Chapter 33

I‘m pushing the car to its limits, my hands gripping the steering wheel tight as I navigate through the congested streets of Manhattan. Every second counts, and my mind fills with worst-case scenarios. Julie is out here alone, and every fiber of my being is screaming to find her.

Fyodor’s beside me, his expression grim, a mirror of my own concern. He points out the guards’ SUV as we approach Barb’s building. Julie isn’t in it. My heart sinks. I know something’s wrong.

I slam the car into park and bolt out, rushing toward the building with a singular focus. Director Hargrove’s information, the address he had provided, echoes in my mind. This has to lead somewhere.

A crowd has formed nearby, and my instincts tell me it’s not for anything good. I force my way through, elbows out, my presence demanding space. People turn, their expressions a mix of shock and curiosity, but I don’t have time for politeness. I need answers.

At the center of the crowd, I find a man lying on the ground, his body twisted in an unnatural way. Blood pools around him, painting the pavement red. He’s a stranger to me, not anyone I recognize, but the violence of the scene tells me this is no ordinary shooting.

I scan the crowd, searching for any sign of Julie or someone who might have seen something. My mind races with questions.

The wounded man is barely conscious, his breathing ragged and shallow. I crouch beside him, my training kicking in. ‘Hey, can you hear me?’ I ask, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

He groans, his eyes fluttering open for a moment. There’s fear in his gaze, a haunted look that speaks of horrific things seen and done. ‘Help,’ he rasps, his voice barely audible.

I glance up at Fyodor, who’s already on his phone, calling for an ambulance. ‘We need to find out what happened here,’ I say to Fyodor before turning back to the man. ‘Did you see a woman? Blonde hair, about this tall?’ I gesture with my hand, the image of Julie clear in my mind.

The man’s eyes widen slightly, recognition flickering in their depths. ‘Ambush,’ he coughs, the word laced with pain. ‘Took her… van.’

My heart stops for a moment. Took her. He must mean Julie. The pieces click into place, forming a picture I’d been dreading. She’s been taken, and this man, whoever he is, witnessed it.

‘Who took her? Do you know where?’ I press, urgency sharpening my words.

The man shakes his head weakly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. ‘Didn’t see… faces…’

The ambulance’s siren wails in the distance, growing louder each second. I stand up, frustration and fear battling within me. Julie is out there, in the hands of unknown enemies, and I’m clueless about where to start looking.

As the paramedics arrive and begin tending to the man, I step back, my mind working overtime. This was no random attack—it’s connected to Boris, to the Bratva, to the danger we’ve been trying to escape.

‘Ivan,’ Fyodor says, his voice low. ‘We need to regroup. Think this through.’

I nod, my jaw clenched. He’s right. Charging in blindly won’t help Julie. I need a plan, a way to find her quickly and bring her back safely.

I listen in as the paramedics ask the man his name. He says it’s Calvin. As the paramedics load him onto a stretcher, he reaches an arm out toward me to beckon me closer. He tells me he is Julie’s father and a new heaviness descends on the situation. Calvin’s face is twisted in pain, but there’s a glimmer of something else in his eyes, fear, maybe even regret. ‘I asked Julie to meet me here, at Barb’s place,’ he gasps, wincing with every word. ‘But she never made it to the door. Three men grabbed her, just snatched her right off the street and threw her into a van.’

My hands clench into fists, the fury building inside of me like a storm. ‘Which way did they go? Did you see the van’s license plate?’ I press, trying to keep my voice level.

Calvin shakes his head, coughing slightly. ‘I couldn’t see… they were fast. One of them shot me when I tried to stop them,’ he says.

Fyodor chimes in. ‘Did you recognize any of them? Anything that could help us find them?’

Calvin closes his eyes for a moment, gathering his strength. ‘No, I didn’t recognize them. But one of them… he had a tattoo, right here,’ he points to his neck, ‘some kind of symbol, looked like a… like a snake or dragon.’

My mind races, processing this new information. A tattoo could be a lead, a way to identify at least one of the kidnappers. ‘Anything else? Any detail could help us,’ I ask, trying to piece together a plan of action.

Calvin looks up at me, his gaze meeting mine. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t… I just wanted to talk to her. I never thought…’ His voice trails off, choked with emotion.

I take a deep breath, pushing back the rage and fear clawing at my insides. Julie is out there somewhere, in the hands of these men, and every second counts. ‘We need to move, Fyodor,’ I say, my voice steady but urgent. ‘We have to find her.’

Fyodor nods, his eyes dark with determination. ‘Let’s go. We’ll start with the tattoo lead. And I’ll make some calls, see if any of my contacts know anything.’

