So quiet, you could hear a pin drop. We all sat in Aleksandr’s office the following morning, a tense and awkward air surrounding us, just like there was last night. It wasn’t exactly how we all planned to spend our mother’s birthday. Lukyan wasn’t talking to me. Illayana wasn’t talking to me. Or Aleksandr. We huddled around the TV watching all of our mother’s favorite movies and eating her favourite snacks. It was our way of paying homage to the amazing woman who birthed us and raised us. Our way of celebrating her life. Except, unlike in previous years, where the night had consisted of laughter, bonding and food fights, this year was nothing but angry glares and snide remarks.
Even the Prague birthday cake Aleksandr and I had specially made for the night didn’t relieve any of the tension. And my siblings loved chocolate cake.
Tatiana had texted me throughout the night, checking up on me and making sure I was okay. Cracking jokes to try and distract me from the crushing pain of this day. I appreciated it more than I could ever put into words.
Usually, she would be there with us. But she felt like, with everything going on, that it would be best to keep her distance. At least until Illayana had calmed down.
She’d texted her too, but my sister was too busy being the little brat she was to reply. The fact that it was the next day and she’d had the entire night to calm down hadn’t helped whatsoever. If anything, all that time had just made her angrier.
Aleksandr had just finished relaying the news Mikhail brought to us to Illayana and Lukyan. They’d sat quietly and listened to every word, which was an indication on its own of the seriousness of the situation. They never sat still. It was extremely concerning. They were seated next to each other on the couch against the far wall, faces grim. Aleksandr was behind his desk and I was sitting in one of the armchairs in front of it. He was trying not to look as anxious as I knew he felt. I learnt a long time ago to pick up on the subtle cues of my brother’s body language: the tension in his shoulders, the slight clench of his jaw, the unease in his pale blue eyes. It all showed me what he was trying desperately to hide. He wanted to appear unfazed by the whole thing, so he didn’t worry Illayana and Lukyan.
Mikhail, much to his dismay, was still there. He tried to leave after telling us about Talon but Aleksandr had convinced him to stay, reminding him that despite how he might feel about us right now, Dimitri was his oldest friend. We needed his help if we were ever going to get him back.
He still held a lot of blame and resentment towards us because of what happened to his son. He wasn’t interested in talking to any of us unless absolutely necessary, and had even insisted on staying in the same room Dayton had been in.
The fact that it was right next to Aleksandr’s made it a little awkward this morning when they ran into each other.
“Okay,” Lukyan blew out, leaning back. “So it’s like a Squid Game kinda deal?”
Aleksandr frowned. “I don’t know what that means.”
“It’s a TV show.” Illayana kept her eyes locked on the ground, arms braced on her thighs, hands clasped together. “A bunch of people do deathly challenges for money while others watch and bet on who wins.”
“Then yes, I guess it’s like that.”
“Except the people in the Til Death Games haven’t signed up for it,” Mikhail added.
“What’s the plan?” There was a sense of desperation and urgency in Lukyan’s voice that I’d never heard before. “If this island of his can’t be found, then how the hell are we meant to rescue Father?”
“I have an idea for that, actually.” I turned to Mikhail. “Where does Talon get his staff?”
“His staff?” he frowned.
“Yes. He has an entire island to run, catering to the rich and wealthy. He would need workers to maintain it. Waitstaff, chefs, gardeners, maids, security guards. Do you know where he gets them from?”
“No. But I could find out.”
Lukyan cocked his head. “You want to go undercover?”
“I think it’s the quickest and most efficient way for us to find the island. One of us poses as a worker and slips in behind the scenes. We gather as much intel as we can. Details of the layout, how many people he has, their security measures and where they keep the prisoners so that when we infiltrate, we won’t be running around blind.”
“You really think that will work?” Illayana lifted her gaze from the floor. Her eyes were full of anger (whether that was at me or the situation, I wasn’t sure). “Considering the precautions this Talon guy already has in place, you really think he wouldn’t thoroughly vet anyone he plans to employ? I’m sure he’d find it suspicious when he sees one of Dimitri’s children has applied to work for him.”
I’d already thought about that. “We use an alias with an extensive background that would fool even the most paranoid person in the world. All he’ll see is a normal person looking for a job.”
“That still leaves the issue of finding the island,” Mikhail pressed. “Talon will most definitely have everyone—including his workers and their belongings—scanned for tracking and listening devices. It will be an instant bullet to the brain if he finds one.”
“Then we won’t have one,” I shrugged. “There would have to be a command centre of some kind there. We could use that to find out the latitude and longitude of the island. Then all we’d need to do is relay those coordinates.”
Aleksandr nodded. “I like it. How long will it take for you to create this alias?”
