Page 113 of Ruthless Reign

He shrugs nonchalantly, a sly half-smile playing on his lips. “Got nothing better to do.”

Nikolai is either completely unhinged or an incredible actor because he seems completely unaffected as he kneels down beside Sergey’s lifeless body and rifles through his pockets. He shows no remorse or emotion over the fact that he just killed his own flesh and blood.

Their power struggle was a long time coming, judging by what we overheard on our way in. With all his men watching, Nikolai had to assert his authority once again. I have no doubt that Sergey wouldn't have hesitated to put a bullet in Nikolai's brain if given the chance.

“Get him out of here," Nikolai commands one of his guards. He stands, holding Sergey’s phone, wallet, and a ring with what I’m guessing is the family insignia. "Let's take this to my office." He motions for us to follow.

I exchange a look with Pavel, who nods though his expression is wary. It’s understandable, but we don't have time to hesitate and we can use all the help we can get. Judging by what Sergey revealed, Liza is in danger and every second counts. Nikolai may be detached, but he's not without sense. That's more than I could say about his brother.

As we’re heading upstairs from the basement, Viktor intercepts us, his mouth drawn into a grim line. It's a look I know well.

“What is it?” I snap.

“Feliks is dead. His body was found on the side of the road. Sofiya was taken from the car and…” His hesitation tells me everything I need to know. “Liza is also missing.”

“How is that possible?” I reel back, the air sucked from my lungs. “I would've gotten a security alert if anyone gained access to my property.”

I pull out my phone to check my security cameras, but when I attempt to launch the live feed, there’s nothing. Just darkness.

“Fuck me!” I roar.

How could this have happened? How could I have let this happen? My heart races and panic zips through my system, but losing my shit won't help us find Liza or Sofiya.

Nikolai's face is grim when he says to me, “Let's go to my office. We need more information.”

Fury radiates through my chest as I wonder if Liza is in pain, if she’s hurt or worse, but I swallow down my devastation to plan our next move.

Viktor, Pavel, and I follow Nikolai up another floor to an office that looks like the headquarters of some high-tech security company. Everyone takes a seat but me.

I can’t sit; I’m too charged up. “I have the security footage right up until the moment she goes missing.”

Nikolai sits before an expansive computer console, tapping buttons to activate his system. He reaches out for my phone. "Let me connect this, and we'll be able to display the various camera views on these screens." He nods towards the array of flat-screen TVs above his desk.

As soon as I connect my phone, I rewind the footage to just before I left in the middle of the night. It isn't long before we can see several dark sedans arriving at the cottage's main gates. A familiar figure emerges from one of the cars, surrounded by guards. I’d recognize Anatoly’s silhouette anywhere.

An unfamiliar blip catches my eye on one of the screens. A small, flying object appears, moving swiftly across the sky.

“What the fuck is that?” I point it out to the others.

As soon as I do, the screens begin to scramble, displaying pixelated and indecipherable images. A second later, all the screens go blank.

“Motherfucker,” Viktor curses as we all stare dumbfounded. “He's using a drone to jam your signals. But … that should be impossible.”

“Are you fucking serious? How is he doing that?” I hit the desk in front of me.

Viktor shakes his head in disbelief, his jaw locked. “This is military-grade tech he's using. You can’t even buy this shit on the market. He must have connections in special forces or something.”

Guilt snakes its way up my spine. This is my fault. I was so fucking sure that she’d be safe—I promised she would be—and I was wrong.

As if reading my thoughts, Pavel lays a hand on my shoulder. “Don't blame yourself, man. You couldn’t have anticipated this. None of us could. For now, we need to focus on finding Liza and Sofiya.”

He may be right, but I'll never forgive myself.

Nikolai sits back in his office chair, a thoughtful expression softening his harsh features. From his pocket, he fishes out Sergey’s cell phone. “Considering how closely my brother and Anatoly were working together, I think it’s time we hacked into his phone.” Nikolai chuckles as he taps the phone to life and shakes his head. “My idiot brother didn't even bother with biometric security. Sloppy as fuck.”

Just as he comments, the phone vibrates loudly in his hand, causing everyone in the room to glance sharply at one another.

He smirks, holding up the phone. “It’s Anatoly. People say Sergey and I sound exactly alike. Let's test that theory.” He puts the phone on speaker and drops it on the desk so we can all hear. “Privet,” he answers.

---