Page 6 of His Hold

As soon as I receive this information, it’s time to crack down.

Marcus/ Lev isn't home when I break in. Smart man. But he left in a hurry, leaving his drawers hanging open, and his clothes scattered. On his desk, a hastily cleared workspace tells me he knew I was coming.

"Run the plates on any vehicles registered to Marcus Chen," I tell Pavel over the phone. "Check traffic cams, toll records, everything."

While my team works, I search the apartment methodically. Personal documents, bank statements, a hidden burner phone.

Pavel calls back within the hour. "Got him. Security cam picked up his Lexus entering Morgan Hills twenty minutes ago. It is a nice neighborhood, the best to blend in."

"Address?"

"245 Sycamore Drive. Looks like it’s his sister's place."

I smile. People always run to their families in hard times.

Half an hour later, I'm driving through Lev's sister's neighborhood. It's a quiet, upper-class suburbia with wide driveways, trimmed lawns, and perfectly manicured hedges. It's not the place you'd expect someone stupid enough to skim from Kirill to hide.

The houseis dark, its windows blank. My men, Pavel and Ivan, wait outside in the SUV.

"He’s not here," Pavel says as I approach.

"He couldn’t have gone far. I’m sure someone close to him warned him," I say, irritation rising. "Check the place again."

Pavel and Ivan slip inside. I stand by the vehicle with my arms crossed, watching the shadows of their flashlights dart through the windows.

The streets at this time are empty, but a movement catches my eye, it is a flicker, subtle, but near the tree line at the edge of Lev’s yard.

My body goes rigid. Someone is watching us.

Before I can move, the figure bolts. I sprint after it, my muscles burning with adrenaline. I pursue through backyards and over fences, I run on the grass as branches whip past my face. The person is fast and knows the area better, but I'm gaining speed. Moonlight glimmers through the leaves, revealing her reddish hair.

But a glimpse is all I get of that auburn hair before she whips around a corner.

I stumble briefly over uneven ground. A curse slips through my clenched teeth as pain jolts sharply up my ankle, but it's not pain that sends adrenaline surging through my veins; it's excitement.

By the time I steady myself, the redhead has vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only a whisper of perfume in the cool night air.

I stand still, my breath harsh and uneven, pulse pounding with a thrill that's almost intoxicating. Who the hell was that? But deep down, I already know. The vibrant flicker of her reddish hair is unmistakable; it’s her. She’s been watching me, stalking me like prey that foolishly believes itself a predator.

If she wants to play cat and mouse, she's chosen the wrong man. Or perhaps exactly the right one.

Anticipation stirs inside me, a familiar hunger that thrives in these moments. I close my eyes briefly, savoring the delicious tension that hums beneath my skin. There's nothing quite like the pursuit, the slow, merciless tightening of the noose until there's nowhere left for my prey to run.

My thoughts drift eagerly to my soon-to-be victim. Lev Antonov, the arrogant fool who thought he could steal from Kirill and slip away untouched. I imagine him broken and bleeding, dangling from rusted chains in my hunting ground, the place I take people to die.

I relish envisioning the punishment I'll inflict upon Lev, recalling vividly the fate of dozens of men like him, men who crossed Kirill, men who crossed me. Men who betrayed trust or foolishly believed they could outsmart the devil himself.

The trafficker who skimmed from our shipments last month? I let him drown slowly in his own pool, kicking futilely against weighted ropes. The dealer who thought he could cheat me? I carved his lies into his skin, line by bloody line, until he confessed all his secrets before bleeding out. Each punishment is carefully designed, as a sick reflection of their own crimes.

In my twisted sense of justice, their suffering equals my satisfaction.

And now, this woman with fire-colored hair thinks she can observe me, spy on me without consequence? My pulse quickens further, exhilaration flooding through me. Well, I did warn her. It will only be a matter of time.

Let her watch for now, because every chase has its climax, and when I finally catch her, she'll understand what happens to those who toy with monsters.

I turn back toward the SUV, already craving the sweet chaos our inevitable meeting will bring.

Pavel and Ivan shove Lev into the back seat with his hands tied and mouth gagged. They found him in the basement, hiding.

---