Page 79 of Cruel Knots

23

Leon

The distinct smell of burning human flesh assaults my nose as soon as I get closer to Volkov Manor. Tendrils of smoke rise over the woods surrounding the manor. Weak morning sunshine shines down on me, obliterating the horrors my brothers must’ve experienced the previous night.

I’m glad Damien got on our asses to check on the people who could prove to be our enemies. It was the only reason I got to know about the Morelli family’s plan to attack us.

Damien was right about Callum Baldwin. He wasted neither time nor opportunity to gather forces to attack us the second he left. I can’t believe he even managed to bribe our guards into following his orders.

My jaw tightens at the betrayal of the men we trusted with the safety of our pack. They all know their masters are monsters and that betraying them will cost more than their lives. And yet, they dared to betray us, I think, clutching onto the brakes hard.

Cutting off the bike’s engine, I look toward the black stone manor. It’s both our home and our fortress.

Those guards dared to betray us because they didn’t fear us anymore. It’s time to remind them who we are, I decide.

The Volkovs are generous masters but we don’t tolerate betrayal. We pay our guards handsome salaries and compensations in exchange for their loyalty, but we also punish them with blood and pain if they abandon their duty.

Climbing off the bike, I walk indoors.

A phone call from Mikhail around midnight had been enough to calm my rising anxiety about the attack being planned on Volkov Manor. We’d lost some of our men to the attack but both my family and Lucia are safe.

Even then, I’m desperate to see them and make sure they aren’t injured.

“Leon!” a familiar voice calls out as soon as I enter through the manor’s doors.

Looking ahead, I see Damien hurrying toward me. Dressed in a neat white shirt paired with dark navy slacks, he looks fine. My gaze takes note of his gait, making sure he isn’t hurt in any way.

My eldest brother throws his arms around my neck and pulls me close for a hug. “I’m so glad to see you,” he says in a deep voice and nearly chokes the life out of me.

I stay in his suffocating embrace and smile. Damien is almost a father figure in our lives. He protected both me and Mikhail since the time we’d been thrown out into the streets for survival training.

Damien always made sure Mikhail and I never went hungry. He stole for us and got hurt several times, but he never left us behind.

His thick scars make him look like a monster but amongst the three of us, he’s the kindest. Would Lucia ever see beyond the ugly mask that was forced on him by Callum?

“You must be exhausted,” he says, finally releasing me. His ice-blue eyes rove all over me, looking for signs of injury. “Let’s go to the kitchen.”

I grab onto his arm before he can move away. “Food can wait,” I say in a grim tone. “Tell me whether you’ve found the men who betrayed us.”

“There are three of them,” says Damien. “Mikhail’s already got them bound up in the underground chambers in the west wing.”

“That’s where I’ll go, then.”

Damien holds me back. “You just returned home. Interrogations can wait.”

I shake my head. “Every man working for us needs to learn a lesson,” I say. “We can’t afford someone else betraying us again. It was pure luck I was at Morelli Sr.’s office at the right time. We can’t always depend on luck when we’re dealing with a thug like Callum Baldwin. We’re the only ones who know the depth of his depravity. Our men need a reminder of the price they’ll be paying if they betray us.”

“You’re right,” Damien agrees.

“Call Mikhail and tell him to spread the word,” I say. “Everyone here must know I’m down in the dungeons with the traitors.”

Damien gives a nod. “We’ll meet you there.”

A part of me wants to head upstairs and see Lucia but I curb my desire. She’s safe and for now, it’s enough.

We need to interrogate the men who were in contact with Callum and the Morellis. We have to find out what we can before it’s too late.

Turning away from Damien, I make my way toward the westward wing of the manor. The few men I come across in the hallways look anxious and wary. Last night’s strike has been a good way to alert them of possible attacks.

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