Page 92 of Born into Blood

Niki sits back, and I know before he even says a word that he’s found something. The satisfaction in his eyes is impossible to miss, and his dad squeezes his shoulder and lets out another disbelieving laugh.

“Who is he?” I ask.

“Radek Popov,” my Uncle Danil says. He grabs Niki’s laptop, ignoring the look his son gives him as he quickly starts typing. A couple minutes later, he’s looking over at his brothers. “He works for the Turgenev Bratva.”

“Fuck,” my dad says, refusing to look over at me.

“Who the fuck is that?” I ask.

It’s my Uncle Matvey that answers. “When we killed off the Lebedev Bratva, it left a huge gap in the sex-trafficking world. The Turgenev Bratva stepped in to fill it. They don’t operate out of America. That’s why you’ve never heard of them.”

My heart nearly stops at his words. “So sex traffickers kidnapped my girl, is that what you’re telling me?”

“We’re going to get her back.” My dad turns to face me. “You have my fucking word on that. Vladimir Turgenev is the Pakhan, and we’re going to set up a meeting with him. He can either hand Lara over unharmed, or he’s going to have a war on his hands. He broke the rules when he came into our territory and took her. He knows that, and he’ll pay for it.”

My dad and uncles waste no time. My Uncle Danil and Niki track Radek’s phone to a remote cabin and then find Vladimir’s number for my dad. I feel helpless, like I’m just sitting on my ass, but my dad has always been the face of the Bratva, and we all know he needs to be the one on the phone. I pace the floor, unable to keep still while my dad sets up a meeting.

“We’ll meet you at the cabin in two hours, Vladimir, and Lara better be there. If she’s been hurt, things are going to get very bloody.” My dad scoffs out a laugh, his voice anything but soft when he answers. The tone is harsh, and I can hear the violence behind every word when he says, “You came into our territory, and took someone who’s under our protection. You fucked up, and you’re going to make it right, or my family will destroy yours. You have two hours.”

He hangs up the phone before Vladimir can answer and scrubs a hand through his hair.

“I’ll call Timofey and tell him to have everyone meet us at the cabin,” my Uncle Vitaly says, walking out of the room with his phone already pressed to his ear.

“Did he say she’s okay?” I ask, looking over at my dad.

“She is,” he tells me, “but he’s sure as fuck not happy about this. We need to get there and convince him that it’s in his best interest to hand her over.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Max asks.

My Uncle Lev grins at him. “Then we get to get really bloody tonight.”

“Sounds good,” Val tells him. He comes to stand next to me, nudging my arm with his. “Let’s go get your girl back.”

I nod and rub a hand over my stubbled jaw. I feel like I haven’t slept in days, like I’ve been hunting for Lara for weeks instead of hours. I feel like a man who’s had his whole world taken from him and now I’m completely adrift and lost. My head is filled with images of her—scared and hurting and waiting for me to find her. How the fuck did my Uncle Matvey survive this hell for two years?

He meets my gaze when I look over at him, and I can see the understanding in his eyes. He knows exactly how I’m feeling, and I can tell he hates it. He hates that I’m having to go through it, and he hates that it’s reminding him of things he’s desperate to forget.

“You okay?” he asks, walking over to me.

“No.” There’s no point in lying to him. He already knows the truth.

He nods like it’s the answer he was expecting. “You won’t be until you get her back and your hands are covered in the blood of the man who did this, but lucky for you, you won’t have to wait too long.” His dark eyes meet mine. “We’re getting her back before the sun comes up, Luka.”

My uncles don’t make empty promises, and if Matvey says we’re getting her back in a few hours, then I believe him, but a lot can happen before then, and I can’t help but worry about what condition we’ll be getting her back in. For my own sanity, I’ve been trying like hell to avoid thinking about certain things, and if I let my thoughts wander to all the dark images that are creeping around the edges of my mind, I’ll never fucking come back from it.

“Thanks, Uncle Matvey,” I tell him, hating that this is also bringing up so much shit for him, but also so damn grateful to have him here helping to get Lara back.

“I’ve sent everyone the address,” my Uncle Danil says. “The others are already on their way.”

My dad holds my gaze, making sure I’m okay. I know he’ll be giving me that same look when I’m forty, so I don’t let it get under my skin. Instead, I head for the door and call over my shoulder, “I’m fine, Dad. Stop worrying.”

I hear my Uncle Vitaly laugh. “Just wait till they have kids. Then they’ll get it.”

“Don’t go in without us,” my dad yells as I step on the elevator with Max and Val.

When the doors shut, Max looks over at me. “You driving?”

“Yeah,” I tell him, knowing there’s no way I can handle sitting in the passenger seat right now. “Can you ask Niki to send you everything he can on the Turgenev Bratva?”

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