me. Don’t you think,” I asked as walked toward him.
“I-I don’t understand, what do you mean?”
I was fed up.
I rushed to him, grabbed his neck before he could blink, and shoved him hard against the wall. “Why did you do it!” I barked.
His mask fell as his expression morphs into shame. “Ivan…”
“Shut the fuck up and tell me why?” I repeated, increasing the pressure on his throat making him struggle for air. I could snap his neck with the anger in me right now.
“Ivan…please, I did it for you, it was all for you,” he managed to croak out. “Please calm down and think this through, you’ll see I’m right. I did the right thing! You were no longer using your head. Hell, you haven’t even carried out the plans we had for Smith. We haven’t avenged Andrei!”
“How dare you!” I growled. “Keep Andrei out of this! I think I’ve been too soft with you, Maxim. This is the final straw. You know what I do to disloyal people, you know too well. You killed and injured some of our men and you dare say you did this for me?”
I strangle him further, watching his face go pale. “I trusted you, Maxim. I trusted you to always have my back but you chose to betray me.” I let go of his throat.
“Ivan, I’m sorry, please,” he croaked out between coughs, gasping for air.
“You have only thirty minutes to get out of my house and life. I never want to see you again!”
“You can’t do this to me, Ivan. I’ve been loyal to you for almost twenty fucking years! We grew up together, we are a family!”
Family? Family never betrays each other.
“Maxim! That’s the only reason you’re still alive. You know I don’t spare those who are disloyal to me! I don’t want to have to repeat myself or kill you, you better fucking leave before I’m back.”
I stormed out of the room in anger and hurt. Maxim had been my childhood friend, his mum was our housekeeper and I took him under my wing ever since I took over. It hurt that he had to betray me this way. He was my most trusted man.