Downswing Page 24

  “I am deeply sorry for the part I played in this, D’yavol.” Leonid’s face grew serious, and he stood to his full, towering height. He heaved a sigh, striding forward and pulling Hound off of the unconscious Anton. Hound gave a scream of rage, her face contorting into a crazed mask. She whipped her head back at Leonid, but he dodged it swiftly, pinning her arms to her sides and yanking her hair back with his teeth. Her head whipped back, this time not of her own volition, and we all watched in surprise as Hound’s unfocused gaze slowly came back to the present to sharpen on our small group. I saw her flare of dislike as soon as she recognized me, but she simply let out a tired sigh.

  “I’m back, Leo. You can let go now.”

  Leonid slowly let Hound slide down his body, releasing her hair from his mouth and letting his hands fall back to his sides. Hound stood on her own feet, taking a deep breath before blinking the room into focus.

  “Where is my Foxy?” Hound asked, blinking her crazed eyes at me. Blood coated her fists, and was smeared across her arms, face and neck. In that moment, she truly was the madwoman of every man’s nightmare.

  “She is safe at the compound.” I grunted.

  “You left her alone? Aren’t you her bodyguard?” Hound asked, as if she was only mildly curious. But I saw her swollen fists clench, and her gaze narrowed slightly.

  “Yes. Which is why this shit ends now.” I said simply, looking back to Silas and giving a firm nod. The Frenchman stepped forward gracefully, rolling his head on his shoulders. He sidled up gracefully to the unconscious Anton and climbed onto the man’s lap. I heard Cin give a growl behind me, but we all ignored him. Silas leaned forward sensuously, his lips brushing the man’s ear.

  “Time to rise, branleur.” Silas whispered huskily, calling the man a wanker in his native tongue. His long, graceful fingers slid over the man’s legs, his thumb coming to rest on the inside of each one of his thighs. Silas pressed down firmly, and the man came awake with a scream of pain that was so excruciating, my eardrums vibrated.

  We’ve only just begun, motherfucker.

  Anton babbled incoherently, pleading with Silas, struggling against his bonds so fiercely the rope cut through skin. Silas merely shushed the man, his lips still pressed against the man’s ear.

  “Tell me what information you gave Korol about Downswing.” Silas whispered, nuzzling Anton’s ear as if he was a lover. Cin’s growl became louder, but again, we all ignored him.

  “I-I swear. I know nothing.” Anton whispered brokenly, coughing up blood as he spoke.

  “I asked you a question. I want the right answer.” Silas murmured, sliding his hands up the man’s body to just below his navel. Silas twisted his fingers into the flesh there, and Anton let out a blood-curdling scream of agony.

  Once Silas relaxed his hand, Anton started to sing for us.

  “P-p-please. I-I was told to alert Korol’s man if I saw D’yavol. That was all I did. I swear. I swear.”

  “How long ago were you approached to watch for me?” I rumbled, fury riding me hard.

  “Answer him quickly.” Silas whispered, moving his hands up Anton’s diaphragm and twisting his fingers into the skin there. Anton tried to scream, but no sound emerged. His throat worked silently, small grunting sounds the only thing that managed to escape his throat. After a minute, Silas relaxed his fingers, and Anton sagged forward.

  “Last week.” Anton’s voice contained no emotion. No fear, no desperation, no plea. His spirit was breaking down quickly, and I nodded my pleasure to Silas.

  “Who approached you?” Masamune asked.

  “K-Korol’s right-hand. A man named Alexei.” Anton whispered.

  “What was his request? The exact words, motherfucker.” Cin growled, still watching in fury as Silas’s lips rubbed against Anton’s ear.

  “M-my instructions were to send a signal to his phone when I saw D’yavol again. He- he said I was to tell the other clubs in the area to be on the lookout. He promised to wipe away my gambling debts that Korol holds if I did this.”

  “The owner of your club, along with all others in that part of the city, are under my jurisdiction. I pay you all handsomely to be a safe zone. Do you know what you have done, betraying me and endangering someone that I promised safe passage to?” Leonid stepped forward slowly. His usually booming voice was as soft as a whisper, and Silas slid slowly from the man’s lap, his job done.

