I worked on breathing, releasing the knuckle-dusters from my hands. Zaal walked back through his men. Avto rushed forward, and with Zaal standing at the front each of the men, one by one, came forward and kissed Zaal’s hand to pledge his loyalty.
When the last man had bowed at Zaal’s feet, Zaal ordered them to gather around closely. I moved beside him. Zaal’s body was still tense when he said, “You will have two days to gather your things and move to Brighton Beach. Avto will be given the assignment of houses and place you in your positions of work.” The men all nodded.
“Then our priority will be finding my sister. Starting with any information we can find about the Georgians that have recently moved into town.”
Zaal had opened his mouth to speak again when a male, about thirty years old, raised his hand. “Lideri,” he said timidly, “I currently work here on the docks. My father, who has not long passed, placed us here years ago to watch out for any signs of our enemies. The Jakhuas.”
“And?” Zaal pushed.
“I saw Jakhua when he came back last year. He stayed in a house not too far from the docks. I didn’t see you, Lideri, but I saw him. My cousin”—he pointed to a man across the room—“my cousin works at the airfield, refueling the planes. He was there weeks ago when a private plane landed.”
I focused on the cousin and asked, “Who was in it?”
I’d spoken to him in Georgian, and stepping forward the male said, “There was a woman that dressed in all black, with what looked like a private protection of men, dressed in black, too.” He shook his head. “But there was also someone else. A hugely built man that was dressed all in black, a hood covering his head. But it was strange. He looked like he was their captive. The men were pushing him by his arms, his wrists cuffed behind his back.”
The male shook his head and raised his hand to his throat. “I saw a quick glimpse of his face when he passed. He didn’t look Georgian.” The male pointed at me. “He looked more Russian, like the knyaz. But what was strange was that he had a metal collar around his neck. He had a number of scars that were slashed down and across his face. He was the scariest motherfucker I’ve ever seen in my life.” The male looked to his cousin, then back to us. “His sweatshirt was open, and across his chest he had a tattoo. It was a number, one nine … something else. It just all seemed really weird.”
My eyes snapped to Zaal, but Zaal was already watching me. I knew what he was thinking. Who the hell was the male? If he had a tattoo, he was a slave to someone. He was one of us. Ice filled my veins when Kisa’s words from earlier circled my head: I have this awful feeling that there is more still to come. Nothing about this entire situation feels right. Right now I was having the same damn feeling.
Zaal looked to the male who’d first spoken, and said, “Why did you mention Jakhua to me?”
The male’s eyes widened, but he explained, “My cousin, before he worked at the airfield, worked with me at the docks. He recognized the woman from the plane, as the woman that would frequently visit Jakhua at the docks.”
Zaal’s hands balled at his sides. Seeing the brother about to lose it, I flicked my chin to Avto and said, “Take the men away. Have them moved to Brighton Beach as soon as possible.”
The men looked confused but left the room following behind Avto. When the door shut, Zaal threw his head back and screamed out. I stood beside him, waiting for him to calm down. Instead he paced.
“A female that knew Jakhua!” he spat, his voice low and rough. “The Pakhan was right. The Jakhuas had someone coming for me, and instead they have taken Zoya. They’ve taken my fucking sister!” Zaal panted, and his hands ripped open his jacket and he threw it to the floor. He loosened his tie and, turning to the nearest wall, sent his hand plowing through the wood.
“Even from death that cunt is destroying my family!” He stopped, then faced me. “And the slave with a tattooed number across his chest? Who the hell is that? Did Jakhua have more than me? Or does he belong to this female that dresses in black?”
I shrugged. “Jakhua only had you that I knew of. But I didn’t know you even existed until months after I was freed. It makes sense that there’s more of us still out there in the world.”
“And he has Zoya? A trained killer like you and me has my sister!”
Walking forward, I took Zaal by his arms. He stopped, and I said, “We have a lead. We have a description. We have a link to Jakhua. That’s something. We take this information. We take my men and your men, and we get our ears to the ground.”
Zaal’s face contorted, and he said, “She is my little sister. All the blood I have left. Blood I thought I had lost forever.”
“I know,” I said, and stepped away. “So use that fuel to find this bitch that’s taken her from you. Use that anger and fury to tear these newcomers apart.”
A cold, dark look spread across Zaal’s face, and he held out his hand. “We take them down,” he said. “When we find them, it is you and I against them, killing them in the only way we know how.”
My blood spiked with fire, and slapping my palm against Zaal’s I nodded my head. “We’ll slaughter, we’ll maim—”
“And we’ll fucking kill,” Zaal added with a cold smile.
We shook our hands, cementing the deal.
Then we got to work.
16
VALENTIN
I blinked, and blinked again, as Mistress’s face snapped away from glaring at Zoya and focused back on mine. Her look at my kotyonok sent a wave of possessiveness flooding through my body. I moved directly in her path, blocking Zoya from sight.
Mistress’s dark eyes blazed with anger, and her gaze dropped to my neck. Her lips twitched and she lifted her hand to the Wraiths standing behind. “Take him and his whore to the van.”
Fear for Zoya took hold as a Wraith reached forward for her and gripped her by the arm. Raising my hand, I balled it into a fist and hit the Wraith’s arm. He bit out in pain and withdrew his arm just as Mistress stepped forward with a Taser and slammed it into my neck.
I heard Zoya crying out as I dropped to the ground, my body writhing wildly from the electrical current coursing through it. Fighting to stand, I saw a Wraith take hold of Zoya and easily wrap his arms around her slight waist.
Her fearful face was looking down at me. “Valentin,” she cried, only for Mistress to turn in Zoya’s direction. Mistress lifted her hand and sliced it across Zoya’s cheek. Pride filled my chest as Zoya didn’t cry out; instead she stared Mistress straight in the eyes.
Mistress closed in, and gripping Zoya’s face in her gloved hands she hissed, “His name is 194.” Mistress’s head tipped to the side as she studied Zoya’s face.
“So, the Kostava mystery princess has landed in my Ubiytsa’s chamber?” Mistress smiled and, dropping Zoya’s face, said, “My dead lover would be thrilled if he had seen you for himself. He spent years searching for where your father’s men had hidden you.”
Inhaling a deep breath, I pushed off the cold ground and staggered to my feet. Mistress turned just as I was about to strike. She held the Taser next to Zoya’s throat and said, “You move and I’ll hurt your little kotyonok.”
Blood drained from my face.
“What?” Mistress said, and shook her head. “You think I don’t have a live feed on you at all times? You don’t think I can hear everything you say to your hits in the chambers? I watch you, 194. I watch you closely.”
“You fucking bitch!” I snarled. Mistress never even flinched. Turning to the Wraiths, she withdrew the Taser from Zoya’s neck and ordered, “Take her to the van!” Mistress glanced back to me. “If this one attacks me, shoot his Kostava whore in the head.”
Everything inside of me fought to snap Mistress’s neck, but when my eyes tracked the Wraiths carrying a struggling Zoya away, I brushed past the Mistress and followed. Her hand landed on my arm, stopping me dead. She looked at Zoya and at the Wraith carrying her away, then said, “This scene seems familiar, doesn’t it, 194? Another female you love being carried away by my men, and you, being forced to watch and let it happen?”