Chapter 12 Chapter12
Dimitri's POV
I stood by the window, staring out into the rain-soaked darkness, waiting.
My men had been searching for six hours. Six hours since Alexei took her.
The door to my office burst open. Ivan and three other guards entered with their heads bowed. Their faces told me everything before they even spoke.
"Well?" My voice was cold. "Where is she?"
"Sir, we… we could not find any trace," Ivan said carefully. "We checked all of Alexei's known properties, his apartment, his clubs, his warehouses. We found nothing. It is like they vanished."
"Vanished?" I repeated slowly. "People do not just vanish, Ivan. Not in Moscow. Not in our world."
"We checked the traffic cameras, sir. We tracked his car leaving the estate, but then…" Ivan swallowed hard, his voice started trembling. "They switched vehicles multiple times. We lost the trail near the industrial district."
My hand tightened around the glass of vodka I was holding and it shattered. Blood mixed with alcohol, dripped on the floor.
"You lost them," I said quietly.
"Sir, we are still searching. We have men everywhere. We will find…"
I moved before anyone could react.
My fist connected with Ivan's jaw. He went down hard, crashing into the desk.
"YOU LOST THEM!" I roared. "You had one job! ONE! Find my brother and bring her back!"
The other guards backed away with heir hands raised.
Ivan struggled to his feet as blood poured drom his nose. "Sir, please. We are doing everything we can. But Alexei planned this well. He knew we would search. He prepared for it."
"Then search harder!" I grabbed him by the collar, slamming him against the wall. "Tear this city apart! I do not care how many doors you have to kick down. I do not care how many bodies you have to stack. FIND HER!"
"Dimitri!" Mikhail's voice cut through my rage. He stood in the doorway, his face cold. "Let him go. Now."
I released Ivan. He slumped against the wall, gasping.
"Your men are terrified of you," Mikhail said, walking into the office. "They cannot think clearly when you are acting like a rabid animal."
"I do not need them to think," I said coldly. "I need them to find my brother."
"And they cannot do that if you keep breaking their bones." Mikhail gestured to the guards. "Leave us. Continue the search. Report back in two hours."
They fled gratefully.
Mikhail closed the door behind them. He looked at me with those sad, disappointed eyes. The same look he gave me when I had disappointed him.
"This is not how a Pakhan behaves," he said quietly.
"I am not a Pakhan right now," I replied. "I am a man who has lost everything."
"You have lost nothing yet. She is alive. Alexei will not hurt her. He needs her."
"He took her from me!" My voice broke, tears streamed down my face. "He came into my home while I was chasing ghosts. He broke down the door. He put his hands on her. He…"
I could not finish. The words choked in my throat.
Mikhail walked to me, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. "I know. And I am sorry. But you must keep your head. You must think like a Pakhan, not like a lovesick boy."
"I tried calling him," I said. "His phone is off. He is not answering anyone."
"Of course not. He knows you will trace the call." Mikhail poured himself a glass of vodka. "He will contact you when he is ready. When he feels safe."
"Safe?" I laughed bitterly. "He will never be safe again. Not from me."
"Which is exactly why you need to calm down and think strategically." Mikhail drank. "The council meeting is tomorrow night. You must attend."
"I do not care about the council." I glared at him.
"You should," Mikhail said firmly. "Because right now, the other families are watching. They are waiting to see what you will do. If you show weakness, if you act like a madman instead of a leader, they will turn on you."
"Let them try." My voice dropped to. Whisper.
"Dimitri." Mikhail's voice hardened. "You are not thinking clearly. You are exhausted. When was the last time you ate?"
I did not answer. I could not remember.
As if summoned, there was a knock on the door. A young maid entered, carrying a tray of food. Her hands shook as she set it on the desk.
"I told her to prepare your food." Mikhail said.
I looked at the food. Bread, meat and soup.
"Take it away," I said.
"Sir, please…" she pleaded, looking down.
"I said take it away!" I slammed.
She flinched. The tray rattled in her hands.
"Wait," I said suddenly. An idea formed in my mind. "What is your name?"
"Ivanova, sir," she whispered.
"Sit down, Ivanova."
She looked confused and drightened. "Sir?"
"Sit, and eat the food. All of it. While I watch."
Her face went pale. "Sir, this food is for you. I could not dare…"
"Sit down and eat," I repeated. "Or I will assume it is poisoned. And then I will have to kill you."
Tears filled her eyes. She sat slowly, picking up the spoon with trembling hands. She began to eat slowly while I watched.
Mikhail sighed heavily. "This is beneath you."
"Everything is beneath me right now," I said.
When the maid finished, I waved her away. She ran from the room like death was chasing her.
Mikhail shook his head. "You are becoming a monster."
"Good," I said. "At least monsters get things done."
"Monsters lose everything that matters to them," Mikhail countered. "Is that what you want? To become like the men you despise?"
“We’ll see about that.” I walked out of the study into my room and shut the door.
The next morning, the constant buzzing of my phone woke me up. Dozens of mesaages from Mikhail popped up. They were all reminders and pleas to attend the council meeting.
The council chamber was packed.
Every Pakhan in Moscow was present. The old families, and the new blood. Everyone who mattered in our world sat around the long table, watching me enter.
I walked in alone. No guards, no weapons. Just me and my rage.
Mikhail sat at the head of the table. He gestured to an empty chair. "Dimitri. Please. Sit."
"I will stand," I said.
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"We have called this emergency session to address the matter between you and your brother," Mikhail began. "To find a peaceful resolution…"
"There will be no peaceful resolution," I interrupted.
The room went silent.
"My brother has committed an act of war," I continued. "He invaded my home, stole my property. And he is holding her hostage in an unknown location."
"She is not your property," one of the Pakhans said. "She is a woman. And according to our laws, she belongs to whoever fathers her child."
"Laws?" I laughed. "You want to talk about laws? What about the law that says you do not take from your brother?"
"He took nothing that was legally yours," another Pakhan said.
I slammed my fist on the table. The sound echoed like a gunshot. "Then I will make it simple.” My voice dropped low. “You all have twenty-four hours."
"Twenty-four hours for what?" Mikhail asked carefully.
"To find my brother," I said. "To bring him to me. Dead or alive."
"And if we refuse?" A pakhan said, his voice trembled slightly.
I looked around the table. At every face, every man who thought he had power in this city.
"Then I will start a war," I said quietly. "A war that will destroy everything. Your businesses, your families and your lives. I will drown Moscow’s underworld in blood if I have to. But I will get her back."
"You would risk everything?" An old Pakhan asked, his voice trembling. "Your empire? Your legacy? All for one woman?"
"Yes," I said simply. "I would risk it all. Because without her, none of it matters."
Silence fell. It was thick and heavy.
Finally, Mikhail spoke. "The council will need time to discuss this. Return tomorrow night. We will have our answer."
"You have until tomorrow night to find my brother," I said. "After that, the war begins."
I turned and walked out.
Behind me, chaos erupted.
Arguments broke out.
But I did not care.
Moscow would either burn or bow.
Either way, I would get Irina back.