75
Andrei
Oleg had taken up residence on the border between our territories.
I wasn’t there to stop the attack. Rage had gotten word to us that Demon had changed the plan, brought it forward by a day. While my wife had been hunted down, I’d been with Ivan, watching as Demon and the rest of his men took their last breath. The deal was done. Rage, while I watched, was voted by his club to take over as President of the Evil Savages MC. To start peace once again between the club and Ivan, there was going to be a wedding. Lottie would be marrying Ivan’s brigadier of choice, and as they were shaking hands, I got the call.
Leo had told me what happened. Told me his exact location where they’d been pushed off the road, but Leo hadn’t stopped. He’d followed them, giving me the place where Oleg had taken Adelaide. My wife. The love of my life.
Ivan was with me, as was Terrance and even Slavik. They were there as I watched the video Oleg sent to me. I was already near him and my grip tightened on the cell phone. My hands were still covered in blood. Ivan and Slavik said nothing to me.
“He’s dead,” I said, finally speaking up. “I don’t care what I have to do to make amends, I will kill him. He will die tonight.” He hurt Adelaide.
Ivan nodded his head. “He doesn’t know Slavik and I are with you. We will have to be careful about this.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“You want Adelaide to come out of this alive?” Ivan said.
“He wants my territory. Mine is the border between the MC, the mafia, and the Cartel. That’s what he wants. He’s probably in talks with them to broker some kind of deal.” I’d already figured out what Oleg wanted-power and money.
Attempting to remove Ivan gave him a shot at the crown, at the title of Pakhan. By taking my land, it would connect him to Ive’s, which would bind three territories to him, and a whole host of power. Slavik’s would be the hardest to take over as his was the most obscure. I guess he didn’t see Victor or Peter as any real threat.
My hands shook with anger. Adelaide had once again been hurt. I would kill everyone involved with her death, including Bethany.
It didn’t take a genius to work out that she was the one who pointed at Nathan, told of his true identity. I wonder if she even knew he was a hit man. Either way, she would have figured out he was working for us, and that would have put him in danger as well as Adelaide. Bethany was going to die today. It would seem today was a day for spilling blood. My enemy’s blood.
“I go in first and alone,” I said.
“That’s suicide,” Slavik said. “We can storm the whole building.”
“No. That would put Adelaide at risk.”
“Our main objective is to take out Oleg.”
“If Aurora was in there, would you storm the fucking building?” I snarl.
Slavik reached for his knife but I was ready and prepared.
“Enough!” Ivan yelled. “No one is dying today, apart from Oleg and those who follow him. I will not risk Adelaide. Andrei is right, he doesn’t know you and I are here. He will want to gloat, to bring Andrei to his knees, and you will let him.”
I look at Ivan.
“He needs to believe you came alone. That you are desperate for Adelaide.”
“I am,” I said, through gritted teeth. “She cannot…” I have never begged for anything in my life. I’ve always been in control, but this wasn’t about me, this was about Adelaide. “Please don’t let anything happen to her. She is … let her live in peace if I don’t make it out today.” I lifted my head and stared at Ivan. “I beg you.”
Ivan looked at me. “You really do love her.”
“She is mine.” That was all I could say. Adelaide was mine. Mine to love. Mine to cherish. Mine to honor. Mine to obey. All fucking mine. No one else’s. I was hers in every single way possible.
“Then let’s go and get your woman.”
We found Leo in a ditch, far enough away from the abandoned farm where Oleg had taken her. There was an outbuilding that had been completely rebuilt, and looked like it had been changed to have storage.
Leo was pale, bleeding badly, and I knew he wasn’t going to make it.
“I failed you.”
I took his hand within mine. His grip was weak.
“It has been an honor to serve you, Andrei,” he said.
He died right in front of me. I would take care of his family. Even though Adelaide had been taken from him, he had died serving me, and that couldn’t be ignored. If he’d gone to the hospital, there would have been a chance for him, but instead, he’d followed my wife.
Nodding at Slavik and Ivan, I expected them to do their part. I stepped away from the ditch, brushed the dirt from my body, and covered in dried blood, I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt.
I was Andrei Belov, brigadier to Ivan Volkov and husband to Adelaide. My enemies would know real pain tonight.
Approaching the building, I see three of his men tense up and point their guns at me. Linking my fingers together, I raise them behind my head and look at them dead on. They were going to die.
They approached me and started to search my body, looking for weapons. They wouldn’t find any, and they’d have to chop off my hands because my fists were all that I needed.
One of the men moved behind me, nudging at my back with his gun, forcing me inside. Entering the building, I saw that I was right. It still had the original features of a barn, but it had been converted to a storage room. There were concrete floors, high beams, and the windows were quite high as well.
I saw Adelaide on the floor and Oleg had a gun pointed at her head. I saw the bruise on her face but what surprised me was the shock in her eyes.