  Leonid simply stared down at Anton, the bar manager who had betrayed him. He, who was one of the most dangerous men in the world. Anton didn’t answer, merely sat broken in the wooden chair, naked as the day he was born, and doomed to die that way.

  “I want the names of everyone you asked to assist you in this. Even those who denied you. They are just as guilty as you for not telling me of this betrayal.” Leonid said just as softly, and the man gave a broken whimper.

  The door to the shed opened, and Gregor slid in, his eyes zeroing in on Hound.

  “My lady, a moment, if you please.”

  Hound pouted, but nodded all the same, stepping out from the shed with Gregor.

  I turned to Leonid, who was staring at me with a blank expression that terrified me.

  “I… am sorry, D’yavol.” Leonid said finally, bowing his head. “I promised you and your mistress safe passage, and instead uncovered a dog who bites the hand who feeds him. You have my deepest apologies.” He stuck his hand out, his head still bowed deeply.

  Pausing for a moment, I finally heaved a sigh, stepping forward to grasp his hand in my own and giving it a firm shake.

  “Emilia would tell me to say that we hold no ill will towards you and your group, Leonid. Though the situation is unfortunate, I should have anticipated Alexei attempting to smoke me out of hiding.”

  “Yes, you do know Alexei better than most, don’t you, D’yavol?” Leonid asked quietly, and my eyes shot to his. I felt my jaw tighten painfully, and a vein in my head pop out. I tightened my hand around Leonid’s, fury riding me so hard I was coming apart at the seams.

  “Does Emilia know?” Leonid asked quietly, loud enough for my ears alone. My lips curled back in a silent snarl, and Leonid merely pursed his lips, nodding.

  “Your secret is safe with me, prints.” Leonid murmured, dropping his gaze and my hand at the same time. I reigned in my rage, turning back to my companions, who were gathered in front of Anton, talking quietly amongst themselves.

  “We’re leaving. Tonight. Let’s move out.” I barked. Masamune and Silas nodded, straightening and moving to exit the shed. Cin grumbled, glaring back at Anton, almost as if the thought of leaving the man alive after Silas had touched him was killing him.

  “Safe travels, D’yavol. I am sure we will see each other again very soon.” Leonid said softly, right before I slammed the shed door behind me.

  • • •

  Leonid stood in the shed, heaving a sigh after watching the infuriated Viktor stomp out. Sparing not a glance for the man who had begun to quietly sob, Leonid simply sat back down at the small table, sipping his lukewarm tea. He sat there for a moment, contemplating the information that he had learned about D’yavol and his true connection to Korol and his right-hand man, Alexei. Little had Viktor known, Leonid was looking for confirmation of the information, and the man had given it to him in spades from his reaction to Leonid’s telling question.

  Interesting development, indeed.

  Leonid went to take another long sip of tea when the door to the shed was flung open. Alex rushed in, her wild strawberry hair tousled and her expression haggard.

  “Where is the ugly gorilla?” She demanded loudly, her voice unsteady. Leonid frowned, setting his cup down.

  “He just departed. What-”

  “Where the fuck is Ethyn?” She screeched the question at him, clutching a manila folder to her chest with a white-knuckle grip.

  “He is inside, myshka.” Leonid said, his frown deepening further. “Why are you so upset?”

  “Did you give him the order to kill the men I
asked you about?” Alex was breathing heavy, her usually unfocused gaze sharpened to a fine point of rage. Leonid rarely saw her like this, the madness she usually presented to the world absent and her expression hardened into that of a killer. Leonid went to answer but was cut off by a silky voice from the doorway.

  “Those men did not die by my hand, Hound.”

  Ethyn leaned languidly against the doorframe, his eyes hooded, and his lips tilted in a secret smile. Alex turned swiftly, throwing the file at him in a rage.

  “This has your signature written all over it, motherfucker. What have you done?” Alex demanded in a voice gone deadly quiet. Her face twitched, and her eyes zeroed in on the Frenchman as she pointed to the photos that had spilled from the folder. Leonid looked down, and felt his breath catch at the sight that greeted him.

