Chapter 128 Chapter 128
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Eight
Dimitri
The convoy turned around and headed back towards the villa.
Every second felt like an eternity. I could not stop thinking about Petrov.
He had risked everything to help me. While I was chained and starving, he was digging.
The guilt was eating me alive.
I should have remembered him sooner.
But I had been so focused on Irina and Nikolai that I forgot about the man who tried to save my life.
What kind of person does that make me?
"Do not do that," Irina said.
"Do what?" I asked.
"Blame yourself," she replied. "You were tortured and starved for months. You are allowed to forget things."
"Not him," I said firmly.
The vehicles slowed as we approached the villa.
It looks different now.
The wall was still destroyed. Smoke rose from various parts of the building.
Bodies littered the courtyard. Most of them were Alexei’s men.
"Stay in the car," I told Irina.
"No," she said immediately. "I am coming with you."
"Irina, it is not safe," I argued.
"I do not care," she said. "You can barely stand. You need me."
She was right.
Viktor opened the door and helped me out.
"Where was he?" Viktor asked.
"The punishment cells," I said. "Below the basement. Next to where I was kept."
"Lead the way," Viktor said.
Mikhail wheeled himself forward. "I am coming too," he said.
Two of his men lifted Mikhail's wheelchair and carried him inside. Irina walked beside me, supporting my weight.
We moved through the villa.
Everything was destroyed.
This had been a war zone.
We reached the stairs leading down to the cells.
"Careful," Viktor warned. "There might still be guards down there."
His men went first. We followed slowly.
We approached the cell. The air was thick and suffocating. It smelled like death.
When we reached Petrov's cell, the door was ajar.
That was wrong.
The door should be locked.
"Wait," Viktor said, raising his hand.
His men moved forward and pushed the door open. Then one of them stumbled back.
"Boss," he said, his voice shaking. "You need to see this."
Viktor went in first.
I heard him curse.
"Dimitri, maybe you should not…" he started.
But I was already pushing past him. I needed to see.
I stepped into the cell and my world stopped.
Petrov was on the floor. In a pool of blood. Blood was everywhere. On the walls, on the ceiling, soaked into the stone floor.
He had been torn apart, limb from limb. His arms were separated from his body. His legs were twisted at impossible angles. His chest was open, exposing his ribs.
"No," I whispered. "No!"
I fell to my knees beside him. My hands hovering over his body, not knowing where to touch, where to begin.
"Petrov," I said, my voice breaking. "No, no, no."
"Dimitri," Irina's voice came from behind me.
She had followed me in.
"Oh God," she whispered.
Viktor knelt beside me. "I am sorry," he said quietly. "I am so sorry."
"Who did this?" I demanded, looking up at him. "Who?"
"I do not know," Viktor said.
"Alexei is already captured," I said frantically. "He could not have done this."
"I know," Viktor replied.
"Then who?" I roared. My voice echoed through the cell.
Who could have done this?
Who had the strength to tear a man apart like this?
Petrov was not a small man.
He was a guard, trained and strong. Whoever did this had to be powerful and brutal.
"Look at his face," Mikhail said from the doorway.
He could not get his wheelchair into the cell but he could see.
"What about it?" Viktor asked.
"He was shocked," Mikhail said. "Not afraid."
"Meaning?" I asked.
"Meaning he knew whoever did this," Mikhail explained. "And he did not expect them to attack."
"One of Alexei's men?" Irina suggested.
"No," I said immediately. "Petrov knew all of Alexei's men. He would have been on guard around them."
"Then who?" Viktor asked.
I looked down at Petrov's face again.
Trying to read it.
Who could have surprised him like this?
"We need to check the tunnel," I said suddenly.
"What tunnel?" Viktor asked.
"The one Petrov was digging," I explained.
I stood up.
"Where is it?" Viktor asked.
I looked around the cell. It was there, in the corner. Covered with a pile of stone.
I walked over and pushed them aside. Behind them was a hole.
Petrov had been so close.
"He almost made it," I whispered.
"Dimitri," Irina said gently. "We should go."
"Not yet." I said. I looked into the tunnel. It was dark but I could see something glinting.
"Give me light," I ordered.
One of Viktor's men handed me a flashlight.
I shone it into the tunnel.
And there, halfway through, was a knife, covered in blood.
