Upstairs

Viktor POV

Aria stayed behind in the kitchen with Tristan, Ivan and his wife while Sergei, Alexei, and I escorted Nikolai and his brother upstairs upstairs.

The mansion had fallen into an eerie silence after the chaos earlier. Music no longer echoed through the halls and the laughter from the party had vanished hours ago, replaced by the heavy stillness that always followed violence.

Bloodshed changed the atmosphere of a place.

People could feel it even if they couldn’t see it.

I reached the master bedroom first and pushed open the door without a word.

Nikolai stepped inside immediately and his brother followed behind him, both men halted the moment their eyes landed on the room neither spoke at first.

Blood painted nearly every surface in dark stains.

The mattress had been destroyed completely, soaked through so deeply there was no salvaging it and crimson streaks covered the floor, splattered walls, even shattered furniture.

Yuri mutilated body remained tied where we had left it, barely recognizable as human anymore.

Nikolai’s gaze swept across the room slowly before stopping on the blood smeared across the walls.

“Didn’t I tell you not to ruin the walls?” he asked dryly, though there was something colder beneath his annoyance.

“The only way to clean this room now is with a damn hose.”

“Or fire,” his brother muttered beside him and he shook his head once before exchanging a look with his brother.

Alexei only shrugged lazily. “One thing led to another.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly but there was no humor behind it, only satisfaction.

“I can see that,” Nikolai replied.

Sergei wandered casually around the bed, studying Yuri corpse with open interest. Unlike most people, he looked irritated about missing the torture rather than disturbed by it.

“Next time you decide to have fun, call me,” he complained.

“Why was I stuck babysitting Tristan while you two enjoyed yourselves?”

Tristan would’ve punched him for that comment if he’d been there. Raven barked out a short laugh before dragging a hand down his face.

“Jesus Christ, every one of you Kozlov is fucking insane.”

I glanced toward the ruined room again before addressing Nikolai calmly. “I assume this sends the message you wanted.”

Raven snorted harshly. “Sends the message? This is beyond a message.” His eyes flicked toward Yuri remains.

“Kind of ironic that the men delivering justice against rape are you people.”

I turned toward him fully. “You disapprove of our methods.”

“I absolutely fucking do,” he replied immediately.

The room grew quieter after that and Alexei stepped slightly closer, his expression unreadable now.

“How do you punish women in your territory?” I asked.

Raven frowned faintly at the sudden question. “If possible, we avoid it.”

“But when avoiding it isn’t an option?” I continued evenly.

“What happens to female dealers who steal from you? Women who betray your organization to the Bratva? Prostitutes who refuse to pay for working your streets? Women who take money and never return it?”

His jaw tightened and Alexei smiled then but it wasn’t pleasant.

“So what?” he asked softly. “You treat them differently because they’re women?” He stepped closer still.

“Or did your group magically discover a gentle way to torture someone? A female-friendly version of death?”

Raven hand twitched subtly toward the knife at his side and at the same moment, my own hand rested against my gun automatically not because Alexei needed protection but because instincts existed for a reason.

Alexei noticed Raven movement too and his grin widened.

“We give them a choice,” Raven said tightly.

“And what do they choose?” Alexei asked.

Raven sneered slightly. “Maybe you should rethink your methods.”

A quiet chuckle left Alexei throat.

“Don’t concern yourself with my methods.” His voice darkened. “I am new York and every single club, whore and dealer all belongs to me.”

His eyes sharpened dangerously. “And soon every Bratva bastard will be wiped from my territory too. After that, I’ll deal with the Italian.”

“Then the East will belong to me.”

The ambition wasn’t unrealistic because New York and the surrounding already belonged  to us completely but other territories still remained divided between some Chinese and Italian, with other smaller factions.

Removing all of them would require blood, resources, and years of war and currently our attention remained focused elsewhere, the Diamond Syndicate.

Nikolai finally cut through the tension before it escalated further. “We still have guests downstairs,” he said firmly.

“And they need to see this.”

His expression hardened as his eyes moved toward Yuri. “But I think we’ll spare the women.”

Alexei scoffed quietly. “Maybe stop treating them like fragile porcelain.”

Nikolai’s smile turned cold immediately. “I handle my territory my way.”

His gaze locked with Alexei. “You handle yours however you want.”

The tension lingered for another moment before we headed downstairs together, soon the living room had filled while we were upstairs.

Underbosses, soldiers and captains. The remaining guests stood in uneasy clusters, whispering among themselves.

The atmosphere shifted the second we entered and conversations died instantly as everyone watched us.

Ivan stood near Aurora and Aria while Tristan leaned against the wall nearby. Aria’s eyes found mine immediately and fear still lingered inside her gaze, though now something else existed there too, maybe trust.

Nikolai stepped forward before anyone could ask questions. “There’s been a slight change of plans,” he announced calmly.

“The presentation of the sheets will happen upstairs instead.”

Murmurs spread through the room instantly as everyone one stood confused and curious at the same time.

Nikolai waited until silence returned before speaking again.

“I strongly advise anyone uncomfortable with large amounts of blood to remain here.”

A few nervous laughs sounded immediately then died when nobody else joined in because they realized he wasn’t joking not a single man stayed behind.

No soldier would willingly admit weakness in front of other made men and a few women followed too despite the warning, among them were Aria’s aunt and Nyra.

Nyra’s husband clearly disliked the idea, judging by the tension in his face, but she ignored him and continued forward anyway.

Yuri wife wasn’t present, she’d gone home earlier after Nikolai informed her what her husband had done.

She understood what happened to men like him and everyone did.

The walk upstairs felt heavier with the crowd behind us and nobody spoke anymore.

The moment the bedroom door opened, the reactions came instantly as shock rolled through the room like a wave.

Some men froze while others cursed under their breath and a few stared too long at what remained of Yuri before quickly looking away again.

Aria’s aunt turned pale almost immediately before rushing toward the bathroom, one hand pressed over her mouth and she never returned.

Nyra staggered backward with a quiet sound of horror before burying her face against her husband’s chest.

He wrapped an arm around her automatically, though his own eyes remained fixed on the room with grim understanding.

No one missed the message and that had been the point and fear spread beautifully through the room.

Nikolai stepped forward slightly, his expression turning colder as he addressed every soldier present.

“Tell your men,” he said evenly. “Tell everyone.”

His gaze swept across the room slowly. “This is what happens to men who touch children in our territory.”