  The five men that Alex had asked him to investigate for Emilia lay before him. In each of the photos, the men who had assaulted Silas Deveroux three years ago, the ones who Emilia was hellbent on getting her revenge on, were dead. They lay on the ground, looking as if they were about to be laid to rest in the earth, their bodies stiff, their hands crossed over their chests. Their faces, however, told a different story. Each of the men’s mouths were open in a silent scream, their eyes frozen forever in terror, their faces contorted horrendously from whatever pain was inflicted upon them before death.

  And clutched in each of their fists, laid right against their hearts, was a white lily.

  Leonid couldn’t suppress a shiver at the sight. But then he looked to the side of each lily, where something was written in blood above each of the victim’s hearts. Leonid squinted, trying to make out what the script said-

  And his blood ran cold.

  “What have you done?” Leonid whispered.

  Ethyn unfolded himself from the doorframe, standing tall and proud. His mocking smile melted from his face, and his mismatched eyes met Leonid’s in a cold, hard stare.

  “She was spiraling. If I had not made the call, she would have lost the game before she even played her hand. Korol has her spirit in his grasp, there was no other choice. I did it for her. For you.” Ethyn’s eyes slid back to Alex as he said the last part.

  Alex began to breathe heavy, her body shaking as she stared at the Frenchman in horror.

  “No.” Alex moaned, dropping to her knees. “No, no, what have you done. What have you done?!”

  “There is only one way to set her spirit free.” Ethyn said quietly. And the formidable Frenchman who was known throughout the criminal underworld for never showing fear in the face of his enemies, the man who laughed in the face of depravity and terror and spit at death itself… raised eyes full of terror to Leonid.

  “And that is to break it.”

  • • •

  Pomest'ye Korol

  At that exact moment

  “Korol.”

  Zakhar looked up from the mail he was reviewing to see Alexei standing in the doorway to his private study. He waved his trusted bodyguard inside, setting the mail down. Alexei looked tense, and he clutched a manila envelope close to his chest. Zakhar narrowed his eyes on the man whom he had known for the entirety of his life.

  “What is it, Alexei?”

  Alexei didn’t answer him. He set the file on the table and opened it, spreading the pictures inside out on Zakhar’s desk. Zakhar looked down in confusion, and his heart stopped in his chest.

  “What is this?” He breathed.

  “These were the men that Emilia was planning to murder.”

  Zakhar felt his breath catch. His blood curdled in his veins, and he felt the room tilt. He stared at the photos, willing them to be anything but what they were. But as the white lilies danced in his vision from each of the five photos, Zakhar felt his stomach drop to his feet and his heart stop as he realized he knew exactly what this meant.

  The writing in blood above each of the victim’s hearts confirmed it.

  No.

  NO.

  “I have doubled the guards, Korol. You will have a round-the-clock sentry posted outside your door. We need to move-”

  “She hasn’t come for me.”

  Alexei frowned at the whispered words from Korol, confusion clear on his face. Zakhar gave a bellow of unadulterated rage, swiping his arm across his desk, scattering the photos everywhere. Alexei sucked in a shocked breath and watched as his leader- his king- turned to him, anguish and rage clear in every line of his body.

  “You need to go to Emilia. Now.”

  “What? We said we were not moving against her until the time was right-” Alexei began, but was cut off by Korol coming around his desk, grabbing him by the front of shirt and thrusting his red face against Alexei’s.

  “Go to her compound. NOW. We have to find her, we have to get her out of there-”

  “Korol, we need to be rational. Emilia has a small army-”

  Zakhar slapped Alexei across the face swiftly, shutting the other man up instantly. Alexei turned back to his leader, his expression completely blank.

  “What is happening, Z?” Alexei asked softly, using the nickname from a long-forgotten past. At the sound of his childhood nickname from his half-brother’s lips, Zakhar crumpled against the desk, his head falling into his hands. He held back the tears by sheer force of will, his voice coming out small and broken as he answered Alexei’s question.

  “She has come for her, Al. She has come for my Emilia. Please, please, brother. Go get my Emilia back for me.”

  Zakhar raised his eyes back up to his half-brother, his eyes so full of pain, Alexei couldn’t help but gasp.

  “Before she breaks her.”

