Serena
Landing in Minsk, a car is already waiting for us. It's a 2 hour drive to my warehouse in a remote part of Belarus. People there are too poor or trying hard to survive to even care about who comes and goes.
As we near the destination, the roads turn bumpy and the air is dusty. Within a 3 mile radius, there is a Tyre factory where most of the people work. We reach a two story building made of bricks surrounded by nothing other than brown dust or dried weeds and grass. From outside, the building looks abandoned and almost at the verge of collapse.
I and Aden get out and walk towards the wooden door and I knock it three times with equal intervals. Ronan open the door and greets me witha respectful nod. He warily glances at Aden but doesn't question considering I brought him. Three of us pass a hallway and stop at a door. Ronan moves the little portrait on the wall and punches in a 6 digit password and the door opens. I and Aden follow him down the narrow stairs to the basement. We reach another door and Ronan does the same and we enter into large hall with a dozen men scattered around. Some working on high-tech systems, some working with weapons. They all stop and give me the same nod and wary glances at Aden.
Ronan leads us to another hallway, this one more dim and away from all the chatter. Another two doors and we reach the cells guarded by heavily armed men. I only had one prisoner here, as of now. We reach the cell and before Ronan opens, he looks at me. "Our boys cleaned him up a bit." I raise an eyebrow at him. "They were too hungry." He shrugs and I shake my head. He opens the door, the creak of the metal alerting the man strapped to the chair. He doesn't raise his head but I know he's aware of me. As Ronana said, he does look beaten up.
Ronan goes to stand in the far corner of the cell and Adens stands near the door. I walk up to the empty chair and drag it in front of the unmoving man. He looks as if he's unconscious but I know better. I take the seat and cross my legs, my left hand resting on my lap and right elbow on the armrest with my chin on my fisted hand. I take a moment to analyse him. His hair is shaggy and blood dripping down his nose and split lips. A few minutes pass in silence.
"Solotov." He doesn't move, staying still with his body still hunched. But now he knows that I know who he is. "Who ordered the hit?" I get straight to the point. He doesn't answer. I keep my calm and realize Solotov won't budge. As much I expected of a notorious killer. But I have something on him. I lean back in my chair and release an audible sigh. I tab my finger on the chair and a smile graces my lips.
"I visited Czech once, a while back. It's a beautiful place. My favorite is Prague. The buildings, its history, the parks, everything is so beautiful." I breathe out as if I'm reminiscing an old memory. I know he's listening closely but doesn't move. "But I think what's more beautiful is its people. Especially the women. So exquisite. Don't you think so Solotov?" I ask him and release a chuckle before speaking. "Oh who am I kidding. Of course you know." The smile drops from my face as Aden hands me a phone with live footage. I don't take my eyes off of the chained man as I speak out my next words. "After all, you did fall in love with one." He stiffens for a second but I catch it. Now I've got his attention.
"Such a gorgeous woman. A pretty face really. It's a pity that a bullet is going to ruin it." He snaps he neck towards me, eyes filled with a murderous rage. I look back at the footage of the woman with curly ebony hair prancing around, serving food in an open Cafe in Prague, with a pretty smile. "Mila Lyubov. It's been 3 years you've been together, right?" I ask with a curious face and slowly turn the phone, showing him the live footage. He is furious now and I hide my smirk. Solotov did everything in his power to keep her a secret. But I thrive on collecting information.
"What do you want?" He grits out in his raspy voice. His Czechen accent prominent. I give him a small smile. Now we're talking. Ronan hands me the photo Solotov had when my men captured him. I show him the photo and ask one more time. "Who ordered the hit?" He drags his eyes towards the face of the man in the photo and looks back at me after a second. "I don't know who. All I got was a package with the photo and a paper with instructions to kill him, which I burned right after. We had no other contact." I stare at him blankly and pause before asking the next question. "What about transactions. You wouldn't take the job until atleast half of the money is transferred." Solotov hesitates and I tap the phone in my hand on the chair two times and he gets the message. His jaw tightens and his glare sharpens at the blatant threatening. But he still answers me.
"It was a bounty for 50 million dollars. They transferred 25 as soon as I got the package." I lean forward, my elbows on my thighs and my hands still holding the phone. "Their account number. What is it?" I knew Solotov memorized it as soon as the 25 million was transferred. Just incase they tried to double cross him. He clicks his tongue and his eyes dart towards left, getting ready to lie. But I don't let him spew whatever crap he was going to say. I turn the phone screen towards him again and call out to Aden, my eyes still on the sniper in front me. "Tell them to get ready for the shot." Within seconds, a red dot appears on Mila's pale waitress uniform and Solotov starts thrashing in his chair, a hint of fear in his wide eyes.
"The account number." I ask again, my voice calm. He looks at me and grits out the memorized number. I smile at him in satisfaction and get up from the chair. "I appreciate the cooperation Solotov. You have my word that no harm will be done to your woman." I say and turn, walking towards the door ready to leave, letting Ronan finish this. But Solotov had other plans. "Zatracená svině." He mutters and I stop and turn. I click my tongue and he looks at me. "Měl jsi držet jazyk za zuby." I take out my gun from the back and shoot him right in between his eyes and walk out. Leave no loose ends.
"The fish is rotten. Throw it out." Ronan says to a gaurd with a smirk. He leads us out to our car and I turn to him before getting in. "Call off the men put on Mila." He nods and after a simple goodbye we get in the car. "Send the account number to Logan and ask him to trace it. I want details of every account related to it too." I tell Aden and he gets to work. I look down at the photo in my hand, the one Solotov had on him.
The 28 year old man, wearing a tailored suit, walking out of a building with a phone to his ear and guards on tail. Micheal, my brother was completely unaware of the 50 million dollar bounty that was placed on him a week ago and that his dead sister just took care of the problem. I sigh and look out the window.
We board the plane and I take out my laptop working on the launch of our next product and Aden waiting for Logan to reach back with information. If the people who ordered the hit is who I think it is, then I and the Italian-American mafia have a common enemy. That can also mean that they knew of I and Luca's relation to the Espositos way before I came to find out. Aden interrupts my thoughts. "Logan is calling." Aden hands me the phone and I wait for him to speak.
"I traced the number and it's an offshore account set up in Belarus itself. But I dug up the account holder's information and I got a name and place." I hum and he continues. "Carlo Lebedev. Novosibirsk, Russia."
I was right. The Russian mafia.
I end the call and hand Aden the phone back, informing him of what Logan found out. I look out the window at the fading view of Belarus and a strange knot tugs at my chest. The Russian mafia put a hit on a prominent member of the Italian-American mafia and a person I shared blood with. And this won't be their last attempt either.
Things just got way more interesting.
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Double update because it's Christmas ♡
Merry Christmas guys 🎄.