All Chapters of Blood And Betrayal : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWODimitri"We found her?" I whispered. My voice came out broken and hoarse."Yes, sir!" The guard's face was flushed with excitement. "Our tracking equipment picked up unusual signals, communications and movement patterns. All pointing to a location near the Black Sea coast."I tried to stand but my legs gave out immediately. I crashed back onto the bed.Mikhail caught me. "Easy. You are too weak. You have not eaten properly in days.""I do not care!" I grabbed his shirt. "Where is she? Tell me exactly where she is!""A villa," the guard said quickly. "On the coast. It is very isolated and very secure. It matches Alexei's style perfectly.""Then what are we waiting for?" I tried to stand again, but Mikhail held me down."You are not going anywhere," Mikhail said firmly. "Look at yourself. You can barely stand. You are in no condition to…""I am going!" I roared. "I do not care if I have to crawl there. I am going to get her!""Dimitri, be reasonable…""I have been rea

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Dimitri's POV  I knelt there in the sand, holding her lifeless body against my chest. The waves crashed behind me. The wind howled. But I heard nothing except the silence of her heart. She was not breathing. Irina was gone. "Irina," I whispered. "Please. Please wake up. Please do not leave me. I came for you. I am here now. I am here." But she did not respond. Her body was cold and stiff. Her lips were blue. "Dimitri," Mikhail said softly. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "We need to go. We need to…" "No," I said. My voice was barely audible. "I am not leaving her." "She is gone," Mikhail said gently. "There is nothing we can do for her now. But we can still find Alexei. We can make him explain what went wrong." "He killed h

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Dimitri's POV  The convoy moved slowly through the city streets. Behind me, a black hearse carried her coffin. Simple and elegant, just like she would have wanted. My guards surrounded the vehicles in perfect formation. Their heads were bowed. Their faces were grim. The city seemed to know. Even the people on the streets stopped and stared as we passed. Some made the sign of the cross. Others just watched in silence. I sat in the back of my car, staring at nothing. I had not slept. I had not eaten. I had barely moved since we left that cursed beach. Mikhail sat across from me. He looked tired and worried. He kept trying to say something but I did not want to hear it. "Dimitri," he finally said softly. "You need to eat something. You need to rest." I did

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Dimitri's POV   Three days had passed since we buried her. Three days of darkness. Three days of emptiness. Three days of rage building inside me like a storm waiting to explode. I stood in my office, looking out the window at the garden. At the fresh mound of earth under the oak tree. My Irina lay there.  Ivanov entered without knocking. My guards knew better than to wait for permission these days. I had made a vow to eliminate Ivanov for shooting a dart at me. But Mikhail had pleaded on his behalf. He was one of my skillful and most trusted guard. Why kill him when I can work him to death? "We have searched everywhere, boss," he said carefully. "Every warehouse, every safe house, every contact. Alexei Volkov seem to have disappeared completely." "Then

CHAPTER THIRTYDimitriThe other pakhans were terrified.Their businesses crumbled before their eyes. Their shipments rotted at checkpoints. Their partners abandoned them. Their money stopped flowing.And I don’t care.Every morning, reports came to my desk. Reports of detained cargo. Reports of confiscated shipments. Reports of businesses shutting down.I read each one with cold satisfaction.Mikhail entered my office carrying a stack of envelopes. "More letters," he said, dropping them on my desk. "From the other families."I did not even look at them. "Burn them.""Dimitri, some of these families are going bankrupt," Mikhail said carefully. "They are begging you to stop. They are offering information, money, anything you want.""Do they have Alexei's head?" I asked without looking up from my papers."No, but...""Then I do not want to hear it," I said flatly. "Burn the letters, Mikhail."Mikhail hesitated, then nodded. He gathered the envelopes and left.I stood and walked to the wi