Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(94)

A click sounded in his ear. Klaus frowned, glancing at the screen, reading the number that was flashing on the screen. He didn’t recognize it.

“Hold that thought.”

Without waiting for Luka’s response, Klaus answered the new call. “Yeah?”

“I’ve left a gift for you.”

Frowning, Klaus tried to place the voice, sure he had heard it before, but when he couldn’t, he dismissed it for the time being. “I don’t like gifts.”

“You’ll like this one.”

The mystery person on the other end hung up. Klaus, reconnecting the call with Luka, got to his feet. Going over to the bed, he slipped the case out from beneath it. Unlatching the locks, he pulled it open, pulling one of the 9mm handguns free.

Klaus hadn’t been entertaining the caller. He didn’t like gifts, nor did he like surprises.

“Where are you?”

“Why does it matter?”

He had barely had the time to screw the silencer onto the end of his gun when there was a knock at the door.

He didn’t have a good feeling about who would be on the other side of it.

Taking a moment to check the peephole, he eyed the man on the other side, waiting until he relaxed his guard before yanking the door open and dragging the man inside.

Abandoning his phone for the time being, Klaus let it drop to the floor as he pushed the man to the floor, his knee in his chest, his gun beneath his jaw.

“Who sent you?”

“I—”

With his free hand, Klaus punched the man in the face. “A name will do.”

“You can’t—”

Klaus wrapped his finger around the trigger, the challenge in his eyes clear.

“Fatos!” he rushed out to say.

If anything, the name only made him angrier. “You do realize, don’t you, that he sent you here to die?”

There was a trace of fear in his eyes, but there was also the arrogance of a man who thought he knew something. “You can’t kill me until you hear what I have to say.”

“Yeah?” Klaus asked entertaining him. “And why is that?”

“Only I know where Alex is buried.”

Shit.

Shit.

Grabbing his phone from the floor, he kept his gaze on the man that was now smiling up at him.

“Your Albanians have Alex. Get your ass back here. I’ll text you an address.”

Hanging up, Klaus dialed Mishca. “We have a problem.”

____

There was organized chaos all around them, and through it all, Klaus was the only one to remain levelheaded. Mishca tried, for the sake of his men, to keep his anger contained, but Klaus could see that careful control fracturing.

And why wouldn’t it when his sister was buried alive somewhere?

Not to mention, they were running out of time.

But the Albanian had yet to cave, no matter how Klaus had made him bleed. But he had withstood torture before, the history of it was embedded in his flesh.

“Where is he?” Mishca demanded, running an agitated hand through his hair.

But the question was moot as Luka came bursting through the door, barely sparing them a glance as he focused solely on their captive.

Now, finally, they got a reaction from him. It was a mixture of fear and dark glee. Whatever assignment he’d been given, it obviously had more to do with Luka than it did Mishca and the Bratva.

Klaus feared he knew all too well what this was really about.

Stepping out of the path of Luka’s rage, he watched with thinly veiled anticipation as Luka drew a knife from his pocket.

“The address.” It wasn’t a question.

“Valon.”

For once, Luka didn’t flinch at the name, too focused on his task to realize that his secret was just seconds from being blown.

Unlike Klaus, who’d threatened the man by telling him exactly what he would do if he didn’t cough up Alex’s whereabouts, Luka immediately acted.

Tossing his blade on the table, he reached for a hacksaw, even as the man’s eyes widened in fear, his head jerking back and forth as though that might help him.

Lining up the serrated teeth at his wrist, Luka began cutting, not wavering for a second as he cut, blood spraying, the man’s screams echoing in the room. Those who couldn’t stomach the brutality turned away, but neither Klaus nor Mishca turned away.

Only when the man’s hand lay detached on the ground did Luka drop the saw.

“Fatos doesn’t want her to die. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent you. Deliver your message.”

Tears were in the man’s eyes, his pain clear. It took him several minutes to get his breathing under control before he could offer him a response. “I…I don’t know the a-address.”

Luka reached for another instrument of torture, but there was no need.

“Wait! Fatos…Fatos said to tell y-you that she was where our p-paths c-crossed.”

Klaus frowned in confusion, until Luka turned to pierce him with a stare that told him exactly where and why she was there.

It was becoming apparent that Fatos planned to reveal all their secrets.

“What the f*ck is he talking about?” Mishca demanded.

“She’s at the house,” Klaus supplied, already heading for the door.

Mishca spat out directions to the soldiers who still lingered, exiting without sparing Luka another glance.