Page 79 of The Russian Pakhan's Forced Bride
Pulling in another breath, I feel as if my thoughts go silent, leaving behind razor focus. Clean, steady determination.
With practiced conviction, I look toward Mikhail and the others, who all understand the gravity of the situation.
“Someone take Elena home. Everyone else, get the vehicles. Alert backup, but don’t wait for them. If we find them first, we’re going in without hesitation,” I tell them, doing my best not to let the personal aspect of the situation throw me. “Victoria will have her phone with her. Track it, and we’ll findNikolaev. I don’t care what happens…I’m taking that bastard out tonight.”
With mutual understanding, I receive a nod from everyone like a wave, and we head out.
Nikolai is already tracking the coordinates by the time I slide into the front seat of my car, engine roaring and ready to go.
Everyone splits off, doing as instructed, and at once, we’re on the move.
I grip the wheel dangerously hard while my jaw nearly aches from clenching it.
But that discomfort means nothing compared to the job ahead. The highway feels longer than ever before, but with my foot on the gas, there’s no way I’m letting Nikolaev get away from me.
My heart feels heavier than it ever has while it burns with pure rage, but as much as it hurts, I’d rather bear that burden than wait a moment longer for anyone else to take care of it.
Even thinking about him laying a hand on her has me ready to level the entire city…to take Maxim apart limb from limb, all while making him watch.
He has no idea what kind of storm he has brought on himself.
***
The busy streets make the drive longer than it needs to be, but with tenacity and swerving, we find the place before I can tear the steering wheel out.
We surround a place outside of the city—a crumbling warehouse seemingly long forgotten off the beaten path.
It’s desolate and remote enough not to raise any alarms, but it’s so quiet that the atmosphere around the old building is nearly crushing.
Maxim was always one to retreat somewhere private…to lick his wounds and continue scheming in silence.
But now, his confidence will be higher than ever before.
Finally, after our years of pursuing this godforsaken chase, he has something of mine that’s worth killing for. Someone who has the ability to change the tide in his favor.
There’s no storming in. Not with the group of us.
Instead, I press forward first with my gun raised, poised, and prepared for anything behind those doors. Mikhail is directly on my left while Ivan and Nikolai take up the rear. Sergey took Elena home, but he has since set out to join us with backup.
We move as one, keeping our heads cool as we press forward. Everything about it feels precise and surgical, well aware that the whole thing can go south quickly if we aren’t careful.
There aren’t any guards to greet us out front. No…the place is still. Waiting.
Mikhail nudges the door open, and I push through first, keeping my pistol up with a sharp eye.
Surveying the area, I do an initial sweep and continue without seeing anything at first.
While we press on, there are faint voices up ahead. The white light above our heads flickers.
Then I hear Victoria’s voice—muffled, but there.
Another shot of adrenaline fires through me, but I zero in on the door ahead and approach. I glance back at Ivan, who already knows what I’m silently asking of him.
With a nod, he gains momentum and pounds his boot into the door, causing it to slip from the mechanism like a knife through butter. Pieces fly, and the door quickly swings before slamming into the wall next to the frame.
Mikhail and I slide through first, cocking our guns the moment we greet the room.
There he is.
