Relentless Sinner

Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Jaxon

Krasota…

She was here. I could sense her. Sense her fear.

Hear her cries. Feel her pain.

My wife.

My awareness slowly returns to me, my thoughts trickling back into my mind like a lake that’s defrosting after the cold bite of winter.

Memories of betrayal come first. Then memories of the mistakes I made when I practically handed my wife over to the enemy.

Eric and Salvatore are working together.

Usually when things don’t make sense, it’s because they don’t and you’re looking in all the wrong places. Or you’re not seeing what’s right in front of you because you don’t want to believe it.

Even when I saw and heard the truth for myself, I still didn’t want to believe that Eric could do this to me. Destroy me.

Now he has Gabriella.

And I’m here.

I can’t even think about my father. I assume he’s dead. He looked dead when I saw him slumped in his wheelchair.

My body feels broken and like my skin is falling off. No doubt Salvatore and whoever must have kicked the crap out of me while I was unconscious.

He had to tie me up to beat me. Clever coward.

I open my eyes, try to lift my head, and… my head drops back down. The weight of the drug they gave me is still in my system, weakening me. I can feel it. A former addict knows the difference between something real and something induced.

Gabriella floats into my mind, and I wonder where she is now.

Is it night or is it still daytime?

What are they doing to her?

She was crying. That’s enough of an answer to tell me she’s not okay.

I need to get out of here and find her. Even if I die trying, I have to do something. If they get me on that ship to the Bratva island, it will all be over.

She’ll die.

They’ll get what they need from her then kill her after.

I can’t let that happen.

I breathe slowly, trying to use the oxygen to help me, heal me.

It feels like hours pass before I start to gain some clarity and am able to lift my head. I can see where I am now. I’m chained up in a cage, but my strength is returning.

My feet aren’t chained or bound; they will be my weapon.

Time passes until the door behind me opens. Footsteps echo on the concrete floor, then two guards stand in front of me.

I keep my head down to appear like I’m still in my weakened state but just at an angle that allows me to see them. I take in what they look like, their weapons, and their mannerisms.

“Look at this. The great Jaxon Bortsov,” the tallest one taunts.

“He looks like a dickless fucker to me.”

“Because he is.” The tall one hits the rails of the cage with his machine gun and laughs. “He made a good toy earlier. I made sure I kicked the living crap out of him.”

“Me too.” The other guy laughs. “Come on, let’s prep him for shipping and get out of here. I’m going to use some of that money we got to buy some pussy.”

“I second that.”

I try to stay as still as possible and listen to them. The jangle of keys fills my ears as they open the cage.

The tall one—the one who took pleasure in beating me first—grabs my arms and undoes the chains bounding me to the top of the cage, but there are still handcuffs around my wrists.

I slump to the floor to keep up the act of not presenting a threat. Being on the ground also allows me a moment of reprieve for the blood to rush back into my arms and the rest of my body.

Fuck. My veins are on fire.

The two guards grab me, each taking one arm to pull me out of the cage.

Again, I take note of my surroundings and get a close-up view of their weapons. The mouthy guard to my right has a knife in the sheath on his belt. It’s just the right size for me to grab and use with my bounded wrists.

In the Vygotsky Bratva you’re prepared for situations like this. I have a chance here. My one and only chance. I need to take it and make every second count.

They drag me to the corner of the room, where there’s a stretcher with more chains hanging from it. I assume they’ve been ordered to chain me to it and ship me off.

No way in fuck am I going to let that happen to me.

I see an opening when Tall Guard releases me. Summoning all my strength, I flip my body around and hook my wrists around the neck of the guard still holding me.

The shock of my surprise attack gets him killed. I use the handcuffs and my brute strength to snap his neck, then I grab his knife before he goes down and lunge myself at Tall Guard.

He’s so shocked I’m moving, he makes the mistake of fumbling first before grabbing his gun. That’s when I stab him in his chest with the knife, missing his heart on purpose because I need him alive to talk.

We go down to the ground in a rage of fists and he drops his gun.

Like a vicious animal, I get on top of him and headbutt him so hard his head slams into the concrete floor. It stuns him long enough to allow me to gain the advantage and hold the knife to his throat.

“Tell me, right the fuck now, where they’ve taken my wife.” I get in his face and pierce the skin by his ear with the tip of my blade.

“Fuck you. I’m not telling you a fucking thing.”

Seething, I respond by stabbing him again in his chest. He could have survived the first wound. He won’t with this one.

“The next one goes straight into your heart or your neck if you don’t tell me what I need to know. Your choice. Die fast or die slow.”

From the tone in my voice, he realizes I’m not fucking around. But why anyone would assume that from a man called the Beast is beyond me.

Fear fills his eyes, and he starts to pant, his breaths in tandem with the blood pumping out of his wounds.

“Eric is taking your wife to Russia. They’re leaving in three hours. They’re getting ready now. Please don’t kill me, please don’t?—”

I stab him in his heart and give him a quick death for the information.

Who’s the dickless fucker now?

I grab the keys from his belt and try to find the one that will open the cuffs. Eventually, I find it, then I grab the guard’s phone and dial Micah’s number, thanking my lucky stars that I’m good with numbers and he’s had the same number since college.

He answers on the first ring, and my soul rejoices just hearing his voice.

“Micah, it’s me.” I keep my voice low because I’m not sure who’s on the other side of the door.

“Jaxon, what’s going on?”

“Everything. I need backup.” It’s time for war. “Send a Code Red to my men and the Creed. Use this number to track me.”

“We’re on our way.”

The beast inside me thirsts for blood and vengeance, so I won’t be holding back.

The sky will rain blood tonight and when I get my Gabriella back, I will never let her go.