Chapter 152 Chapter 152
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Two
Dimitri
I stared at Alexei. Phase two. Tomorrow night. Less than twenty-four hours to prepare for whatever was coming.
"What else did the text say?" I asked.
Alexei pulled out his phone and read from the screen. "Just that one line. Phase two begins tomorrow night. Nothing else."
"Who was it sent to?" I demanded.
"A number we do not recognize," Viktor said, walking in. "We are tracing it now but it will take time."
I stood up and started pacing. My mind was racing through every possibility. What was phase two? Another attack? Another kidnapping? Or something worse?
"We need to talk to the prisoner again," I said. "They know what phase two is. They have to."
"They are not talking," Alexei reminded me.
"Then we make them talk," I replied.
Irina stood up. "Dimitri, no. Whatever you are thinking, no."
"We do not have time to be gentle," I said. "In less than twenty-four hours, something is going to happen. Something big. And we need to know what it is."
"There are other ways," Irina argued.
"What other ways?" I demanded. "We have tried everything. They will not talk. They will not give us anything."
"Then maybe the mysterious helper knows something," Irina suggested.
I had forgotten about them. The person who had saved us at the warehouse. The one who claimed they owed my father a debt.
"Where are they?" I asked Viktor.
"In the guest room," Viktor replied. "Resting. They took a pretty bad hit during the fight."
"Wake them up," I ordered. "We need answers now."
Viktor nodded and left.
Alexei looked at me. "Are you okay?"
"No," I admitted. "I am not okay. Someone is planning something terrible. And I have no idea what it is or how to stop it."
"We will figure it out," Alexei said.
"Will we?" I asked. "Because so far, we have been one step behind this whole time. They have been controlling everything. Every move we make, they are already prepared for it."
"Not everything," Alexei replied. "They did not expect us to capture one of their people tonight."
"That is because they wanted us to," I said.
Everyone looked at me.
"What do you mean?" Irina asked.
"Think about it," I said. "The note. The lawyer. It was all too easy. They knew we would come. They knew we would bring backup. They were counting on it."
"But why?" Alexei asked.
"Because they wanted to separate us," I replied. "While we were at the warehouse, the safehouse was vulnerable."
My blood ran cold. "Nikolai," I whispered.
I ran from the room. Up the stairs. To the nursery. Burst through the door. Mikhail was still sitting there. Nikolai was still in his arms. Still safe.
"What is wrong?" Mikhail asked, startled.
"I thought..." I started. "I thought they might have taken him."
"No one has been near this room," Mikhail assured me. "I have been here the entire time."
I walked over and looked at Nikolai. He was sleeping peacefully. Unaware of the danger around him.
"I will not let anything happen to him," Mikhail said quietly. "I promise you that."
I nodded. Trusted him. Because if I could not trust Mikhail, then I could not trust anyone.
I went back downstairs. Viktor was waiting with the mysterious helper. They looked tired. Bruised. But alive.
"We need to talk," I said.
They nodded. "I know. I have been waiting for you to ask."
We sat down in my office. Just the two of us.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"My name is Elena," they replied. "I worked for your father twenty years ago."
"Doing what?" I asked.
"Security," Elena said. "I was one of his most trusted guards."
"I do not remember you," I said.
"You were young," Elena replied. "Only seven or eight when I left."
"Why did you leave?" I asked.
Elena hesitated. "Because your father asked me to do something I could not do."
"What?" I pressed.
"He asked me to kill Anton Sokolov," Elena said quietly.
My heart stopped. "You refused?"
"Yes," Elena replied. "Anton was my friend. I could not kill him. So your father sent someone else. And when Anton died, his family blamed your father. As they should."
"But you said you owed my father a debt," I said.
"I do," Elena confirmed. "Because when I refused, your father could have killed me. Should have killed me. But he let me go. Let me disappear. He said he understood loyalty. Even when it worked against him."
"So you have been watching us?" I asked.
