Chapter 140 Chapter 140
Chapter One Hundred and Forty
Dimitri
I watched the guard drag Irina away. Every fiber of my being screamed to follow. To kill him. To save her. But Nikolai was dying. Twenty minutes was all we had.
My hands clenched into fists. My jaw tightened so hard I felt pain. Irina's face as they took her. The fear in her eyes. All burned into my memory.
"Alexei, go!" I shouted. "Get the medic! Tell him nightshade and arsenic! Activated charcoal and atropine!"
Alexei ran. His footsteps echoed down the hall.
I turned to Viktor. My voice was hard. "Track them. Use every resource we have. I want to know where he is taking her."
"On it," Viktor said, pulling out his phone. His fingers moved quickly.
I looked at Mikhail. "Get me everything on Lucia. Every property she owns. Every place she has been seen. Everything."
"Already working on it," Mikhail replied. His eyes were determined .
I ran back to Nikolai's room. My heart pounded in my chest. I was scared for my innocent nephew. I was scared for Irina.
The medic was preparing the antidote. His hands were shaking. I watched the vials tremble in his grip.
"Faster," Alexei demanded. His voice was rough with panic.
"I am going as fast as I can," the medic said. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
He inserted an IV into Nikolai's tiny arm. The baby's skin was so pale. So fragile. Watching him made my chest ached.
The treatment started. Clear liquid flowed into his veins.
"How long until we know if it worked?" I asked. My voice came out quieter than I expected.
"Minutes," the medic said. "If we got it in time."
If. That word hung in the air like a death sentence.
Alexei knelt beside the crib. His hand was on Nikolai's chest, feeling for breath, for life.
"Please," he whispered. "Please do not die. I just got you back."
I had never seen Alexei cry before. Not like this. Not with this kind of raw pain. Tears streamed down his face. His shoulders shook. He was breaking apart in front of me.
I wanted to comfort him. But I had nothing to give. My own heart was shattered.
"He will make it," I said. But I did not know if that was true. The words felt empty even as I spoke them.
Minutes passed. Each one feels like an hour. The clock on the wall seemed frozen. Nikolai lay still.
Then he gasped. His tiny chest rose. His eyes opened, blinking in the light.
He started crying. It was strong and loud. The most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
"He is okay," the medic said, relief flooding his voice. "He is going to be okay."
Alexei collapsed, holding his son, pressing kisses to his forehead. His cheeks. His tiny hands.
"Thank you," he said to no one in particular. "Thank you."
I felt relief wash over me. But it was short-lived. Because Irina was still gone. The woman I loved was in danger.
Viktor came running in. His face was flushed. Out of breath.
"I tracked them," he said. "The guard's car is heading north. Toward the old industrial district."
"That is where Lucia's old factory is," I said. A cold certainty settled in my stomach.
"Exactly," Viktor confirmed.
I grabbed my gun, checked the clip and felt the weight in my hand. "Let us go," I said.
"Wait," Alexei said.
He stood up, wiped his face with the back of his hand and handed Nikolai to the medic. The baby was still crying but the sound was strong. Alive.
"I am coming with you," he said.
"No," I replied. "Stay with your son."
"My son is safe now," Alexei said. "But Irina is not. And she saved him. I owe her."
I looked at him. My brother. Who I had almost lost. Who I was still not sure I could trust completely. But who was standing here, offering to help. His eyes were red but steady. His jaw was set with determination.
Trust warred with caution inside me.
"Fine," I said finally. "But you do exactly what I say."
"Agreed," Alexei said.
We armed ourselves. Viktor, Alexei, and I. With a team of ten men. Guns checked. Vests tightened. Ready.
We got into the vehicles and drove fast. The city blurred past. My mind raced faster. Images of Irina. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she looked at me. I could not lose her. I would not.
The industrial district was on the outskirts of the city. It looked dark and abandoned. It was a perfect place for Lucia to hide. It had broken windows. Graffiti was on the walls. Trash scattered in the streets.
"There," Viktor said, pointing.
The guard's car was parked outside an old factory. A massive building. Dark. Silent. Menacing.
We pulled up a block away. Got out quietly. The night air was cold. My breath formed clouds.
"Spread out," I ordered the men. "Surround the building. No one gets in or out."
They moved into position. Shadows in the darkness.
"Ready?" I asked Alexei.
He nodded. His face was grim. Focused.
We approached the factory. The front door was open. Too easy. A black gaping mouth waiting to swallow us.
My skin prickled with unease. "It is a trap," Viktor whispered.
"I know," I replied. "But we do not have a choice."
We entered slowly. Guns raised. The inside was dark. Only a few lights scattered around. Machinery loomed like sleeping monsters. The air smelled of rust and decay.
"Irina!" I called.
My voice echoed through the empty space. Bounced off metal walls. Faded into nothing.
Then I heard her. "Dimitri! Do not come in! It is a trap!"
Relief flooded me. She was alive. But fear followed immediately. She was in danger.
But I was already inside. And then the lights came on. Blinding me for a moment. I raised my hand to shield my eyes.
When my vision cleared, I saw her. Irina was tied to a chair. In the center of the room. Ropes around her wrists and ankles. Her face was bruised. Her eyes were wide with fear.
And standing behind her was Lucia. With a gun to Irina's head. The metal pressed against her temple. Irina's breath came in short gasps.
"Hello, Dimitri," Lucia said with a cold smile. "I have been waiting for you."
My heart stopped. Then raced. Fear and rage battled inside me. I wanted to kill her. To rip her apart. But I could not move. Could not risk Irina's life.
"Let her go," I said. My voice was calm. Steady. But inside I was screaming.