“I didn’t expect you so soon,” Oleg said.
“My man called me the moment you left,” I said. I tutted. “I always knew you were sloppy, Oleg, but leaving my man alive, that was your mistake.”
I tensed up as he grabbed a fistful of Adelaide’s hair and pulled her to her feet. His arm went across her neck, holding her against him. I should have known he’d make a move like that. The fucker was a coward. He’d pay for each bruise.
“You’ve got a pretty wife, Andrei. How about I fuck her right in front of you?”
This time, I went to charge forward but one of his men shoved the butt of his gun into my stomach, forcing me to my knees.
Oleg laughed. “Did you know your wife didn’t think you’d come? She doesn’t realize that you’re in love with her. That you would die for her. That you would give up your entire territory for her.”
I lifted my head but I didn’t look at Oleg, I stared at Adelaide.
“Andrei, please?”
“I am in love with you, Adelaide. I have been for a long time,” I said.
She gasped.
“The moment Ivan gave you to me was the happiest fucking day of my life.” I turned to Bethany and snorted. “Still enjoying my sloppy seconds, I see. Trust me, the only thing she can do is suck dick.”
“Fuck you, you piece of shit. You didn’t even want a piece of this.”
“Exactly, you weren’t worth using,” I said, but I had also just gotten Bethany to admit in front of her sister that I had never slept with her, nor would I ever.
Turning to Oleg, I wait. “What do you want?” I asked.
“I want you to kill yourself.”
“Too much of a fucking coward to do it yourself?” I asked.
“Oh, no, I want Adelaide to know how much you love her, what you’re willing to do for her. How low you’re willing to go. Take off your shirt.”
“Andrei, please don’t.”
I unbuttoned my shirt and a knife was tossed in my direction. Picking up the knife, I looked at Adelaide. I hold the knife to the flesh of my arm, and slice down. There’s pain, but I don’t show any.
“We met before,” I said. “A few years before you became my wife. I had been in a fight, I was cut, and hurt. You were with some nurses, helping the homeless, and I had stopped to rest. You came to me, Adelaide. You helped me when no one else did, and I fell in love with you then. You wanted me to go to the hospital. You feared what would happen to the wound if I didn’t.”
“That was you?” she asked.
I nodded. “I love you, Adelaide, completely.”
“Then stab yourself,” Oleg said. “Show how pathetic Ivan Volkov’s men are. Let me see how weak you are.”
I lifted the knife, ready to plunge it into my body. I knew where to hit so it wouldn’t damage any organs or risk my life, but I didn’t need to.
Slavik and Ivan stormed into the building and I chose the commotion to charge forward, taking Oleg down. Adelaide fell and even as I wanted to go to her, I couldn’t. Punching Oleg, I landed blow after blow. He didn’t get a single chance to hit me back.
Suddenly, a scream erupted in the air, stopping me. Oleg shoved me back. He was too weak for me to care about, but I saw that Bethany had grabbed my wife by her hair and pointed a very shaking gun at her head.
“She will die if you don’t do as I say,” Bethany said.
Her pupils were dilated. She was high on drugs and her hand shook so damn badly.
Adelaide’s gaze was on me. Every now and then, she had no choice but to close her eyes because of the grip Bethany had.
I was trying to figure out how to save Adelaide, when I noticed her arm. Her hands were still tied together, but she shoved her elbow, jarring her sister in the ribs, causing Bethany to stumble. There wasn’t much time. The gun dropped to the floor, and Adelaide was able to overpower Bethany.
I grabbed the gun, shot Oleg between the eyes, and then pointed the gun at Bethany. I knew if I didn’t kill her sister right then and there, she would keep coming after Adelaide. I made the decision.
Adelaide could hate me, but enough pain and heartache had come to her life. With a single shot, I ended Bethany, right between the brows.
Adelaide, covered in blood, gasped and quickly jerked away from her sister. She got to her feet and turned to look at me. Her eyes were wide, but she rushed and stumbled against me. She collapsed in my arms, tried to hold onto me, but the rope around her wrists stopped her. Ivan handed me a knife, and I sliced through the rope. She wrapped her arms around me, and I held her tightly.
“I love you,” she said. “I love you so much but I was so afraid to tell you.” She started to sob.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.
“I had to kill her,” I said. “She was going to keep coming after you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t care.” She pulled away and held up my arms. “You didn’t have to do this.”
I cupped her face, tilting her head back. “Don’t you realize it yet?” I asked. “I love you. I will do anything for you. No matter what.”
“Well, that was rather … fucking boring,” Ivan said. He tutted and then looked to Nathan. “I better deal with him.”
“Why is Nathan here?” Adelaide asked.
“That’s a long fucking story.”
“I have all day until we get home.”
Home sounded so good right now.