Emperor of Havoc: Chapter 33

The room is quiet but for the faint hum of the city outside.

Neon light filters through the curtains, soft and muted, casting pale streaks across the bed.

Katarina sleeps curled warm against me, her breath steady and her face peaceful in a way that doesn’t make sense, given everything she’s been through.

I hold her possessively, my arm wrapped around her as if my grip alone could keep her safe. My fingers trace lazy circles on the skin of her shoulder, my mind racing in the stillness of the night.

She’s so fierce, so strong, so unyielding against the world. And yet in this moment, she feels fragile against me, almost breakable. The jarring contrast twists something deep inside me.

My jaw clenches as my mind goes back to earlier: to cutting Sergey’s fucking head off before walking into that disgusting room to see that motherfucker Rodion bending her over the table.

Touching her.

Hurting her.

Bringing sheer terror to her eyes.

My jaw clenches as something vicious sparks inside of me demanding blood before I tamp it down.

It’s done now. They’re both dead.

It’s not enough, though.

Father and son might be rotting in hell, but the Vorobev Bratva still lives.

Tomorrow, that changes. Tomorrow, it all burns to the ground, reduced to ash and rubble like Carthage. Nothing will remain.

Her soft murmur pulls me from my thoughts. I glance down, watching her shift slightly in her sleep, her face press closer to my chest. I exhale away some of the tension in my shoulders.

How did I get here? Holding her like this, considering her safety like it’s the most important thing in the world?

Probably because to me it is, now.

A light rips my attention away for a second, pulling my head to the side table. My phone lights up with Hana’s name. I silence it before turning back to Kat.

I dip my head, brushing my lips against hers. The faint scent of her shampoo lingers, mixed with something uniquely hers that I can’t describe but also can’t get enough of. My hand moves to her hair, stroking it gently.

“I love you,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

For a second, I freeze.

What the fuck, self?

I shake my head, scowling. I’m supposed to be a cold-blooded bastard with a plan. Not some sappy dipshit whispering sweet nothings to a sleeping woman.

And yet—yep, here I go again, leaning down to kiss her temple softly.

I grab my phone and carefully extricate myself from the bed, standing and pulling on loose pants and a t-shirt. The cool air bites at my skin, but I ignore it as I step into the hall.

The living room is dark when I reach it, the city’s neon glow spilling through the tall windows. I walk to them, staring out at Tokyo’s sprawling lights. The skyline glitters, vibrant and alive, so different from the shadows swirling in my mind.

I tap on Hana’s name and lift the phone to my ear, calling her back.

“Hey,” my twin’s voice comes through, light and teasing.

“What do you want?” I ask gruffly.

She snorts a laugh. “Oh my God, you and that charming personality, Tak. Never change.”

I grin. “Been a weird day, sorry.”

“So I heard,” she says quietly, her tone changing. “Kenzo told me. Are you okay? Is Kat?”

I nod, exhaling slowly. “We’re both fine. Ryu took a bullet.”

Her breath hitches sharply. “Is he⁠—”

“Alive,” I interrupt. “Probably still a pain in the ass and kind of a dick, too.”

Hana exhales. “Hey now. He’s a good man.”

I smirk. My sister has a weird soft spot for that fucker. I say ‘weird’ because he actually shot Damian a few months ago. But maybe she feels bad since Damian shot Ryu, too. And his aim was a lot better.

“Yeah, well, I’ll see if the hospital can double up his Jell-O or something.”

She chuckles. “How about you? How’re you doing?”

I exhale slowly, leaning my forehead against the glass. “It’s all gone to shit, Hana.”

There’s a pause, then her voice softens. “What, exactly?”

“I had a plan,” I say heavily. “I was committed to it. I worked on it for months.”

“You mean your and Kenzo’s idea to neutralize the prospect of war between us and the Ishida-kai?”

I nod. “The plan was always the same,” I reply, my voice low and rough. “Use her to get inside the Ishida-kai.”

Hana swears under her breath. “Fuck, Tak…”

“I wanted revenge, Hana,” I growl quietly.“It was Kolya who killed Akira. I used her to get close to him.”

“You’re sure about Kolya? That he⁠—”

“It was him,” I cut her off, my tone sharp. “He has to pay for what he did to Akira.”

For a second, I swear I hear something. But when I shut the fuck up and tilt my head to the side, I relax when I hear it again: it’s just a fucking car horn going off somewhere in the city.

Hana sighs heavily. “But is there proof?”

I shake my head. “I’m working on it. I’ve tried to hack into his systems, but there’s nothing there so far.”

“Have you asked Freya for help?” she asks.

“No,” I say quickly. “This is about me, not the family. I don’t want to involve any of you.”

“Tak,” she says firmly. “Let us help. You don’t have to do this alone.”

I clench my jaw, thinking.

“There’s something Kolya’s hiding,” I finally admit. “He keeps meticulous records but there are entire parts of his businesses, his world, that are missing from his system. That means they’re somewhere else. I just need to find out where.”

“Why bother?” Hana asks. “If you’re so sure he did this, why waste time?”

I don’t respond, my gaze dropping to the floor. I know the answer, but saying it out loud feels like a betrayal.

When Hana speaks again, her voice is tinged with disbelief. “This is about her, isn’t it?”

I run a hand through my hair, frustration simmering beneath the surface. “She needs to see proof, or she’ll never believe it.”

“And if she does believe it?” Hana asks. “What then?”

I don’t have an answer for her.

The silence stretches between us, heavy and unending. Hana sighs again, and I can hear the faint edge of worry in her voice.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” I grunt.

“It’s…” My sister sighs. “It’s a big question.”

“Hana—”

“Do you love her? Is that the problem? That you’ve fallen in love with the daughter of the man on whom you’re trying to wreak vengeance?”

My eye close as I drop my forehead again to the cool glass.

“Yes,” I murmur.

Hana and I talk a little while longer. But eventually, I say goodnight to my sister and sink onto the couch by the windows, gazing out over the city.

I came here with a plan. A vendetta.

But somehow, Katarina has taken everything I thought I knew about everything, and turned it upside down and inside out.