Page 209 of The Lazarov Bratva

“Ever?” I ask.

“There’s an experimental surgery,” August says slowly. “But given everything that’s going on, I haven’t deemed it the right time.”

I focus on the soup in front of me. It’s so pale that it’s basically flavored water, but I hastily drink a few spoonsful.

“It was touch and go for a while, which is why it took us so long to find you, and for that, my son, I am sorry. It is unforgivable how long you were left to suffer there.” August sighs and runs a hand through his beard.

“I did what I could,” Andrev says tightly. “With you gone and August in the hospital, there was just me. Many didn’t want to act until August’s fate was secured, and the Kuznetsovs were relentless. Everywhere we turned, we were facing death. They’ve tried their damnedest to wipe us out.”

“And failed?” I ask. “Given all the people I saw outside.”

“That is thanks to past me.” August chuckles. “When you asked me to send a task force to the States, I sent more than I let on. I had an inkling that it would be in our interest to have a strong presence in America and that being caught without it would work against us. Luckily, that foresight saved us when we learned that Mara had you in America, too.”

I slowly sip and watch as August slowly limps back to his seat. “With the Kuznetsovs attacking like feral dogs, we thought for sure that you were still in Russia. Everything pointed to that, at least.”

“Because Mara is a twisted cunt,” Andrev snaps. “At one point, before August was released from the hospital, we found what we thought was your body.”

I glance up at him, my chest aching at the pain in his voice.

“It was burned up and the teeth removed,” Andrev says. “But it had your watch, so I was certain it was you. But then I also considered that maybe Mara would be the kind to do something like that.”

“We struggled.” August opens a small brown box and removes a thick cigar. “Until Alexei made contact. We were certain he’d been killed for being a traitor, but it seems that secret died with Aleksander.”

“Alexei is still alive?” My eyes widen, and my spoon hangs between my fingers. “Are you sure?”

“We’re certain. As soon as he mentioned you, we knew Mara had you in the States, so I brought over everything I could. This place is tucked away and under an assumed name, so as far as we know, Mara isn’t even aware I survived, never mind that I’m in this county.”

I continue to eat slowly. It’s the only thing I can do to keep myself calm during the entire explanation.

“I’ve spoken to Alexei twice,” Andrev says, finally sliding into the chair next to me and setting a bottle of water down next to my soup bowl. “The first was to warn us about an attack on the Irish.”

“With Alexei’s warning, I was able to move enough men to aid Seamus and the Irish walked away unharmed. That’s actually how we found you.” August lights the cigar and takes a long, slow drag. As the smoke curls slowly past his lips, his brow deepens. “The men we killed during the attack were, of course, all Kuznetsovs. As it stands, they’re Mara’s attack dogs and they kill without mercy. We were doing the same in kind until Seamus wanted a few for questioning.”

My spoon pauses as my gut tightens. The soup, warm as it is, almost feels like too much and it sits heavy in my gut. I can’t recall the last thing I ate, so it makes sense, but abandoning the soup means abandoning my distraction.

I force a few more mouthfuls.

“Seamus got ahold of a couple of cocky Kuznetsovs,” August continues. “They bragged because those shitheads always do. They think they’re untouchable when really, everyone will be happy when we cull them. One let slip about you, Kristof.” He indicates to me with his cigar. “Turns out the fucker had a live feed to your torture chamber.”

I pause eating immediately, my spoon hovering in the air.

It shouldn’t surprise me, but as I recall the things I did to survive, like licking the water from the walls, humiliation burns hot through me and my cheeks flare.

“We got access,” August says, “just as she was cutting off your hand. I’m so sorry, my boy. I wish we had gotten there sooner.” His voice thickens, and his words die.

“We were able to track the signal once we had access to the feed,” Andrev continues for him. “With that, it then wasn’t hard to find where she was keeping you.”

Every word is stored carefully in my mind, even as my cheeks burn hot. Try as I might, without August and Andrev, I would certainly be dead, and my gratefulness will never be enough. My heart aches for August and his injuries, for Andrev and how he was forced to take on the weight of everything, but all of it pales in comparison to Alena.

My concern for her outweighs everything.

“My hand…” I begin, staring down at the stump and fully abandoning my soup. “She was so angry. She… she wants my baby, and she has Alena. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I was weak and angry, and I taunted her, so she…” Shaking my head, I lean back in my chair. “It doesn’t matter.”

“They do amazing things with prosthetics these days,” Andrev points out softly, brushing some hair out of his face.

“I don’t need it. All I need is to know where Alena is, and then I’m going to kick down that fucking door and kill Mara with my bare hands.” I pause. “Hand.”

“Kristof!” Irish tones reach my ears. Seamus comes striding up the garden path flanked by a few guards, smiling widely. “It’s so good to see you alive.”

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