Chapter 135: Pancakes and Pow Wows
We drive to the restaurant and park a few blocks down. It’s extremely quiet this early in the morning and I feel a sense of foreboding as we get out of the car. It’s drizzling and the air is thick with humidity. The few people on the street don’t pay much attention to us and I recognize some of Logan’s men incognito as we get closer to a restaurant named Matryoshka.
Logan signals us to follow him to the back entrance and I notice his men standing guard. I assume they have replaced Ivanov’s goons in preparation for our arrival. My heart is pounding as we walk through a dark supply room. I look back at Derek and notice a few more of his men following us into the restaurant.
We have all the backup we could ever need and I’m praying our meeting goes well and we can rescue Felix’s brother. As we approach the dining room, I hear a gruff voice with a Russian accent speaking.
“Delicious as always, Nicholai. You are the only one who can make blinis like my mama. I will never eat breakfast anywhere else as long as I live,” Ivanov remarks and I hear him moan with pleasure. He is facing the front entrance, away from us, so he doesn’t see us approach. Logan’s men start to circle the room as we grasp our weapons at the ready.
“Viktor Ivanov, we’d like a word with you,” Logan announces. Ivanov is startled and stands abruptly from his seat, gun in hand. All of Ivanov’s men have been disarmed and the chef has a terrified expression on his face.
“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” Logan tells him, gesturing to him to put his gun down. Ivanov looks around and sees that he is trapped, so he slowly lowers his gun to the floor and kicks it over to us. His eyes widen and then narrow as he recognizes Felix.
“Have a seat, Viktor,” Felix says with a sneer.
“What is the meaning of this? You are already on my list, Felix. This means your death,” Ivanov bellows.
“Sit down. We are just going to have a little chat,” Logan says calmly but firmly.
“We can settle this like men. You came prepared, so I assume you know of my influence and manpower. You give me Felix, and I will consider not killing you and your whole family,” Ivanov says in a polite tone.
“That’s not how this works, Viktor. I could kill you and all of your men here right now. Then I won’t have any problems with you at all. You can’t run your empire if you’re dead,” Logan replies, settling back in his seat. Ivanov bristles at the threat but stays silent for a moment.
“What do you want?” Ivanov asks in an irritated tone.
“I want some answers. Word is you have Felix’s brother. I would like to know his location and something uniquely identifying to confirm it’s actually him,” Logan says.
“What do I get in return?” Ivanov asks.
“You get to enjoy the rest of your breakfast instead of me splattering your brains all over those delicious looking pancakes,” Logan replies. Ivanov’s face turns beet red and he looks like he’s going to explode in anger. Then he seems to calm down a little and gives Logan a diabolical look.
“If you kill me, you will never know where his brother is,” Ivanov says.
“You don’t know me, Viktor, so let me explain something to you. As you can see, I have many resources. I can find him. It would be easier to get the information from you, but I don’t need to. In fact, I’m getting tired of this conversation and your attitude, so I think I will cut out the middle man-” Logan says and raises his gun at Ivanov. He interrupts him by holding his hands up and shaking them wildly.
“Wait! Hold on, I will tell you. He’s being held in my warehouse a few miles from here. I can give you the address and you can confirm he’s there with my phone. It has a camera feed on it,” Ivanov quickly replies. He starts to reach into his pocket but Logan stops him.
“You think I’m stupid? I will get your phone. Felix, hold the gun to his temple and if he makes any sudden moves, shoot him,” Logan says. Felix nods and moves to Ivanov’s side, holding his gun straight and steady. Logan pulls out Ivanov’s phone and sees that it’s password protected.
“What’s the password?” Logan asks.
“1-2-3-4,” Ivanov replies.
“Seriously?” Logan says incredulously.
“I don’t have a good memory for numbers,” Ivanov replies. Logan shakes his head and opens the phone, then Ivanov instructs him which app to open to see the camera feed.
“Is this your brother?” Logan asks Felix and holds up the phone for him to see.
“Could be. It’s very grainy so I can’t say for sure,” he replies. Logan talks into a walkie talkie and gives the address of the warehouse to one of his men on the outside. Felix sits back down, still holding his gun on the overweight Russian.
“Now we will wait for confirmation,” Logan tells Ivanov. He scowls at him and then turns to Felix with an evil grin.
“Even if I can’t get to you, I’ve accomplished what I wanted anyway,” Ivanov remarks.
“What’s that?” Felix asks him suspiciously.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find the malishka?” Ivanov asks. The color drains from Felix’s face and I know that he’s referring to the little girl that Felix rescued. I see Felix change expressions in a flash from shock to horror and then to rage. He stands up and points the gun in Ivanov’s face.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?” Felix shouts in a growl. Ivanov looks satisfied with himself, like he got the last laugh after all. My stomach churns at the thought of anyone associated with this man having custody of that poor innocent child.
“I’ve done nothing. My men, however...I can’t speak for them,” Ivanov replies.
All hell breaks loose when Felix jumps on Ivanov. His men use the opportunity to try and take on Logan’s men and a chaotic dance of struggling and fighting erupts all over the restaurant. Shots ring out and Derek tackles me to the ground to shield me. I can’t see who has been shot or what’s happening and my heart is racing at the thought of Felix being hurt or killed. I hear Ivanov laugh and my stomach plummets to my knees.