Chapter 96 Chapter 96
CHAPTER NINETY-SIX
Dimitri
I sat alone in the hospital corridor with my head was in my hands.
Irina was gone. Just like that.
She had taken our son and left.
And I had no idea where she went.
"Dimitri," a voice said.
I looked up to see Mikhail standing there.
He was leaning heavily on a cane.
"You should be resting," I said, my voice tired.
"And you should be finding your wife," Mikhail replied. "Instead of sitting here feeling sorry for yourself."
"I do not know where to look," I admitted.
"Have you tried calling her?" Mikhail asked.
"Fourteen times," I said. "She is not answering."
"What about the tracking chip?" Mikhail suggested.
"She must have found it," I replied. "The signal is gone."
Mikhail sat down beside me with a grunt of pain.
"You need to fix this," he said simply.
"I know," I replied. "But I do not know how."
"Start by admitting you were wrong," Mikhail suggested.
"I was not wrong," I said defensively. "Alexei deserved what he got."
"Did he?" Mikhail asked. "Or did you just lose control?"
I did not answer.
Because deep down I knew the truth. I had lost control.
And Irina had seen it.
"I am becoming like him," I whispered. "I'm becoming like Alexei."
"Yes," Mikhail agreed. "You are."
His blunt words stung.
"But you do not have to stay that way," Mikhail continued. "You can change."
"How?" I asked desperately.
"By admitting you have a problem," Mikhail said. "And getting help."
"Help?" I repeated.
"Therapy," Mikhail suggested. "Everything that had happened must have been eating you up gradually. Alexei raped your lover, she got pregnant for him. He kidnapped her, you had an accident, lost your memory and now this? For a young man like you, this is too much."
"I am a mafia boss," I said. "I cannot see a therapist."
"Why not?" Mikhail challenged. "Your grandfather did."
I looked at him in shock.
"My grandfather?" I repeated.
"Yes," Mikhail confirmed. "After your grandmother died, he could not cope. He saw a therapist for years," Mikhail explained. "It saved his life."
I had never known that.
"So you see," Mikhail said. "Even the strongest men need help sometimes."
"But what about Irina?" I asked. "She is already gone."
"Then bring her back," Mikhail said simply.
"She does not want to come back," I replied bitterly.
"Then make her want to," Mikhail suggested.
"How?" I demanded.
"Show her you are not your brother," Mikhail said. "Show her you are you. The man she fell in love with."
"And what if it doesn't work?" I asked.
"Then you let her go," Mikhail replied quietly. "If you truly love her, you let her be happy."
The thought made my chest hurt.
Let Irina go?
I could not imagine my life without her.
"I need to find her first," I said standing up.
"Where will you look?" Mikhail asked.
"Everywhere," I replied. "I will search every city in Russia if I have to."
"That could take months," Mikhail pointed out.
"Then it takes months," I said. "I am not giving up on her."
Mikhail smiled slightly.
"Good," he said. "That is the man your mother raised."
"Thank you for everything." I said.
"Just bring your family home," Mikhail replied.
I nodded and started walking away.
"Dimitri," Mikhail called.
I turned back.
"What about Alexei?" He asked carefully.
I felt that familiar rage start to build.
"What about him?" I asked coldly.
"He is still your brother," Mikhail reminded me.
"He is the reason Irina left," I said bitterly.
"No," Mikhail corrected. "You are the reason she left."
His words hit me like a slap.
"You need to make peace with Alexei," Mikhail continued. "Before this hatred destroys you."
"He does not deserve my peace," I said.
"Maybe not," Mikhail agreed. "But you deserve it."
I did not respond. I just walked away and went to my office at the estate.
Sergei was already there waiting.
"Dmitri," he said. "I heard about Irina."
"Help me find her," I ordered.
"Already on it," Sergei replied. "I have men checking all the train stations, bus terminals, and airports."
"Good," I said. "What else?"
"I checked with the hospital," Sergei continued. "A nurse saw her get into a taxi."
"Which company?" I demanded.
"Working on it," Sergei said.
My phone rang. It was unknown number.
I answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"Dimitri Volkov," a man's voice said.
"Who is this?" I demanded.
"Someone who knows where your wife is," the voice replied.
My blood ran cold.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"Safe," the voice said. "For now."
"What do you want?" I demanded.
"We should meet to discuss terms." The voice suggested.
"Terms for what?" I asked.
"For her return," the voice said simply.
"If you hurt her..." I started.
"I have not touched her yet." The voice interrupted.
Rage exploded inside me.
"I will kill you," I promised.
"No you will not," the voice said calmly. "Because if you do, you will never see your family again."
"Tomorrow night," the voice continued. "Meet me by midnight at the old docks. Come alone," the voice warned. "Or everyone dies."
The call ended.
What does he mean by everyone?
I sat there staring at my phone.
Irina was gone.
My son was gone.
And I had no idea who had taken them.
"Dmitri?" Sergei asked. "What happened?"
"They have them," I said numbly. "Irina and the baby."
"Who has them?" Sergei demanded.
"I do not know," I admitted. "But I am going to find out."
"Get me everything on the old docks," I ordered. "Maps, escape routes, everything."
"You cannot go alone," Sergei protested.
"I have to," I replied. "They said come alone or everyone dies."
"It is a trap," Sergei said.
"I know," I agreed. "But what choice do I have?"
Sergei was quiet.
"Get me weapons," I ordered. "As many as I can hide."
"Yes," Sergei
said.
As he left I walked to the window.
Somewhere out there Irina was being held.
She thought she had escaped.
But she had just traded one prison for another.
And this time it was my fault.
If I had controlled my temper.
If I had not hit Alexei.
She never would have left.
"I am coming," I whispered to the darkness. "Just hold on."
My phone buzzed with a text from the same unknown number.
I opened it and my heart stopped.
It was a photo of Irina tied to a chair with a gun to her head.
And the message below said. "Tick tock.”