"Someone came through the tunnel," I said.
"What?" Viktor asked, moving closer.
"Look," I pointed. "The tunnel is wide enough for someone to crawl through. Someone came from my side to his."
"But your cell was locked," Viktor said.
"From the outside," I replied. "Not from the inside."
Understanding dawned on Viktor's face.
"Someone was already in your cell," he said slowly.
"Or someone had access to it," I said.
"Who has access to the punishment cells?" Mikhail asked.
"Alexei," I said. "And his most trusted guards."
"We have Alexei," Viktor said. "And most of his guards are dead."
"Most," I repeated. "Not all."
"You think one of them came back?" Irina asked.
"I think someone never left," I said darkly.
I looked around the cell again. Petrov had been killed recently. The blood was still wet. This happened while we were escaping. Someone had slipped past everyone and come down here.
"We need to search the entire villa," I said. "Top to bottom."
"Already in progress," Viktor said. "But whoever did this is probably long gone."
"Maybe," I said. "Or maybe they are still here."
"Why would they stay?" Irina asked.
"Because they are not done," I replied.
A chill ran down my spine.
Petrov's shocked face flashed through my mind again.
He had known his killer.
Had trusted them enough to let his guard down.
"We need to get back to the convoy," Mikhail said urgently. "Now."
"Why?" Viktor asked.
"Because if someone is still here," Mikhail said. "And they wanted to hurt us, what better target than…"
He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.
We all thought it at the same time.
Alexei. We had left Alexei in one of the vehicles.
Bound and guarded.
But what if the guards were not enough?
What if whoever killed Petrov wanted Alexei?
We ran.
Well, they ran. I stumbled after them, Irina supporting me.
The vehicles were still there. Viktor's men were still standing guard. Everything looked normal.
"Check on the prisoner!" Viktor shouted.
One of the guards opened the back of the third vehicle.
Then he screamed.
We rushed over. I looked inside. And my blood turned to ice.
The guards who had been watching Alexei were dead with their throats slit.
But Alexei was gone. The ropes that had bound him lay cut on the floor.
"No," Viktor whispered.
"He is loose," Mikhail said. "Alexei is loose."
But I knew better.
I looked at the dead guards. At the clean cuts on their throats. It was precise.
"This was not Alexei," I said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Viktor asked.
"Alexei did not escape," I explained. "He was taken."
"Taken?" Irina repeated. "By who?"
"By whoever killed Petrov," I said.
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine
Irina
I watched Dimitri give orders to Viktor's men.
His voice was strong despite his weakened body.
He was in pain, I could see it.
But he had refused to stop until he found whoever did this.
"Spread out," Dimitri commanded. "Search every inch of this place. If you find anyone alive who is not one of ours, bring them to me."
The men nodded and dispersed.
Viktor stayed close to Dimitri.
"You should rest," he told his cousin.
"I will rest when this is done," Dimitri replied.
"You can barely stand," Viktor argued.
"Then I will sit," Dimitri said stubbornly. "But I am not leaving."
I walked over to him.
"At least let me check your wounds," I said softly.
Dimitri looked at me for a moment, his hard expression softened.
"Alright," he agreed.
Viktor helped him sit on the edge of one of the vehicles.
I lifted his shirt carefully. And nearly cried at what I saw. His torso was covered in bruises. Deep purple and black marks that looked painful even from a distance.
There were cuts too, some healed, some still fresh.
"Oh Dimitri," I whispered.
"It looks worse than it feels," he lied.
"Do not do that," I said. "Do not pretend with me."
He sighed.
"It hurts," he admitted. "Everything hurts."
"We have a medic in the convoy," Viktor said. "Let me get him."
"Later," Dimitri said. "After we find…"
"Now," I interrupted firmly. "You are of no good to anyone if you collapse."
Dimitri opened his mouth to argue. But then he saw the worry and fear on my face.
"Fine," he relented. "Get the medic."
Viktor walked away.
I stayed with Dimitri, holding his hand.
"I am sorry," he said quietly.
"For what?" I asked.
"For all of this," he replied. "For dragging you into this world."
"Stop," I said. "None of this is your fault."
"Alexei is my brother," Dimitri said. "His actions are…"
"His actions are his own," I interrupted. "You are not responsible for what he chose to do."
