Page 54 of Hunt Me (Dmitriyev Bratva #1)

M ikhail

Maksim Sokolov lived in a seedy apartment far removed from the glitz and glamor of the entertainment mecca. A fitting location for a cockroach.

I’d never been to his home. I hadn’t spent any time with him. And I couldn’t care less why he’d betrayed Sergio and my family. In truth, his reasons just didn’t matter.

What did was Connor’s location.

And he would tell me one way or another.

Tonight, I was Pakhan, ruler of a powerful Russian Bratva, and he would learn what to expect when he dared cross a Dmitriyev.

By the time I pulled my car to the curb, a dozen others had arrived including Alexsey and Kazimir. Every soldier was armed, but they knew better than to interfere.

This was my interrogation.

“Is he inside?” I asked as Kazimir came close.

“He is. And he’s alone.”

“Have the soldiers keep a lookout. We don’t want any unwelcome guests.”

“Will do. We’ll find her, brother. You have my word.”

If only that was enough. We were running out of time. Even if the mayor was intent on taking down the O’Shaughnessy family, he was ill equipped to do so and still didn’t understand how dangerous they were.

He also had no idea his daughter had stumbled into this war. Unless the police chief had provided the video.

With my brothers and two enforcers behind me, we headed toward the man’s door. Bystanders would be discouraged, but few were stupid enough to hang around for the show.

With my weapon in hand, I kicked in Maksim’s door. The man immediately reacted, jumping over the back of the couch and lunging toward the back door. He should know better than to try to escape.

I snagged his shirt, jerking him back by several feet. When I slammed him into the wall, he dared try to pull a weapon on me. I smashed his hand against the wall several times while he tried to grab my weapon. The man was strong, his training in martial arts apparent.

But he was no match for me.

The weapon flew from his hand, immediately captured by Kazimir while I used several brutal punches to his stomach to subdue him.

He slid partially down the wall, gasping for air. As soon as I took a step back, he lunged toward me again.

My savage punch was driven under his jaw, cracking his head against a mirror. As it shattered, I followed through with another forceful blow to his nose. The cracking sound caused me to smile.

He spit blood and a tooth, glaring at me even as his eye began to swell.

I snapped my hand around his throat, squeezing and lifting him up by a few inches. “I’m only going to ask you once, you motherfucker. Where is Connor O’Shaughnessy?” I backed off my powerful hold long enough for him to answer.

“ Ty nikogda yeye ne naydesh’ .”

You’ll never find her.

“Wrong answer.” I shoved the gun into my waistband, grabbing the knife I’d taken from my car. As I showed it to him, twisting and turning the blade, the motherfucker grinned.

I slammed his hand against the wall and pressing the blade against his finger.

“Ten fingers, Maksim, and then we’ll start on your toes. This is your last chance. Gde oni? ”

Where are they?

Panting, Maksim was having a difficult time answering. “ Nyet . Please. At the airport. They’re at the airport!”

“Which one?”

He licked his lips, anguish crossing his face. “Mcnight. The Mcnight field.”

I nodded and tapped his face with my palm. “Now, that wasn’t so hard. Was it?”

Maksim eyed me warily, but I could tell he was close to begging.

“I’m going to give you a very important piece of advice, comrade. Predatel’stvo obespechit vam bilet v odin konets—v Ad .”

Treachery will only provide you with a one-way ticket to hell.

I thrust the knife into his gut, twisting and jerking upward. Blood flew from his mouth all over my jacket, but this time, I couldn’t care less.

Maybe it was time for others to know anyone who dared betray me would meet the same fate.

As the light faded from his eyes, I turned and walked out.

I’d never considered myself a hero even after saving a child’s life. Now I’d need to be heroic, or I would lose her.

And that just couldn’t happen.

With a half dozen vehicles following me, we made our way to the private airstrip. The location was one of several built and catering to the rich and famous. It was also staffed by few, making Connor’s abrupt disappearance that much easier.

As soon as I parked, I was out of the vehicle, rushing into the small manager’s office with my weapon drawn.

He threw his hands up, his eyes wide open from surprise.

“Connor O’Shaughnessy’s plane. Where the fuck is it?” He hesitated and I pressed the barrel to his forehead.

“Ggaaa. Gate two, but you better hurry. It’s getting ready to take off.” Shaking, he pointed out the window.

I backed away, following his line of sight before bursting from the building. “Runway two. Whatever happens, do not allow the goddamn plane to take off.”

Without looking back, I took off running, flying down the runway.

In less than ten seconds, I could see the plane as it began rolling down the concrete.

If the wheels got off the ground, there’d be no chance of stopping it.

I had to be careful, fearing I’d injure or kill the beautiful woman, but there was no other choice.

I continued running toward the plane as it picked up speed. The bird was coming right for me. Planting my feet in the middle of the tarmac, I held my weapon above my head directed at the cockpit.

Within seconds, my brothers and every soldier had done the same. The pilot wasn’t slowing down. My pulse skittered out of control and I kept my eyes on the pilot. If he wanted to play a game of chicken, he should learn the rules.

Mine? Never back down.

