Page 22 of Russian Daddy

“What if there are more of them out there?”

Dammit. I need to find the car so I can finish this, but these fools would rather burn to death than face what might be lurking on the other side of the door. I grab the three of them and force them outside. I see Tess and my mother tucked safely in the car and set these people on the sidewalk beside it before going back to find the black sedan. I know the man I shot.

His name is Yuri Mestrovic. He’s a known associate of the Pankatrova crew and not the brightest bulb in the box. Dario wouldn’t send him to torch this place alone. No, he’s out here somewhere watching, and I’m gonna find him so I can put a bullet in him.

I stand in the vacant lot behind the restaurant and look up and down the street. There’s no sign of them so I pull out my phone and stare at the little white dot on the street map. The car is on Main Street where I left Mom and Tess. I rush back down the alley through the smoke and heat but run right into the fire crew who question my presence at an active crime scene.

“We were having dinner here just before the fire. I went in to get the workers out,” I explain.

“They’re out. What are you doing now?”

“I…I didn’t know if I’d gotten everyone. I was checking around back.”

“Go take a seat on the sidewalk, hero. The police will want to talk to you,” the fireman says.

I march past him toward Tess’s car. I don’t see the black sedan. They must have split when they heard the sirens.

I see my mother on the sidewalk beside Bob and shake my head. “At least one of them can follow instructions and stay in the car.”

But when I arrive at the car and open the backdoor, Tess is gone.

“Mama, where is Tess?” I scream.

She stares blankly at me. “I thought she went to find you.”

“Fuck!” I check my phone and watch the white dot heading north on the map. “Stay here. Maybe Bob can give you a ride home.”

I look at the shaken restaurant owner who nods at me before I jump in the car and peel away. Dario Pankatrova is going to curse the day he was born. Nobody takes what belongs to me. Nobody.

My phone rings and the caller I.D. blocks the GPS tracker. I decline the call, but it rings again.

“What?” I shout as I hit the accept call button.

“That’s no way to talk to the man who’s taken your new girlfriend hostage.”

“I’m gonna kill you. Is that better?”

“No, you won’t. Considering how quickly you left that podunk diner, I figure you have a tracker on my car. Keep following me. When we get to where we’re going, you’re gonna trade places with little Miss Apple Pie here. I’ll let her go as soon as you surrender.”

“You’re full of shit. Why should I believe you?”

“Because you don’t have a choice. If you don’t do what I say, I’ll just kill her. Then I’ll come back for your mother. Then, when you’ve felt as much pain and loss as you caused me, I’ll kill you.”

“It was a fair fight. Your brother drew on me. He didn’t follow the rules, and he paid for it just like you’re gonna pay for it.”

“You killed an earner and what punishment did you face for it? You got a fucking promotion. That’s justice? No, if I want justice, I’m gonna have to take it myself. Just follow me, asshole. I’ll call you back once we get where we’re going.”

Dario hangs up, and I slam my fist against the steering wheel. He thinks he has the upper hand, and right now, he’s right. He’s leading me out of town, and I need a plan before we reach our destination. I’m not giving myself up to him, but I’m not gonna let him hurt Tess either.

My head is so filled with rage that I can barely see the road, but I know I have to turn onto the highway soon. This asshole is headed back to the city, and I have a feeling I know where this road trip is going to end.

The lot behind the vacant factory is dark except for the light flickering from the last remaining street light. The bulbs have been shot out of the rest, and the lot is riddled with broken glass. This is where Dario’s brother and I had the confrontation that ended with him bleeding out on the factory floor.

I guess Dario thinks there’s something poetic about picking this place. Personally, I think it’s pathetic. He’s just a small-time crook who convinced himself that he’s some kind of tragic comic book villain. I see a lot of these assholes in my line of work, and sometimes, I want to ask them if they know how to read. If they did, they would know that the villains in those stories always lose.

I see the black sedan and drive around to the other side of the building. I’m not gonna let this asshole ambush me. The phone rings but I silence it and stick it in my pocket. We’re not playing his game anymore. Now, we’re playing mine.

His call confirms that he’s seen me so I pull out of the lot and drive around the corner. I don’t know how many men he has in there, so I’m going to have to assess the threat before going inside. I creep silently through the night and begin peering into the first-floor windows. Light comes from the southeast corner of the decayed factory floor. I should have known.

---