Where the Snow Falls (Seasons of Betrayal #2)(39)

“What do you want to do about her?” Kolya asked in Russian, never taking his eyes off the woman.

Kaz knew the score. They would barely make it a foot out the door before she would be on the phone and calling for someone or at their backs with a gun. He hadn’t lied when he said he would put a bullet in her, even if he had yet to kill a woman over the course of his life. And even if he wasn’t able to pull the trigger, Kolya had no qualms in the matter—he would do it with ease.

“Tie her up,” Kaz finally answered, barely sparing the woman another glance as Rus came forward to zip tie Christian’s wrists behind his back. “And stuff her ass in a closet.”

There was no need for her to die, not when it didn’t benefit him in any way.

As Kolya took a step forward, Christian’s wife made a soft sound of distress, her eyes flickering to the door, as though she could possibly make it through before one of them caught her.

“You lay a f*cking paw on—”

But Christian didn’t get to finish his threat, not before Kaz’s annoyance kicked up and he sent the man’s face slamming into the wall before he dropped like a sack of bricks.

“You talk too much,” he said absently, and then to Kolya, “Finish with her then meet us at the car.”

Between him and Rus, they carried Christian’s limp body out of the house and down the street, stuffing him in the trunk. Taking a step back, Kaz surveyed the damage to the man’s leg in the low light. He hadn’t hit the femoral artery—he wasn’t bleeding nearly enough—but if he didn’t at least tie it off, the man would be dead before they made it to the warehouse.

Whipping off his own belt, Kaz fit it around the man’s thigh, cinching it as tight as he could before grabbing an old shirt and tying it around the bleeding flesh. His work done, he slammed the trunk shut, wiping his hands along the front of his pants.

It wasn’t long before Kolya was out of the house and slipping into the car after them. Rus didn’t hesitate to pull onto the street, chasing the rising sun through the streets of Amityville until they were entering their own territory in Brighton Beach. By the time they reached a line of warehouses and Rus was pulling into the third, the sun was high in the sky, and Kaz could see far too clearly the blood that coated his hands.

But by the time he finished in here, it would cover him.

Over the span of a few minutes, Kaz pulled Christian from the trunk, stringing him up across the room. He used the controls on a side wall to raise the hook just high enough that he wouldn’t be able to keep his balance. Kolya and Rus lingered in the back, allowing him to do what he wanted without interference.

Dragging his shirt over his head, Kaz tossed the material on a nearby table, feeling the chill of the room sinking into his skin. How long had it been since he was in this room? It wasn’t often that he used this space, or even that he really needed to, but for Christian Carracci, he would make an exception.

“Come now,” he said slapping the man’s cheek a couple of times to stir him awake. “I don’t want you to miss the good part.”

It wasn’t until Kaz put a little more power behind his slap that the man stirred. It took a moment of low groaning before Christian finally jerked in his bonds, forcing his head up, wary eyes on Kaz.

“Who—”

“All will be explained in due time, comrade.” Kaz took a step back. Cracking his knuckles, he drew the man’s gaze to his movements. He wasn’t supposed to enjoy this as much as he would, but he could already feel the adrenaline coursing through him. “January 21st, 1998, where were you?”

His brows arched together, and Christian shook his head. “That was seventeen years ago. How the hell should I know?”

“I know where I was,” Kaz said conversationally. “Home with that bastard of a father of mine. I can even tell you where my brother was that day. Want to know?”

Christian looked at Kaz as though he’d lost his mind. “What the f*ck are you going on about?”

“He was with our uncle, Gavrill,” Kaz said, ignoring the man’s words.

The restlessness of the room faded as Christian finally understood why he was there. Kaz didn’t have to turn and look to know that they had Rus’ complete attention. Even if he didn’t know everything, he was now piecing together what he did know.

“Now, I’ll ask you again. Where were you on that day?”

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Christian glared at him. “You think you have all the answers?”

Kaz’s fist was slamming into the man’s stomach in the next breath, not even close to feeling satisfied despite Christian’s shout of pain. “I don’t have to have all the answers—that’s what you’re here for.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to suffer,” Kaz answered. “I want to watch you f*cking bleed for what you did to my uncle. I want to know what your bones feel like when they finally snap, but for now, I’ll settle on what you know about that day and the order given.”

Christian didn’t respond.

His patience wearing thin, Kaz picked up a pair of vise grips, turning them over in his hands. “I once used these on a man, got his fingers between the teeth, applying just enough pressure to get his attention. But he was a f*cking masochist—refused to say anything until the flesh of his finger split down the middle.” Tapping the man’s forehead with the tool, Kaz asked, “Are you a masochist, Christian? How long will you hold out before your mouth is nothing but mush and blood? If you’d like, I’ll even count your teeth for you.”