We stood in solidarity together until the right moment.

Then we began firing.

The pilot tried to pull up only to slam the wheels down again.

Nothing happened at first, but as soon as the windshield shattered, the engine revved as the pilot’s body slumped. The fucker was still coming right for us.

Seconds later, gunshots could be heard. Someone had rushed into the cockpit yet was unable to get control. The plane veered off to the right just as my men and brothers scattered. As soon as it came to a halt, I rushed forward, thankful it was a small commuter plane.

Wasting no time, I threw open the door. The hard punch tossed me to the concrete, my body jarred, but I scrambled to my feet, throwing myself at the man holding the weapon.

Connor O’Shaughnessy.

I jumped onto the plane again, jamming my fist under his chin.

The gun went off just as I slammed him deeper into the airplane.

We tussled and I threw several punches, finally yanking the weapon away. He laughed and jogged back by a few feet.

“We finally meet,” he said as he laughed. “My father told me many things about you.”

“Yeah? Well, I heard nothing about you.” We did the dance, sizing each other up. I scanned the small airplane, finally catching sight of Bristol. She was being held by another man, the weapon pointed at her head.

There was no time to second guess what I was about to do. I shifted my aim, firing off two shots in rapid succession.

Her scream was short, cut off almost instantly, but the asshole had a death grip on her. As I’d seen her do before, she punched him in the face, using her foot to pummel him back against the plane’s hull.

Now my full attention was on Connor. His smile was wide as if this had been exactly what he’d planned.

“Do you really think you can stop what’s in motion?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. You’re not welcome in Vegas.”

“You’ll soon discover your empire is crumbling all around you. And we’ll be there to pick up the pieces.”

I laughed. “Better men have tried than you, Connor. Why don’t you ask your father how it turned out twenty-two years ago. Why kill Sergio?”

“Because he was the only person in your life other than your family who mattered to you. And because he had something we wanted. And we took it.”

My laugh continued. “You mean a corrupt file and a hacked computer system? What? Weren’t you told? No, I guess you were too busy killing one of your own men and attempting to frame me. Too bad you underestimated Mayor Rork.”

He narrowed his eyes briefly.

“He’s no longer under your father’s thumb, Connor.”

I glanced quickly at Bristol, her eyes shimmering with several emotions. I wanted so much to tell her that everything would be alright, but we weren’t out of this yet.

There was nowhere for the fucker to go, yet he was determined to destroy my life. When he lunged for Bristol, snaking his arm around her throat, I took a deep breath. He had another weapon. Of course he did.

“This is getting old, Connor. It’s time for this to end.”

I aimed the weapon directly at his head and all he did was smile. “If I die, I’m taking her with me.”

In the world I lived in, marksmanship was everything.

Sadly, I was somewhat out of practice. Gone were the days when I spend hours at the shooting range or on required tactical missions as taught by Sergio.

I’d become legitimized, a businessman who was more likely to get a papercut than to be gunned down in a back alley.

Yet some training was like riding a bike.

When things became dire, the ruthless savage I’d been trained to be kicked in. With a single flash of my eyes toward Bristol, she responded as I’d hoped.

She slammed her foot into his, immediately jamming her elbow into his stomach as I got off a single shot. Not a killing blow, but one meant to put him on ice. Yet at the same moment all time seemed to stop, motion moving so slowly I was caught up in the line of sight.

As he fired a single shot directly at the woman I loved.

“No!” I lunged forward, pitching us both to the floor. Footsteps were behind me, men shouting as I covered her with my body.

The same way I had twenty plus years before.

I turned my head as Kazimir and Alexsey ripped Connor off the floor. The bullet had caught him in the shoulder, but the man would live to serve out his time.

Which was exactly what he deserved.

I rose onto my elbows, peering down at her. She was still breathing. “My perfect angel.”

“Mikhail,” she breathed, her eyelids fluttering open.

“It’s okay, baby. Everything will be okay.”

“What’s wrong, brother? Need some practice,” Kazimir teased. He issued a hard punch into Connor’s chest before he and Alexsey dragged him toward the exit.

“Fuck you,” I hissed in return before pulling back and cupping Bristol’s face. Her eyes were closed, her lips pursed and the rush of emotions I felt sweeping through me was unusual and up until now, unwanted.

When she opened her eyes once again, a single tear slipped past the corner, rolling slowly down her cheek to her long hair.

In this light, she appeared more like an angel than ever before.

I brushed my hand down her cheek, gathering the single salty bead.

As I brought it to my mouth, her upper lip quirked.

“You saved me. Again.” Her voice was soft and sweet, completely unlike the rebellious woman who refused to allow me to get away with anything.

“Yeah, just doing my job.”

“Uh-huh. You’re a hero.”

As I helped her to her feet, I shook my head. “I’m no one’s hero, Bristol.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re my hero. My very personal, gorgeous, dangerous hero.”

She pressed her hand on my chest as I lowered my head. I kept my mouth just away from hers for a few seconds until I could take it no longer, crushing her mouth with mine.

It was true what they said about love.

The feeling hit you the hardest when you least expected it.