Page 31 of Born into Darkness

Soon, I sign to him.

He nods and goes back to staring out the same window his brother is. Their cousins are sprawled around them, trying their best to get a little bit of sleep before we land. It’s not going to be easy getting to where Talia is being held, but we all know we can’t arrive exhausted. The Melnikov brothers have refused to tell us any details, but Danil has given me his word that the plan they came up with will work. I don’t trust easily, but for the sake of my daughter, I’d make an alliance with the devil himself. I’m guessing we’re not all that different anyway. After all, people still call me the Devil from Moscow, so I’m guessing the two of us could work out a deal.

When our pilot finally announces that we need to prepare for landing, I kiss Nina once more before scooting her back into her seat and buckling her in. She doesn’t argue. She knows how much I enjoy taking care of her, and she knows how much I need to do it now more than ever. She just gives me a sad smile and squeezes my hand before gripping the arm rest and taking a deep breath. As soon as we land, we’ll be one step closer to getting our daughter back. We’re all more than ready to be done with this.

The sun is rising, and when I look over Nina and out the window, I can see the private airfield we’re aiming for. We needed two large private jets to transport our men and weapons, but we’ll be using whatever planes the Melnikovs have acquired when we fly to Colombia.

Nina grips my hand when the plane touches down and we see a long line of black SUVs waiting for us on the tarmac.

“I guess it’s time to meet the infamous Melnikov brothers,” I say to Volodya.

He grins, already unbuckling his belt. Standing, he checks the gun at the small of his back and readjusts the knives he has strapped to various parts of his body. You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but the man is always heavily armed. He gives a soft laugh when he looks over and sees Misha and Yuri mirroring his movements without meaning to.

“That's some genetics at work right there,” Valeri says, standing and rolling the kinks out of his neck. Realizing what genetics are on display, he points a finger at the three of them and says, “Don’t fucking kill any of them. We need their help.”

Volodya raises a brow at our youngest brother. “I’ll play nice if they do.” Before he turns to grab a few bags, he grins and signs to Bran,For now.

“I saw that,” I tell him.

He just laughs and ignores me. I don’t push it because I know he’d never do anything to jeopardize Talia’s life. He may not want to play nice, but he will for her sake, and that’s all I care about.

I stand and hold a hand out to Nina. “Ready,zolotse?”

“I’m ready,” she says, taking my hand and letting me help her up. She grabs her bag while I take a few more, leaving one arm free so I can keep it around her. My hands are full, so when we walk down the aisle past our boys, I make sure and look at Bran while I say, “Stay behind me,” knowing he won’t have a problem reading my lips.

Bran nods, and Dima says a quick, “Okay,” while tossing a backpack over his shoulder. The back of the plane is loaded with some of our men, and the rest are on the plane that should be landing in just a few minutes. They wanted a small army, and that’s exactly what we’ve brought them.

Once the stairs are down, I lead the way with Nina right behind me, her hand firmly in mine. When we’re halfway down, the doors on the closest SUV open as men start getting out. I keep my eyes on them and tighten my hold on my wife, making sure her body is hidden by mine.

The five men who get out and walk closer are dressed in tactical gear like we are. None of us bothered with suits since we’ll be leaving soon. My initial impression is that they’re not to be fucked with, and I know my family is giving off the same vibe. It’s a damn good thing we’re on opposite ends of this country, because I’m not so sure we’d play well together as neighbors. Decades of experience have taught me to recognize weak men and easy prey, and the Melnikov brothers are neither of those things.

Tattoos cover their exposed arms, hands, and necks, and they watch without comment as we file down the stairs. It isn’t until we’re standing in front of them that the man in the middle finally speaks. “I’m Roman Melnikov,” he says, holding out his hand for me to shake.

I take it and say, “I’m Vasily, but I’m guessing you already know that.”

He nods and looks towards Nina. Before I can get pissed that he’s presumptuous enough to look at her, he holds out his hand and says, “I’m very sorry about your daughter. You’re more than welcome to stay at my home while you’re here.” He gestures towards the four men behind him. “All our wives are staying there.” He meets my eyes and adds, “With bodyguards, of course.”

“I’ll be leaving a few of my own men with her,” I say, making it clear that my wife will be guarded by Medvedev men.

It earns me a faint hint of a smile before he says, “Of course. We’ll head over there now, but first let me introduce you to my brothers.” He points to the dark-haired man next to him, the one with a lip and eyebrow piercing who’s been sizing us up since we stepped off the plane. “This is Lev.”

Lev gives a barely noticeable nod while Roman points to the brother with burn scars on his arms. “This is Matvey.”

“Hey,” Matvey says, and his deep, gravelly voice makes it clear his skin wasn’t the only part that was damaged by whatever fire he was in.

The next brother has a light smirk playing at his lips, and I know I’m meeting the family smartass. I recognize the look because I see it on Valeri’s face all the goddamn time.

“This is Vitaly,” Roman says, and as if he’s trying to avoid letting the man say anything, he quickly points to the last brother, the one with a leather messenger bag slung across his chest. “And that’s Danil.”

I recognize the name and quickly meet his gaze. “Your son is with our daughter?” I ask.

“He is,” Danil says, and I recognize his pain easily enough. We share the same haunted look and the same dark circles under our eyes from way too many sleepless nights. It goes beyond the normal stress of the job. It cuts far deeper and leaves a bone-deep weariness that is impossible to shake off.

“Have you heard anything?” Nina asks, ignoring everything I told her about staying in the background. As if she can sense what I’m thinking, she gives my hand a squeeze as she flashes me a quick, apologetic smile.

“No, nothing new,” he says, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d believe him, but my gut instincts tell me he’s holding back, and as soon as Nina isn’t in earshot, I’m going to ask him what the fuck is going on.

“That’s good, right?” Nina asks, looking between all of us.

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