Raze (Scarred Souls 1)

Closing my eyes, I pictured Luka’s face and said, “I need to say something. Please don’t interrupt me. I need to get this out.”

Ivan, Talia and my papa nodded their heads.

“Luka didn’t kill Rodion all those years ago. Alik set him up. They were at the falls. Something happened and Alik stabbed Rodion and then stabbed himself to make it look like Luka was guilty.”

I caught Talia sucking in a sharp breath, but I kept my eyes shut.

“Abram had told Alik he had to kill Rodion so he would be next in line, that Rodion wasn’t strong enough to lead when they were older. And Alik placed the blame on Luka because…” I cleared my throat and felt the pit of guilt that lay with in me expand. “Because he wanted me to himself… and believed I would never choose him with Luka still around. He was right. I never would have given up Luka for anything. You all know that.

“Abram didn’t plan for Alik to harm Luka. Why would he? Alik would be next in line because of where Abram stood in the Bratva, but he had to protect his son. He couldn’t let you find out what Alik had done. It would jeopardize everything he’d planned… planned under your noses.”

The room was still silent, so I continued. “When Papa sent Luka away, Abram ordered for the Georgian Mafia to intercept the transport. They burned the bus, put bodies in place of the boys en route to Russia, and took them to Alaska instead.”

“What… what was in Alaska?” Talia’s tiny voice asked.

Trying to stop my bottom lip from quivering, I said, “An underground prison, nicknamed the Gulag, ran by the Georgians. A gambling ring just like this, where their prisoners are forced to fight to the death. They torture them, force them to take drugs, build them up to a frightening size. They make them into killers, drug them and torture them so badly that they block out their past and any memories they had before the Gulag. Any memories. All memories.”

Tears flooded my cheeks and my chest grew tight.

“And what happened to my boy?” Ivan asked, and I finally opened my eyes. “Did he die? Did he die in the Gulag ring? Did my boy die?” Ivan’s voice cracked, and when I cast a glance at Talia, she appeared numb with shock, her hand cool on mine.

“No,” I whispered. “He became a champion, unrivaled… He survived, Ivan. There was an escape, and he fled, having no other memories but that of New York… He knew he had to come back to Brooklyn.” I inhaled, watching as Luka and Alik circled one another around the cage, praying Luka would be victorious. “And his need for revenge on Alik.”

My papa moved my hair back from my face. “How do you know all this, Kisa? Who told you? How can you be sure it’s all true? This accusation against Abram is serious. You know it means death for his betrayal if you are correct, Kisa.”

I nodded my head. “I know it’s true… because…” I steeled my nerves, took a deep breath, and confessed, “Because Luka found me again. We found each other again, and he told me so himself.”

Talia stood abruptly. “He’s… he’s here? In New York? My brother is back?”

I nodded.

“I don’t… I don’t believe it… Why didn’t he come to us? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” she cried.

Another tear fell. “He doesn’t remember you, Tal. He barely remembers me, just fragments of his past. He only remembered all that Alik did to him when he was with me last night. But then I dropped Luka off at the gym. Alik had followed us.” I looked to my papa. “That’s why he attacked me, Papa.” I dipped my eyes. “I was unfaithful to Alik with Luka, and Alik found out. He punished me. He said I betrayed him, but he has no idea it was with Luka. He doesn’t even know Luka is alive, that he’s back. Abram didn’t tell him he never died.”

My father jumped to his feet and threw his head back in anger.

Ivan stepped forward with urgency. “Kisa? Where’s my boy? Where’s Luka now? I need to see him!”

I got to my feet as fast as I could and pressed my non-injured hand against the glass. “He’s in the cage.” Ivan’s eyes lit with confusion, and everybody moved to the glass. “Ivan, Luka is Raze, our newest fighter… and he’s finally getting his revenge.”

“No!” Talia cried.

My papa moved quickly, and I heard him order Max, “The minute the fight is done, no matter the outcome, you seize Abram.”

“He doesn’t look anything like I always pictured he would,” Ivan said, and I could see water glistening in his eyes. “He’s too big, scarred… all those tattoos. He… He looks like an animal in that cage, a killer.”

“They hurt him, Ivan, for years in that Gulag. They hurt him. But Luka’s still in there. He’s still there underneath. We just have to bring him back.”

Talia’s sobs came thick and fast. “What if he doesn’t win? What if Alik kills him for real this time?”

Ivan put his arm around Talia’s shoulders. “He has to, Talia. God wouldn’t be so cruel to make us lose him twice.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

RAZE

I was sliced. I was stabbed. I was bleeding.

But so was Durov. He was sliced more. Stabbed more. Bleeding more.

Every part of my body ached with exhaustion, but Alik was lagging too. His body worse than mine, and the slash across the gut from my first strike was leaking so much blood that he wasn’t going to last much longer.