Chapter 76 Nikolai
They beat me until I could barely stand.
Every punch. Every kick. Every strike with the metal rod felt like it was breaking me piece by piece. I could no longer fight. I had to beg.
"Please," I begged through broken teeth. "Please. I did not do this. I swear to you. I did not kill him."
They dragged me down to the basement, threw me in a cell and chained my wrists to the wall.
"The council will be here in a few hours," one guard said. "Then you will face judgment."
"I did not kill him," I said again. My voice was weak.
"Tell that to the council, maybe they will believe you." He laughed. "Or maybe they will just execute you on the spot."
They left and slammed the door shut.
I hung there. Blood dripped from my face. My ribs were broken. My body was shattered.
But none of it mattered.
Anya's brother was dead.
Will she believe I murdered him?
How had it come to this?
I should have found Dmitri sooner. But I did not. And now Dmitri is dead.
And I was being framed for his murder.
Ivanov had planned this perfectly.
The evidence. The witness. The weapon. All of it pointed to me. And there was nothing I could do to prove my innocence.
Time passed. I did not know how long.
Finally, the door opened.
Mikhail stood there. His face was pale.
"Pakhan," he whispered. "I am so sorry. I tried to stop them. But Ivanov has the council on his side."
"Did you bring the girl? Ivanov's daughter?"
"She arrived an hour ago. But Ivanov already knows. He has her locked up in another wing. We cannot get to her."
"Then it is over."
"No. Not yet. We still have options."
"What options? Anya believes I am a murderer. The council is here to judge me. Ivanov has won."
Mikhail grabbed my shoulders. "Listen to me. You did not kill Dmitri. We both know that. We just need to prove it."
"How? Ivanov fabricated everything. The evidence is perfect."
"There has to be something. Some flaw in his story. Some inconsistency."
"Even if there is, who will believe us? The council is corrupt. They work for whoever pays them the most. And Ivanov has deep pockets."
"Then we’ll force them to see the truth."
"How?"
Before Mikhail could answer, guards burst in.
"Time is up. The council is ready."
They unchained me and dragged me out of the cell.
My legs barely worked. My vision blurred. But I forced myself to stand.
They brought me upstairs to a large hall.
Twelve men sat at a long table. The council of families. The powerful men in Russia. And at the head of the table sat Ivanov, smiling.
It was supposed to be me sitting at that table, but I had signed it away on a piece of paper.
Now every family in Moscow answers to Ivanov.
"Bring in the accused," one of the council members said.
They pushed me forward. I stumbled and fell to my knees.
"Nikolai Markov," the council member continued. "You stand accused of the murder of Dmitri Koslov. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty," I said. My voice was hoarse. "I did not kill him."
"The evidence says otherwise."
"The evidence is fabricated. By Alexei Ivanov. He killed Dmitri. Not me."
Ivanov stood up. "That is a serious accusation, Markov. Do you have proof?"
"Do you? Show me the body. Let me see Dmitri's corpse. Let a neutral medical examiner verify the cause of death."
"The body has already been cremated. As per protocol."
"How convenient," I spat blood on the floor. "You killed him. Then you burned the evidence. And now you are framing me."
"I have witnesses. I have forensics. I have your own weapon covered in his blood. What do you have?"
"The truth."
"The truth is worth nothing without proof."
One of the council members spoke up. "Mr. Ivanov. You say you have the murder weapon?"
"Yes. A knife. Recovered from my factory where Dmitri worked. Dmitri's blood was on the blade. And Markov's fingerprints."
"Bring it forward."
A guard brought out a sealed evidence bag. Inside was my knife. The one I always carried.
Fuck.
"That is my knife," I said. "But I lost it weeks ago."
"So you admit it is yours?" The council member asked.
"Yes. But I did not use it to kill Dmitri. Someone stole it and planted it at the scene."
"Who would do such a thing?"
"Ivanov! He has been planning this from the beginning! He wanted my empire! So he took Dmitri! Killed him! And framed me!"
"These are wild accusations," another council member said. "Do you have any evidence to support them?"
"I have Boris. My information broker. He can testify that Ivanov has been collecting dirt on me. Building a file. He’s been planning this for months!"
"Where is this Boris?"
"He’s dead. Killed by Ivanov to cover his tracks."
"So you have no witnesses. No evidence. Just accusations."
"I have the truth!"
"The truth is you killed Dmitri Koslov. The evidence is overwhelming. The council finds you guilty."
"No!" I shouted. "I did not kill him! I swear on everything I have! I did not kill him!"
"Your swearing means nothing," Ivanov said. "You are a liar. A murderer. And now you will pay for your crimes."
"Then let Anya decide! Let her judge me! She knows me better than anyone!"
"Very well." Ivanov turned to the guards. "Bring in Anya Koslov."
They left and came back a few minutes later with Anya.
She looked broken. Her eyes were red from crying. Her face was pale.
"Anya," I said. My voice cracked. "Please. You have to believe me. I did not kill Dmitri. I would never hurt him."
She looked at me. But there was no warmth in her eyes. Only emptiness.
"The evidence says you did." Her voice cracked.
My heart shattered. "The evidence is a lie! Ivanov planted it! He is using you! Using your grief to destroy me!"
"He showed me everything. The photographs. The weapon. The witness statement. All of it points to you."
"Because he fabricated it! Please, Anya. Think about it. Why would I kill Dmitri? What would I gain?" I was crying now.
"You must have hated him because I chose him over you."
The words stabbed like knives.
"Is that what you think of me? That I am that heartless? That I am that cruel?"
"I do not know what to think anymore. I thought I knew you. But maybe I never did."
"Anya, please. I love you. I would never hurt you like this."
"You already did. By failing to save him. And then killinghim to hide your failure."
"I did not fail him! Ivanov killed him! And now he is making you believe I did it!"
"Then prove it! Show me proof! Something. Anything!"
I had nothing. No evidence. No witnesses.
"I cannot," I whispered. "I have nothing to prove my innocence. Only my words."
"Your words mean nothing to me anymore."
She turned away and walked to her seat.
And I felt my world collapse.
"The council has reached a verdict," the head council member said. "Nikolai Markov. You are found guilty of the murder of Dmitri Koslov. The sentence is death. To be carried out immediately."
"Wait!" Mikhail shouted. He ran forward. "You cannot do this! He is innocent!"
"The evidence says otherwise. Guards. Restrain him!" Ivanov ordered.
They grabbed Mikhail and held him back.
"Pakhan!" He struggled. "Fight! Do not let them do this!"
But I had no strength left to fight.
Anya believed I was a murderer. And nothing I said would change her mind.
"Any last words?" The council member asked.
I looked at Anya one more time. "I love you. And I'm sorry I could not save Dmitri. But I swear on my life. I did not kill him."
She said nothing. She just stared at the floor.
"Very well. Guards. Prepare the execution."
They dragged me to the center of the room and forced me to my knees. One guard pulled out a gun and pressed it against the back of my head.
"Wait!" A voice shouted.
Everyone turned.
A young girl stood in the doorway.
She was wearing a servants’ uniform.
"I need to tell you something about Dmitri Koslov’s death." Her voice shook.
Ivanov's face went white. "How did you get in here?"
"I was there the day he died. I saw everything."