As we turn to leave, I cast one last glance at Calvin lying there, a broken man whose actions have inadvertently endangered my wife. The complexity of the situation, the intertwining of past and present, it’s all a tangled web that’s tightening around us.

The truth suddenly hits me like a punch to the gut—Boris has Julie. Everything else, the complexities of her father’s story, the reasons behind his appearance here, they all fall away in the realization. Julie is in the hands of that merciless man, and every second she remains with him, the amount of danger she’s in grows.

As police sirens wail closer, Fyodor’s words snap me back to the present. ‘We need to get out of here, Ivan. The cops will only slow us down,’ he urges, his voice tense.

He’s right. We can’t afford to be held up by police questioning, not now. We move swiftly to the car, , my mind already formulating our next steps. But as I slide into the driver’s seat and reach for my phone, I’m stopped cold by a notification from an unknown number. My heart thunders in my chest as I open the message.

The image on the screen is a nightmare come to life, a scene from a classic horror movie. A woman lays helplessly in the back of a van, handcuffed, her head covered by a hood. Even without seeing her face, I know it’s Julie. The fear that grips me is a cold, paralyzing terror that threatens to overwhelm every fiber of my being.

Fyodor leans over, his eyes widening as he sees the picture. ‘Jesus, Ivan, we have to find her. Now.’

I nod, my jaw twitching. This goes beyond a kidnapping; it’s a direct defiance, a brutal message from Boris. But he’s made a critical mistake. By threatening Julie, causing her physical and mental discomfort, he’s unleashed a fury in me that knows no bounds.

‘We’re going to find her, Fyodor. And when we do, Boris will regret ever crossing me.’

Fyodor doesn’t argue. He knows as well as I do that this is no longer just a matter of outmaneuvering a criminal mastermind. This is personal.

The phone in my hand feels like a lifeline and a curse at the same time. Boris has sent me a reminder of the power he currently wields over Julie’s fate. His number flashes on the screen, and with a deep breath to steel myself, I answer.

‘Ivan,’ Boris’ voice is taunting, oozing with malicious satisfaction. ‘I’ve decided your lovely wife will be staying with me for a while. At least until you’ve completed the task I’ve set for you.’

Rage ignites within me, a searing inferno that threatens to consume my composure. ‘If you hurt her, Boris, I swear I’ll kill you,’ I hiss, struggling to keep my voice steady.

Boris’ laughter is a chilling sound, devoid of any humanity. ‘Oh, Ivan, such threats! But let me be clear—if you don’t do exactly as I say, Julie will suffer. And I won’t make it quick.’

His words are a cold blade twisting in my gut. I know he’s capable of unspeakable cruelty, but I can’t let my fear for Julie cloud my judgment. I have to play along, buy time to find her.

‘What do you want me to do?’ I ask, each word tasting like bile.

Boris’ tone turns businesslike, but the underlying menace never wavers. ‘It’s simple. You have three days to launder a substantial sum through your company. Failure to comply will have dire consequences for your wife.’

‘I’m not doing anything until I speak to Julie,’ I demand, clinging to the slim hope of hearing her voice, confirming she’s still alive.

There’s a pause then an inaudible exchange before Boris barks an order. Julie’s voice, full of fear and desperation, pierces the line. ‘Ivan!’ she cries out, but her words are quickly stifled, a muffled sound replacing her plea.

‘Enough! Get to work, Stepanov,’ Boris snaps before the line goes dead, leaving me in a deafening silence that echoes with Julie’s scream.

The world spins around me.

Fyodor, who’s been silently listening, places a hand on my shoulder. ‘We’ll find her, Ivan. No matter what it takes,’ he says, his voice firm.

I nod, my determination reinforced tenfold. ‘We will. And Boris will pay for every second she’s in his hands.’

The urgency in my voice is palpable as I call Deputy Director Hargrove. ‘Boris has taken Julie. He’s holding her hostage,’ I explain tersely, trying to keep my emotions in check. ‘One of his men shot her father. He’s demanding I launder money for him.’

‘We’ll start tracking them immediately, Ivan. But these things take time.’

‘Time is exactly what we don’t have, Hargrove,’ I snap, the image of Julie, frightened and in danger, fueling my impatience. ‘I need her location, and I need it now.’ Without waiting for a response, I end the call.

Turning to Fyodor, I see the same determination in his eyes that I feel burning within myself. ‘I know some of Boris’ usual hideouts. It’s a long shot, but we have to start somewhere.’

Fyodor nods, his expression apathetic. ‘Let’s go then. We’re not leaving her in that bastard’s hands any longer than necessary.’