"I should have seen it coming,"
Dimitri insisted. "I should have known he would betray me."
"How?" I asked. "He was your brother. You trusted him."
"And that trust nearly got us all killed," Dimitri said bitterly.
I cupped his face in my hands. "Look at me," I ordered.
He did.
"We are alive," I said. "All of us. You, me, Nikolai. We survived."
"Petrov did not," Dimitri said, his voice breaking.
"I know," I whispered. "And that is terrible. But you cannot carry that guilt."
"He died trying to save me," Dimitri said.
"And his sacrifice was not in vain," I replied. "You are free. We are together. That is what he would have wanted."
Dimitri pulled me close and buried his face in my neck.
I felt his shoulders shake.
He was crying silently.
I held him and let him grieve.
Viktor returned with the medic. "I will give you a moment," he said quietly, seeing Dimitri's state.
"No," Dimitri said, pulling away and wiping his eyes. "Stay. I want you here."
The medic examined Dimitri, checked his wounds, his ribs, his vitals.
"You have three broken ribs," the medic said. "Multiple contusions, signs of dehydration and malnutrition."
"Can you fix it?" Dimitri asked.
"I can stabilize you," the medic replied. "But you need proper hospital care."
"No hospitals," Dimitri said immediately.
"Dimitri…" I started.
"No hospitals," he repeated firmly. "It's too exposed."
"Then at least let me bandage your ribs," the medic said. "And get an IV started for the dehydration."
Dimitri nodded.
The medic worked quickly and efficiently.
I watched as he wrapped Dimitri's torso tightly.
Dimitri winced but did not complain.
"This will help," the medic said. "But you need to rest. No strenuous activity."
"I will rest when this is over," Dimitri said.
The medic looked at Viktor helplessly.
"He is stubborn," Viktor explained. "Always has been."
"Stubbornness will not heal broken ribs," the medic warned.
"Noted," Dimitri said. "Now go check on the others. See if anyone else needs medical attention."
The medic left, shaking his head.
"You should listen to him," I told Dimitri.
"I will," Dimitri promised.
One of Viktor's men came running over.
"Sir!" he called. "We found something!"
"What?" Dimitri asked, immediately alert.
"In the east wing," the man explained. "A room that looks like it was used recently."
"Show me," Dimitri ordered.
He tried to stand but swayed.
Viktor and I both grabbed him.
"I am fine," Dimitri insisted.
"You are not," I said. "But I know you are going anyway. So lean on me."
We walked into the villa.
The man led us to a room on the second floor.
It was small, probably a servant's quarters originally.
But someone had been living here.
There was a cot in the corner with blankets. Food wrappers were on a small table.
And on the wall were photographs. Dozens of them. All of Dimitri.
"What the hell?" Viktor muttered.
I walked closer to look at the photos.
They were taken over months, maybe years.
Dimitri at work, at home, with me, with Nikolai.
Someone had been watching him. For a long time.
"Who did this?" I asked, my voice shaking.
Dimitri was staring at the photos with a strange expression.
"I know these," he said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Viktor asked.
"These angles, these locations," Dimitri explained. "It was an inside job."
"An inside job?" Viktor asked.
"Has to be," Dimitri replied.
He walked over to the table. Among the food wrappers was a notebook.
He opened it. And his face went white.
"Dimitri?" I asked. "What is it?"
He did not answer. He just kept reading.
"Dimitri!" I said louder.
He looked up at me.
His eyes were filled with something I had never seen in a while.
Fear.
"We need to leave," he said. "Right now."
"What did you find?" Viktor demanded.
Dimitri showed him the notebook. Viktor read it and cursed.
"That is not possible," he said.
"What?" I asked frantically. "What does it say?"
Dimitri looked at me.
"It is a journal," he explained. "Written by someone who has been planning this for years."
"Planning what?" I asked.
"To dethrone Volkov family," Dimitri said.
"But who?" I asked.
Dimitri flipped to the last page and showed me.
There, written in neat handwriting, was a name.
A name that made my blood run cold. A name I recognized.
"No," I whispered. "That cannot be right."
"It is," Dimitri said grimly.
Because the name in the journal was not a stranger.
It was someone we knew.
Someone we trusted.
Someone who had been with us all along.
And according to the journal, they were not done.
Their plan was still in motion.