Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(90)

He was the first one to arrive though Mishca had made the call. As he waited beside his truck, staring at another ghost of his past, he lit a cigarette, taking in deep pulls, hoping the nicotine could do what he couldn’t.

Luka should have been prepared, should have known that the moment Fatos had shown his face, this would be next. He couldn’t know what was inside, but he had a pretty good idea. Fatos, unlike anyone he knew, knew how to f*ck with someone’s head.

Finally, after ten minutes had passed, two cars pulled up, one modern and sleek, the other older and in need of a wash. Mishca stepped out of one, and Klaus climbed out of the other. And seeing that mercenary, whose eyes immediately cut to him from where he stood, Luka knew this wasn’t going to end well.

All three of them shared a history with this place, Luka and Klaus more than Mishca. And that history was different for each of them.

But it was safe to say that this place was not looked upon fondly.

No one spoke as Mishca led the way inside, following the twisting pathway to the front door as they had been there often. But it was hard to forget a place like this one. Klaus had nearly died here, suffering for something he had no control over, and it wasn’t that long ago that Lauren had been brought here by Brahim to suffer a similar fate. Such brittle memories filled this place that it felt like those were the only things keeping this place standing.

There was nothing on the first floor that was noteworthy, and as they ventured upstairs, Luka thought about how many people he had killed in this place, from his very first time here to his last. When he took a breath as he ascended the stairs behind Mishca, he could almost taste the blood in the air from the day it had covered him.

Clearing the stairs, they only had a brief moment to prepare themselves for what awaited them on the other side of the wall. Mishca cursed at what he saw, Luka’s entire body flinched at the sight, but Klaus…Klaus didn’t react at all.

His expression was unreadable as they all eyed the two bodies tied to the chairs. A particularly brutal scene brought back memories that were better left buried. As it had since the moment Fatos made his presence known in the city, the countdown ticked ever louder in Luka’s head. He knew it was all catching up with him, but there was one thing that Luka knew.

Fatos would never be the one to tell Mishca the truth.

Not because he was afraid, but because this was a game to him. As long as Luka continued to play it, he would drag it out as long as possible, not caring who he hurt in the process.

This was as much a message to Klaus as it was to Luka because he was far more intimately involved with this scene than even Luka. Despite the years, there was nothing that could have hidden the emotion in Klaus’s eyes as he looked, not to the dead Russian who bore many of the same injuries as Klaus once had, but to the burned corpse that was unrecognizable.

Oblivious to his surroundings, or lost in his memories, Klaus reached for the chain he normally kept hidden beneath his shirt, clasping the charm dangling from it.

This would have been his fate had Luka not checked for the one thing that would have proved he’d been telling the truth under the onslaught of his torture. No one knew about that simple truth however, not even Klaus. After what Luka had done to him, he doubted that would have made much of a difference, so he’d never bothered to reveal that.

Realizing that they, too, were lost in their own thoughts, Luka broke the silence. “What do you want to do?”

But the question was left unanswered as Klaus seemed to snap out of whatever spell he was under. Neither Luka nor Mishca said a word as they watched, with varied expressions, as Klaus walk toward the burned body, kneeling before her.

He reached out, his hand hovering next to her face, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch her. She was burned far beyond recognition, but Luka didn’t think Klaus cared about that, not when he was seeing the face of someone else in her place.

While he was lost in his memories, Mishca turned to look at Luka, his gaze furious, but he was calm as he spoke. “Burn this f*cking place to the ground. Leave nothing behind.”

With a tight nod, Luka waited for him to leave, his phone already in hand, before he dared approach Klaus.

Slowly, as he came to his feet, Luka realized what it was about Klaus that so many feared, but not until it was too late. He didn’t vibrate with rage the way Mishca did. He didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. When he did show he was angry, that was because he actually wanted you to see it, not because he couldn’t contain it.

Now…Luka was seeing the hidden monster he’d played a part in creating. They all had them, he knew, but it was rare that Klaus showed his.

“He’s going to die,” he said just loud enough for only Luka to hear, but that didn’t make his words any less powerful. “Whether you like it or not. Stay out of my way, or you can die with him.”

Scrubbing a hand down his face, Luka got to work.

____

Luka was unusually silent when he picked her back up and they started the journey back to his place. Now that she was seeing him again, she could tell that there was more to his somber moods than Snow.

She reached for his hand where it rested between them, intertwining her fingers with his, offering him comfort. When he briefly squeezed, she relaxed a little.

Back at his house, he disappeared into the bathroom and she up into his room. Tomorrow would be another long day of practicing that she couldn’t afford to miss. She packed a bag, dropping in her sweats, tape, and leotard. When she was wrapping the ribbons around her pointe shoes, tucking them into a side pouch, she heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking, then Loki’s sharp bark.