Chapter 30 Blood and Betrayal
CHAPTER THIRTY
Dimitri
The other pakhans were terrified.
Their businesses crumbled before their eyes. Their shipments rotted at checkpoints. Their partners abandoned them. Their money stopped flowing.
And I don’t care.
Every morning, reports came to my desk. Reports of detained cargo. Reports of confiscated shipments. Reports of businesses shutting down.
I read each one with cold satisfaction.
Mikhail entered my office carrying a stack of envelopes. "More letters," he said, dropping them on my desk. "From the other families."
I did not even look at them. "Burn them."
"Dimitri, some of these families are going bankrupt," Mikhail said carefully. "They are begging you to stop. They are offering information, money, anything you want."
"Do they have Alexei's head?" I asked without looking up from my papers.
"No, but..."
"Then I do not want to hear it," I said flatly. "Burn the letters, Mikhail."
Mikhail hesitated, then nodded. He gathered the envelopes and left.
I stood and walked to the window.
The garden stretched below. The oak tree stood tall. The mound of earth beneath it was covered with fresh flowers.
My men brought new flowers every day as I had instructed.
"I am keeping my promise, Irina," I whispered. "I am destroying him. Piece by piece."
A knock came at the door.
"Enter," I said.
Ivanov stepped inside. His face was grim. "Boss, we intercepted another shipment last night. They tried to move it underground through the old tunnels."
"And?" I asked.
"We collapsed the tunnels," Ivanov said. "Destroyed everything inside. Three men died in the collapse."
"Good," I said. "What about the underwater routes?"
"We have patrol boats watching every coast," Ivanov reported. "Last week, we caught a submarine trying to smuggle weapons and we sank it."
I smiled coldly. "Excellent. Continue."
"Boss, there is something else," Ivanov said. He shifted uncomfortably. "Some families are getting desperate. They are forming alliances. They might try to move against you."
"Let them try," I said. "Anyone who stands with Alexei is my enemy. Make that clear."
"Yes, boss," Ivanov said. He saluted and left.
I returned to my desk and reviewed more reports.
Don Petrov's shipping company had gone bankrupt, his warehouses are empty and his workers had not been paid in weeks.
Don Sokolov had lost three major contracts, his partners had refused to work with him anymore. He was already selling his properties to stay afloat.
Don Kuznetsov's casinos were bleeding money. No supplies meant no business. He was desperate.
They all sent letters. They all begged. They all offered deals.
And I ignored every single one.
"Where are you hiding, Alexei?" I muttered. "How long can you survive with nothing?"
Weeks passed, but the blockade continued. Nothing moved without my permission. The entire underworld was paralyzed.
Some families tried to smuggle goods through secret routes. We caught them all and destroyed their shipments, making examples of them.
Others tried to negotiate. They offered information about other criminals, about hidden operations, about corrupt officials.
I took the information. But I did not lift the blockade.
"Bring me Alexei," I told them. "Nothing else matters."
One evening, I decided to inspect the new casino I was building on the east side of the city. It was a massive project. Five floors of gambling, entertainment, and luxury.
It would be the crown jewel of my empire.
"Should I gather the men?" Mikhail asked as I prepared to leave.
"No," I said. "It is just an inspection. I will take the driver."
"Dimitri, that is not safe," Mikhail protested. "You should take guards. At least a few men."
"I will be fine," I said. "No one is stupid enough to attack me."
Mikhail did not look convinced, but he nodded. "Just be careful."
I left the estate in my black Mercedes. My driver, Viktor, was a quiet man. A former military with xcellent reflexes and he was very loyal.
We drove through the city streets. The sun was setting. The sky was painted in shades of orange and red.
"Almost there, boss," Viktor said.
I nodded and looked out the window. The city looked different. It was already getting dark.
We turned onto a wide boulevard.
The casino construction site was just ahead. I could see the skeleton of the building rising against the sky.
"Slow down," I said. "I want to get a good look at..."
I haven't finished the sentence when a massive truck appeared from a side street. It was moving too fast.
"Boss!" Viktor shouted.
He jerked the wheel hard. But it was too late.
The truck slammed into the side of our car with the force of an explosion.
The metal crunched, the glass shattered and the world spun violently.
I felt the impact in my bones. My body was thrown sideways. My head smashed against something hard.
Pain exploded through my skull.
The car flipped three times and finally stopped. The car landed upside down. Steam hissed from the engine. The smell of gasoline filled the air.
I tried to move but my body would not respond. Everything hurt.
"Viktor?" I tried to say, but my voice came out as a whisper.
There was no response.
I turned my head slightly.
Immediately, hot pain shot through my skull. Something warm and wet trickled down my face.
Blood. It was so much blood.
My vision blurred. I touched my head and my hand was covered in blood. There was a deep gash across my forehead. I could feel the edges of the wound. The skin had split open ams I could feel something hard beneath. My bone. My skull.
More blood poured down my face. It ran into my eyes. It dripped onto the roof of the overturned car.
"Viktor," I said again. Louder this time. My voice trembled.
I turned my head slowly to the left. I saw Viktor, he was slumped in his seat. His neck was bent at an impossible angle. His eyes were open but empty.
He was dead.
My driver was dead.
I heard voices outside and quick footsteps. Men talking in low voices.
"Is he dead?"
"Check. Let's make sure."
"The boss said there should be no witnesses."
The boss. Someone had ordered this. Someone had ordered my death.
The car door was ripped open. A pair of hands reached in, grabbed my shoulders and pulled me out.
I tried to fight back but my body was not responding. The pain in my head was overwhelming. Blood poured from the wound, soaking my shirt, and dripping onto the ground.
They dragged me away from the wreckage. I opened my eyes a little. There were three men. Maybe four. I could not see clearly. Everything was blurry and red.
"Look at that," one of them said. "His head is split open. He is done for."
"Shoot him anyway," another voice said. "Make sure he is dead."
I heard the click of a gun. I saw the barrel pointed at my face.
This was it. This was how I would die. Not in battle. Not defending my empire. But on the side of a road, bleeding out from a head wound.
"Wait," a third voice said. "Let him suffer. Let him bleed out. There's no one here to save him anyway. It will send a message."
"What message?"
"That no one is untouchable," the voice said. "Not even Dimitri Volkov."
They dropped me on the ground. My head hit the concrete. Fresh pain exploded through my skull.
I heard them walking away. Getting into a vehicle and dr
iving off.
I lay there on the cold ground. Blood pooled beneath my head. The wound was still bleeding. I could feel it draining out of me with each heartbeat.
The sky above was darkening. Stars were beginning to appear.
"Irina," I whispered. "I am sorry. I failed you. I failed to avenge you."
My vision darkened at the edges. My breathing became shallow.
I was dying. Right here on this street alone.
And Alexei would win.