Alexei And Grace

32 | Ghosts

Alexei | Grace

"I HAVE A RAT TO DEAL WITH." And I was going to enjoy the process of destroying every last shred of evidence that he had ever existed. I was going to wipe him off the face of the earth. I was going to cause him unimaginable pain. Even thinking about the moment we found him in the safe house made my blood boil...

Sergei and I made it to the safe house quickly after leaving the Docks – but not quickly enough. Grace had already been taken, the sight of smeared blood on the stair well making my heart clench at the thought of them having hurt her. To make matters worse, evidence of her forced kidnapping littered the hallway; a broken vase was shattered across the floor which had also developed scratch marks from a small wooden table being dragged across it.

The anger I felt towards both myself and Grace's kidnappers was unimaginable.

Guns out, we rapidly searched the house only to find something neither of us had ever expected – someone we hadn't suspected. I hadn't suspected. I had failed.

Dmitry.

He'd obviously crawled out of the bathroom and into one of the bedrooms, jamming the door shut with whatever he could find until he organised a way to get out in his current state. But being the idiot he was, he'd left a vibrant trail of sticky blood behind him.

The second I set eyes on him a wave of rage more intense than I'd ever experienced rocked through my body, turning my vision red. Beside me, I'd heard Sergei let out a low growl.

Dmitry's bloodshot eyes widened as they connected with mine, an expression of terror falling over his face. "A-Alexei," he stammered, clutching his thigh which was bleeding profusely. "I tried – I tried to stop them!"

Closing my eyes, I turned around and let out a deep, heavy breath. "Sergei, make sure he can't escape while we're gone. Call four of my men and put them on house surveillance in case the Italians come back. I'll deal with this merzavets later."

(Rat)

As I heard the safety of Sergei's gun click off I opened my eyes. A second later, two gunshots could be heard in quick succession and a shrill cry of pain echoed through the house.

Needing my fury to be satisfied, I turned to see Dmitry writhing on the floor in a pool of his own blood, kneecaps shattered from the bullets Sergei just shot into them. "Don't go anywhere while I'm gone, Dmitry. I'm coming back for you," I promised.

The memory made my hands clench into fists. I should never have trusted Dmitry so soon.

"Maybe you should stay with Grace, boss," Sergei suggested, glancing into the back where we were sat.

Grace still hadn't moved or spoken any more, she wasn't even crying. If she was aware that she was still bleeding in several places, she didn't show it. I watched her blank face carefully, the way her blue-grey eyes stared straight ahead, unblinking.

"Take her to my apartment and watch her," I dismissed. "Make sure she eats something."

Dmitry wasn't an issue I could put off until later.

"You're dealing with the rat on your own?"

"This is personal."

The car slowed as we turned into the housing estate, coming to a stop outside the safe house. Setting eyes on the place made my teeth grind together.

"I won't be long," I whispered to Grace, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'll see you soon."

She didn't respond.