“I already have one. I’ve been building it for years.” I picked up my iPad from the small table next to me and, after a few swipes, had the information for a Damien Cszar on the screen. I handed it to Aleksandr. He ran his eyes over the screen and exhaled a grunt of approval. He offered it to Mikhail, standing behind him.
“Looks good,” Mikhail said, studying it closely. “Can you add in a criminal history too? Nothing too crazy. Maybe an assault and battery charge, or something like that? I have a feeling Talon would lean more towards the types who are willing to break a rule or two.”
It made sense, considering the illegal activities that took place on that island. He’d need to be confident no one went running to the cops.
I nodded. “Easy.”
“And replace it with an image of me instead,” Aleksandr commanded. “I’ll be the one going undercover.”
I snorted. “You’re kidding, right?”
His brows snapped together. “No, I’m not.”
“Aleksandr, out of all of us, you are the only one who can’t do it. You’re the spitting image of Father.”
“He’s right,” Lukyan stated. “One look at you and it’s plainly obvious that you’re Dimitri Volkov’s son.”
He huffed in annoyance but didn’t deny it. He knew we were right.
“We all know I’m the best choice. I’ve always looked more like Mother than Father,” I said.
“Alright, fine. We’ll leave it the way it is.” He definitely wasn’t happy about it, though. He looked at Mikhail. “How long will it take you to find out what we need?”
“Not long.” He pushed off the wall and pulled out his phone. “I’ll get my people on it right now. I should have something for you in the next few days.” With nothing else to add, he left.
“I want to see it again,” Illayana demanded.
Aleksandr and I shared a look with one another. She was talking about the video of Father fighting. The one sent in the email. I didn’t know what good would come from watching it for the third time, but I nodded for Aleksandr to show her again anyway. He handed her the iPad. Lukyan leant over her shoulder to watch it too, eyes focused. It was the most serious I’d ever seen him before, the longest I’d ever seen him go without cracking a stupid joke. It worried me.
I got to my feet and went to Aleksandr’s side, placing one hand flat on the desk to lean forward so our siblings couldn’t overhear our conversation.
“We need to keep a close eye on them. This whole thing will be hard for them to deal with.” For the first time in their lives, Father had been beaten. The man they’d looked up to all their lives was being held captive and forced to fight for his life, all while others watched and cheered.
Aleksandr grunted in agreement. His gaze was locked on Illayana and Lukyan as they rewatched the video over and over again. “Don’t worry. I’ll watch them.”
I nodded. “Where’s the missus?”
“Off seeing her brother. She’s trying to get a rough idea of how many men she might be able to bring to the table if we need it.”
“Is her brother really going to allow that? Our last interaction with him didn’t exactly go very well.”
“Drea seems to think so. But I don’t think he’d be doing it for us. He’ll be doing it for her. They might only be a small organisation, but their numbers will help.” He looked at me over his shoulder. “I need you to take a dozen soldiers and handle something for me.”
“What?”
“I’ve got the locations of two of the MC gangs that helped in the raid against our house. I want you to deal with them.”
A smile curved on my lips. “In any particular way?”
Cold darkness swept over his eyes. “Make them suffer.”
By the time I got home, it was late. My whole body ached, exhaustion flowing in every bone inside me to the point that my limbs felt like jello. There was blood in my hair. Underneath my fingernails. Drenched in my clothes. Seeping into my skin.
The night had been a long one. The first MC gang, The Chaos Lords, had set up their clubhouse in a crack den. Piss and vomit-soaked floors. Broken windows. Mouldy walls. I felt like I needed a tetanus shot just walking into the damn place.
It was easy to see how Dominik managed to convince them to work for him. All he had to do was throw a wad of cash at them and they’d be willing to do whatever the fuck he wanted. Junkies would do anything for their next fix.
It was a small charter, consisting of seven members. I assumed there were probably more before the attack, but now there were only seven left, all of whom were completely whacked out of their minds on God knows what when we arrived.
It was an easy infiltration. We snuck in under the cover of darkness and slit their throats while they were passed out, not suffering a single casualty. There was no honor among thieves between us. Fuckers had broken into our house and tried to kill us. We were just repaying the favour. The difference was that we were successful.
We left the Prez and Vice Prez until last. Aleksandr’s only request was to make them suffer. The others were merely pawns, lackeys. Just following orders. Those two, however, actively decided to go against us. And that came at a price—that price being their eyes, tongues, hands and feet. By the time we were done, they were unrecognisable. Just lifeless, bloody corpses that looked like they’d been mauled by Edward Scissorhands.
The second MC gang, The Brotherhood, were a bit more organised than the first.
For starters, they locked their bloody doors. There were eleven members in the MC. We still had the cover of night and the element of surprise working for us, but The Brotherhood adapted quickly when we attacked, and they fought hard. It was almost…admirable. The Prez and Vice Prez were killed in the shootout, so I wasn’t able to torture them like I had The Chaos Lords. Disappointing but unavoidable.
