My head was against the damp wall, resting because I was hungry and weak, and had no strength to give smart remarks to the nonsense.
“I think there is something wrong with him sometimes. His bloodlust is terrible, and I've seen him tear into a girl with the stick of a broom. Ruined her insides and left her for the men to clean up.”
Not a word came from my mouth, but I would have liked nothing more than to give the older woman several punches to the face.
Maybe bash her head against the wall and knock a few teeth out.
But I was saving my strength for when Maxim came back. There was bound to be a round two, I knew it.
Chapter 27 - Alessandro
Breakthrough.
The heavy weight in my chest lifted slightly. But that weight was immediately replaced by the thirst I had for revenge, and I was glad for it. The men that had been involved in Katya’s kidnapping were still in Paulina’s apartment, a low-rise two-story luxury apartment building.
That was why Samantha had been able to scale down through the bedroom window without breaking any bones.
Dom had already gathered the muscle we needed, but I insisted on them not rushing in.
I would go in first, after we had replaced Samantha, so they didn’t do anything go crazy on Katya’s other friend.
“What’s the status?” I asked Dom through the phone. Samantha had wanted to go back, but her injuries were brutal and many, and I wouldn’t allow that. So, she was in her hospital room, and we were waiting for everything to be ready.
Dom made a humming sound into the phone, as if he was looking through something. The instructions had been very clear.
In place of Samantha, Frankie had suggested we could take somebody vaguely similar back to Paulina’s, and when everything was in place, we could storm in.
She hadn’t been clear on the number of people in the apartment, and some of the information seemed confusing. Probably due to her injuries. We didn’t know the exact number of Maxim’s men in the apartment or their plan.
The only clear had been that some men disguised as the police had come in with guns, and they’d taken Katya away while one had stayed behind. Then there’d been a struggle, both in the apartment and outside with Katya.
But Paulina had been knocked out, and Samantha was subdued, and after the noise coming from outside had settled, more of them had entered the apartment, dragged them into a room, and beaten them. Especially Paulina because she was a model and actress, perhaps she had more worth, and they were thinking of getting some ransom money.
They also wanted to take ownership of the apartment and use it as a front for the Trievs while it was under Paulina’s name.
They were planning on expanding.
We couldn’t be sure of how many would be in the apartment, especially because it wasn’t a small property. We needed somebody that could pass for Samantha, briefly, and Dom knew someone who would fit the bill.
A stripper in one of the Petrenko strip clubs Katya managed. He shrugged when I looked at him, but the stripper’s resemblance was passable, especially after Samantha suggested they add the bruises with make-up.
She said they’d locked her in Paulina’s workroom and left her there after beating the crap out of her.
All their attentions were on Paulina because she was the cow they wanted to milk.
All these steps were necessary because Maxim was a cunning bastard. The men couldn’t suspect the stripper wasn’t Samantha until we’d confirmed their numbers and stormed the place.
I had every intention of getting my wife back within 24 hours.
“We snuck her back in time. I can hear them kicking the living shit out of her, they must have just gone in to check up on her. She’s good at this though, currently, we know there’re at least two guys in there with her, maybe seven or eight more close by, she can’t hear where Paulina is to know how many more are in the apartment. There are more, but probably not many more.”
I stood and Samantha shot up on the bed, I had to gesture with my hand for her to calm down. “I’ll come now, try to get the complete number, and if they’re expecting any more goons.”
“Sure thing, big brother.”
I cut the call and looked at Samantha’s expecting face.
“What happened? Is Paulina ok?”