Page 102 of The Brutal Arrangement

“Damn right,” Saul agreed, already rolling up his sleeves and getting ready to get dirty.

Down in the dimly lit dungeon, I thanked Owen for knowing better.

“I knew right away that something was wrong about this,” he replied.

“Sorry about…” I gestured at his jaw, where I’d hit him.

“I get it,” he said with a wry laugh. “If I were you and if anyone had taken my wife down here…” He shook his head, backing up. “I’ll leave you to it, sir.”

We didn’t need him to give us privacy as we punished the two guards who thought they’d do better to listen to Father instead of Maxim. When Maxim took over—counting on it to be temporary—we’d made sure that everyone in the organization was aware of the change. We’d tasked men with spreading the word to the world, ensuring other crime families would know that the Ivanov Family wasn’t weak or without a leader.

I’d told Lucy I wouldn’t keep her waiting, but once I got going punishing these two men for bringing Lucy down here, I couldn’t stop the mental image of her cowering in that other cell. So scared and trapped. Out of control.

I’d been in that position before. More than once, I’d been captured and held somewhere. The worst experience was when Maxim, Nik, and I were held for over two months because of our mother’s affairs. I’d survived it all. My brothers and I had gotten through those difficult experiences and lived to see another day.

Lucy hadn’t been in this cell for more than an hour from what it sounded like from Owen at the entrance, but even a minute was too long for the woman I loved.

Once the guards were dead from our efforts, I stepped back and cracked my knuckles. It couldn’t be healthy how much calmer I felt after killing someone. In this case, ending the lives of themen who’d dared to threaten my wife felt like I was righting my world back on its axis.

“Do you think Nik is in a place like this?” Saul asked as we all cleaned up at the utility sinks. The blood on our hands wouldn’t be traced. The piping and sewage were rooted to a location separate from the city utilities.

“I hope not,” Maxim replied.

“Hold on.” I glanced at them both, one to my right and the other to my left. “Have I been so distracted with Lucy lately that I didn’t get the latest memo? Are we worried about Nik now?”

I wasn’t joking. My charming, cunning, and more risk-loving twin, it was still very possible he was fine. And hiding while he spied.

“We’re still getting those messages,” Saul said. “He’s got his phone with him.”

“And able to charge it too,” I added. That detail stood out to me. “If he’s charging his phone for almost two months now, he probably isn’t in a dungeon like this.”

“No one’s approached with a ransom, death threat, or terms of negotiation,” Maxim reminded us.

“Or any announcement of killing him,” Saul said.

I finished washing my hands first, eager to get to Lucy. Drying my hands off, I spoke up again. “Even if we’re not officially worrying about him… I miss him.”

“Me too,” Saul said.

Maxim frowned. “Of course, I miss him. But I also trust him.” He shook his head. “Or I usually do.”

“What does that mean?” I asked as he dried his hands.

“I’ve been thinking about what Lucy told us. About why Katerina didn’t want to come here for that marriage arrangement.” He looked at me, then Saul.

“You think she’s looking for him?” Saul guessed.

I did. They’d always seemed to have something going on, and it was the biggest reason I’d struggled with the news that I’d have to marry a woman who just might have been more interested in my twin.

“Then that’s a good thing,” Saul said. “Right?” He tossed his towel to the laundry bin and crossed his arms. “If Katerina is looking for Nik or helping him, then that’s a benefit for us.”

Maxim sighed, leading the way upstairs, knowing like I did that Owen would delegate the disposal of the bodies.

“Sure. It could be a benefit,” Maxim said. “But if Nik is… pursuing her or something, then that’s another headache we don’t need right now.”

Saul laughed. It began as a chuckle then evolved into him cracking up. “Fuck, if something is in the air, I need to get out of here. Look at you guys. First you kidnap a stripper and knock her up.”

Maxim scowled. “Technically, I knocked her up then kidnapped her.”

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