I lost four soldiers, which was four too many. I had hoped to emerge victorious and unscathed. One out of two would just have to do.
Before we left, I carved a large ‘V’ in the centre of all their foreheads, just as I had done to all The Chaos Lords members, so there would be no doubt as to why their lives were forfeited.
I’d planned to go right up to my room and shower when I walked through the front door, but the lone figure sitting on the couch in the family room made me pause. It was Aleksandr. He sat perfectly still, shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the TV in front of him. It wasn’t playing, just paused on some TV show.
I waited a few more seconds, but he made no move to watch it. Just continued to sit there, staring at the screen.
You’re tired. Hungry. Sore. Covered in blood. Just go up and take a shower and come down after. Just go. Just—
I cursed under my breath and walked into the room. I plopped down in the armchair next to the couch and groaned in satisfaction. It felt good to get off my feet. There was a bitch of a knife wound on my thigh that had been giving me grief since the moment the adrenaline started to wear off.
Aleksandr’s gaze flicked to me and then back to the TV. “If Father were here, he’d have your head for sitting on Mother’s furniture, covered in blood.”
“Guess it’s a good thing he’s not here then, isn’t it?” I didn’t like the look on his face, the emotionless tone in his voice. It was even colder than usual.
“How did it go?”
“Fine.”
“Any casualties?”
I rolled my shoulder and then leant back, staring up at the ceiling. “Four. Shane, Lev, Nina and Dima.”
“That’s a shame. Dima showed promise.”
I nodded in agreement. “I made sure to bring their bodies back, so their families can lay them to rest.”
When there was no response, I turned my head to look at him. He was still staring at the TV like a zombie.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he answered automatically.
“Swear on Mother?”
He said nothing.
Exhaling a huff of annoyance, I picked up the remote sitting on the coffee table. “Well, we’re not just going to sit here in silence—” his hand snapped out and clasped my wrist, stopping me from pushing play.
“Don’t.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. What the fuck is his deal? If it was anger I was sensing from him, I’d probably let it go. Aleksandr was angry and grumpy all the time. But that wasn’t what it was.
I could have sworn it was…sadness.
“Talk to me, Zander. We both know I’m not going anywhere until you do. So have pity on me, because I’m tired and hungry and just want to go to sleep.” He only had mercy and compassion for those he loved. I was not above guilt tripping him into talking.
He tsked and let me go, settling back into the couch. I knew I’d won when he cracked his neck. He did that whenever he had to talk about something uncomfortable. A family trait, I think, because I did it too.
“I used to watch this…with Dayton. Before he was killed.”
Of course. This was about the kid. I should have known. He’d been avoiding the subject since it happened.
“You don’t want to watch it without him?”
“You know the first time he asked me to watch something with him, he was so nervous that he practically pissed his pants?” he said, ignoring my question.
“I didn’t know that.”
“And then when I said yes?” he gave a mirthless laugh. “You’d think I just offered him a million bucks or something, he was so excited. It was like no one had ever sat down and watched a movie with him before.”
Based on what I’d heard about the kid’s life, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if it was true.
“He was such a little shit when he first got here. Disrespectful. Resentful. Bad attitude. You know what I do to people like that?”
“You beat it out of them.” I knew that from personal experience.
“That shit was never going to work on Dayton, though. That kid had been beaten down his entire life. Once I figured that out, figured out what he actually wanted, his whole attitude changed.”
“And what was that?”
His eyes moved to me and held. “He just wanted someone to give a shit about him.”
I tilted my head to the side, studying him closely. “What was it about him, Zander? You’ve seen plenty of kids with heart-breaking stories like his before. Why did this one affect you so much?”
He looked down, watching his finger move in a slow circle on the armrest. “I think part of it was the fact that he reminded me so much of Lukyan during his teenage years. But unlike Lukyan, he had this shyness about him that just had this way of breaking down your barriers. I felt…sorry for him. All he wanted was a family. Someone to care for him. I thought—”
“You could be that for him?”
He didn’t respond but I had a feeling I was right on the money. My brother had a big heart. A big, guarded heart, but big nonetheless. If you managed to somehow get past it, he’d care for you until the day he died.
Silence descended upon us. I wasn’t sure what else to say. I knew this would have been hard for him to voice, so I decided a distraction would be best. I pushed play on the remote.
Aleksandr immediately sighed. “Nikolai—”
“Shut up, I’m trying to watch.”
“You’ve missed nearly the whole first season. You’ll have no idea what’s going on.”
I kicked my feet up onto the coffee table and crossed them at the ankles. “I guess you’ll just have to explain it to me then.”