  • • •

  Viktor

  “We are sad to see you go. But we will see you again soon, D’yavol.” James, another of Leonid’s trusted personal bodyguards smiled sadly at me and shook my hand. I nodded back to him, waiting for Cin, Masamune, and Silas’s hoods to be removed. We had arrived back at our compound, and I was eager to get Emilia and the rest of Downswing out of my mother country as soon as possible.

  “Thank you, James. We will be in touch.” I said curtly, my mind already going over our evacuation plans. Mark, my second-in-command for security, had come down to meet me and nodded to James before giving his report while I was away. I didn’t wait for the others to catch up as I stormed inside.

  “Mark, we are leaving now. Get Maya and the rest of the kitchen staff ready to head out immediately and relay the new plan of evacuation to the rest of staff. Dismissed.” I said shortly, my feet already taking me to the front parlor. I walked in and came to a stop right inside the door.

  Downswing was waiting for me. I raised an eyebrow at the fact every single member of our team looked like they were ready to move on a moment’s notice.

  “We figured the news wouldn’t be great, boy-o. Meiling sent Emilia up to her rooms to get ready to evacuate shortly after you left. Ludo’s up there with her now, helping her pack.” Kiernan said simply, shrugging. “Me boys are already at the docks, getting the ship ready. Traveling by boat will be less conspicuous and allow us more space for everyone aboard.”

  I looked around the room and took a moment to study our group. Fritz, Kiernan, Jazz, and Meiling stared back at me grimly. Roy was there with Kamili, who stood at the desk and was cleaning her newly acquired sniper rifle. She nodded grimly to me, and though she was still so young, I knew I could count on her to keep our mistress safe. There wasn’t one person in the group that had been forged by Emilia that I wouldn’t trust with my life.

  Well, not that I give a fuck about my life most days. But still. They’re proficient people.

  A slight smile tugging at my lips, I turned to see Cin and Silas had joined us and were leaning against the doorframe. They each cocked an expectant eyebrow at me, and I huffed out a grateful breath.

  “I know I don’t say this enough- Kapitan says I am incapable of being pleasant- but you are the most competent soldiers I have ever worked with.” I stated matter-of-factly, t
hough the praise felt unfamiliar leaving my lips. Identical looks of shock stared back at me from around the room, before everyone snorted in amusement.

  “D’yavol, don’t give compliments. You so bad at it.” Meiling said, though her lips tilted up in a genuine smile.

  “All right, all right.” I said, rolling my eyes. “Enough fun and games, let’s get-”

  “Viktor.”

  I turned sharply to see Masamune striding into the room, his usually impassive face reflecting tension.

  “The Usami sisters are bringing a captive back to the compound. They removed all tracking devices from his person. He was trying to get a message to us through the club we visited where Anton worked. Apparently, he has information regarding Emilia that he will only share with her. And it is life-or-death, or so he claims. And the Usamis believe him.”

  “Who?” I ground out. Just as I asked the question, there was a commotion at the front door, with muffled curses and low-voiced threats. Footsteps echoed, and Mark was suddenly at the parlor entrance. His expression betrayed his anger and bewilderment.

  “D’yavol.” Mark said, his jaw tense. “The Usami sisters insist you need to hear what he has to say.”

  Mark stepped aside and in strode the deadly Usami sisters. Between them stood a tall, slim man whose wrists were bound behind his back, with a black hood over his head. His labored breathing and tattered clothing suggested that the Usami sisters had interrogated him thoroughly before bringing him back to me. Misaki whipped the hood off, and my jaw almost dropped at the man who was shoved to his knees by Mari.

  Alexei, Korol’s right-hand man and faithful bodyguard, stared up at me with those eerie, amber eyes that I hated more than my own reflection.

  He spat out blood on the carpet, swiping his busted lip with his tongue before he spoke.

  “Bratik.” Alexei breathed. At the long-forgotten endearment, red swam in my vision, and before I could think twice, I reached out and back-handed him across the face. I heard a gasp behind me that must have come from Kamili, but she quickly stifled any other commentary.

  “Do not ever call me that again.” I snarled in Russian right against Alexei’s ear. He spat out more blood, before slowly turning his head back to me. Switching to English, Alexei went on in a quiet voice.