"For years," Elena admitted. "Making sure Anton's family did not hurt you. Making sure no one hurt you."
"But someone is hurting us," I said. "Right now."
"I know," Elena replied. "And I am trying to stop it."
"Do you know what phase two is?" I demanded.
Elena looked down. That was answer enough.
"Tell me," I ordered.
"They are going to hit multiple targets tomorrow night," Elena said. "All at the same time."
"What targets?" I asked.
"Your business headquarters," Elena said. "Your shipping warehouse. And this house."
My blood ran cold. "All at the same time?"
"Yes," Elena confirmed. "They want to destroy everything you have built. Everything your father built."
"How do you know this?" I demanded.
"Because I have been tracking them," Elena said. "I have been inside their organization for months. They trust me."
"Why did you not tell us sooner?" I asked.
"Because I did not know when it would happen," Elena replied. "But tonight, I found out. Tomorrow night. Phase two."
I stood up. Started pacing again. Three targets. All at once. We could not defend all three.
"We need to evacuate," I said. "Get everyone out. Now."
"Where will you go?" Elena asked.
"I do not know," I admitted. "But anywhere is safer than here."
I left the office. Found Irina and Alexei in the living room.
"Pack everything," I ordered. "We are leaving. Tonight."
"What?" Irina asked. "Why?"
"Because they are coming here tomorrow night," I said. "Elena told me. They are planning to attack this house."
"Then we defend it," Alexei said.
"We cannot," I replied. "They are hitting three locations at once. We cannot be everywhere."
"So we run?" Alexei demanded.
"We regroup," I corrected. "We find somewhere safe. Somewhere they do not know about. And we plan our counter attack."
Irina stood up. "Where will we go?"
"I have a place," Mikhail said, walking in. "A cabin. Two hours from here. No one knows about it. Not even Viktor."
"Can we trust it?" I asked.
"Yes," Mikhail replied. "It is completely off the grid."
I nodded. "Then we go there. Tonight. Everyone pack only what you need. We leave in an hour."
Everyone scattered. Running to their rooms. Grabbing essentials.
I went to help Irina pack Nikolai's things. She was moving fast. Efficiently. But I could see the fear in her eyes.
"We are going to be okay," I said.
"You do not know that," she replied.
"No," I admitted. "But I am going to do everything I can to make sure we are."
She stopped packing. Looked at me. "I am scared," she whispered.
"Me too," I said honestly.
We finished packing quickly. Met everyone downstairs. Viktor had three cars ready.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"With you," Viktor replied.
"No," I said. "I need you to stay here. Make it look like we are still here."
"Boss, that is suicide," Viktor protested.
"That is an order," I said firmly. "Keep some men here. Keep the lights on. Make them think we are home. When they attack tomorrow night, I want it to be an empty house."
Viktor did not look happy. But he nodded. "Be careful," he said.
"Always," I replied.
We loaded into the cars. Dimitri, Irina, and Nikolai in one. Alexei and Mikhail in another. Elena in the third.
We drove into the night. Away from the safehouse. Away from everything we knew. Toward an uncertain future.
The roads were dark. Empty. I kept checking the rear view mirror. Making sure no one was following us.
"Do you think they know we left?" Irina asked.
"I hope not," I replied.
We drove for two hours. Finally reached a small dirt road. Followed it deep into the woods. Until we reached a cabin. Old. Run down. But hidden. Perfect.
We got out. Carried our things inside. The cabin was dusty. Cold. But it had beds. A fireplace. Running water. It would do.
Mikhail started a fire. Alexei checked all the windows and doors. Elena stood watch outside. I helped Irina settle Nikolai. He was fussy. Uncomfortable in a strange place. But eventually he fell asleep.
"Now what?" Irina asked quietly.
"Now we wait," I replied. "And tomorrow, we find out what phase two really is.
"
But as I said those words, my phone buzzed. A text message. From an unknown number. I opened it. And my blood turned to ice. Because the message was simple. And terrifying.
"Nice try. But we know where you are. See you soon."