Page 40 of Demetri
I look wide-eyed at Andrei as I gauge whether or not I can trust him. After all, He is one of Vadim's men.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he tells me a second time as if he can read my thoughts. I nod and allow him to continue. For such a big man, Andrei is surprisingly gentle when he touches my shoulder.
"It's dislocated," he confirms what I already suspected. "I can't reset it without untying you and untying you would raise suspicion."
"Well, unless you have the proper drugs to knock me out, I wouldn't want you doing anything," I retort. "Why do you care anyway? I'm pretty sure Vadim didn't send you down here to tend to my wounds."
"You're right; he didn't." Andrei stands and pulls his cell phone from his pocket, swipes his finger across the screen and places it to his ear. "Volkov."
19
Demetri
"Volkov."
I recognize his voice the moment he speaks my name.Andrei. He was Yerik's right hand man for many years. "Speak," I bark, my patience worn thin, and my time better spent trying to find Glory.
"I'm with your woman," Andrei says in a low tone, almost a whisper.
"If she has been harmed in any way—" I clench my hand at my side.
"She's alive."
I don't give him time to elaborate further. The fact he has my woman is enough for me to lose my shit. "I'm going to find you, motherfucker. When I do, I'm going to kill you," I threaten.
"That is unfortunate, and I hope it does not come to that. I respect you, Volkov. It is out of that respect, and the respect for my late boss Mr. Petrov that I am reaching out to you now. Vadim is a loose cannon and is making a mockery of his family name. I wish to have no part in what he is doing."Vadim. I should have known. He has been a nuisance to his family for years. The little weasel was always undermining his father and despised anything to do with the Volkov name. Andrei's betrayal comes with massive consequences. When you enter a family, you take a vow of silence; never speak to what you have seen or done. Petrov's soldier turning on him puts a mark on his head. In my world, it costs someone their life. Knowing this, I don't take his confession lightly. There is a short pause before he continues. "You'll find your woman at the harbor on your boat," Andrei informs me just before the line goes dead.
I briefly close my eyes, trying to rein in my rage. When I open them, several faces are staring back at me. An army of men waiting to make their next move; all ready to fight alongside me to get back my woman. Their willingness to kill for the family holds a lot of respect. There is not one man in my presence that I have not done the same for. "Vadim has her," I declare. Nikolai's face hardens. He understands what this means. A war between the Petrov and Volkov families can only end with one of us dead. "That was one of Petrov's men, Andrei." My information surprises Nikolai. "He has Glory on my boat," I inform the men before me.
"The balls in your court." Jake steps forward. "How do you see this playing out?"
I look to Jake. "Vadim doesn't like to get his hands dirty. My boat is docked near the furthest end of the marina. His presence not only here but on my property lets me know he wants me to find him. We should assume he has an army of men protecting him. "
"He's drawing us in?" Jake realizes, and his face darkens. "This fucker has no idea who he is dealin' with."
"How's your supply of weapons?" I question Jake.
"Ready for war, brother," he grins.
"Good. I want to send a few men out on the roads." I look around the room, finding my two sons standing beside one another as Logan loads his rifle. "Nikolai, I'd like you to join them. You know better than anyone what Petrov's men look like. Scope out the area between here and the Marina. They could be anywhere." Nikolai nods at my order.
Jake chimes in as he attaches a fully loaded clip into his pistol. "Gabriel, ride out with Nikolai, and take Blake with you."
More than thirtyminutes have passed since finding out Vadim has Glory. The more time passes, the more I think about the what-ifs. Has he put his filthy hands on my woman? Is she still alive? Then I look across the room at Logan and think about my grandchildren along with the rest of the families confined to their rooms in the clubhouse several yards away. The Kings are no strangers to violence and retaliation. They've had their fair share of danger brought to their doorsteps, but this time, my enemies have put the ones I love in harm's way.
"Dad," Logan jerks his head, ushering me to follow him. Crossing the room, he opens a cabinet and pulls down a black lockbox. "I was waiting to give this to you, but now it seems like the perfect time." He sits the box on the table in front of us. Logan lifts the lid. Inside lays a Judge revolver. I pull my weapon from its holster and place it on the table. I grab the double-action single barrel revolver from its box. Logan slides a box of bullets across the table. "Appropriate, don't you think?" Logan smirks. I look at the wordJudgeetched on the side of the barrel. "We'll get her back." Logan states before walking away.
I then load six rounds into the cylinders. Six bullets I plan to take Vadim's life with. I plan on being his Judge, Jury, and fucking Executioner. Hearing the heavy metal door open a few feet away, I look over my shoulder to see Nikolai walking in with Gabriel and Blake right behind him.
"Found a body on the side of the road about six miles from the accident site." Blakes words catch everyone's attention. "I haven't seen his face around here before. But he had a tattoo on the left side of his neck of a scorpion."
"Petrov," I state. All his men wear the mark.
"We found nothing else between here and the marina. My guess is Vadim's army is small, and they've camped out closer to Glory's location," Gabriel informs us.
Ready for war, I look at the men in the room — my family. "This shit ends. Tonight," I declare and walk out of the small metal building and climb into my car. Nikolai quickly joins me.
A few minutes later, silence resonates — the calm before the storm. The only sound heard is the beating of my own heart and the rumble of six Harleys following close behind. The closer we get to the marina, the colder my blood turns. Adrenaline kicks in as we roll to a slow stop on the east side of the lake, opposite of where my boat is docked. Through the window, I watch as Jake and his men pull off the road. Nikolai, myself, and my men step out of the car. From here we go in on foot. Taking a moment, I eye each one of my friends. Most of them have been in my shoes. They have risked it all for the love of a woman. That alone makes any man a force to be reckoned with. All men ready their weapons — all waiting for my final words before the battle. I keep it simple. "Kill them all." I grip the revolver in my hand.
