Gavriil (Stepanov Mafia)

“Follow Devin!” I said, my voice hoarse. “He is our only chance of finding Samantha. If he gets away, we could lose her.”

“You are losing a lot of blood, boss.” Ivan pressed his hand into my side, putting pressure on the wound.

I elbowed his hands away from me and sat up. It was excruciating, but I had to be strong. I had to let them know I would be fine, even though I wasn’t so sure of it myself.

“If you both don’t go hunt down Devin and bring him back to me, I’ll kill you right now.”

It was an empty threat, but they both listened. Ivan gave one last look before I heard them both running down the hallway.

Chapter Nineteen

Gavril

As soon as they were gone, I sunk back against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut. My vision was getting blurry, and I knew I’d pass out soon from blood loss if I didn’t do something to stop the bleeding. My shirt was sticky with blood, and I groaned as I lifted the fabric from the wound in my side.

I groaned even more as I lifted my arms above my head to take the shirt off. My eyes were watering from the pain, but I balled the shirt up and pressed it to my side. Then, I slowly slipped my belt off my waist and wrapped it around my rib cage, tightening it as much as I could. It still hurt like a bitch, but the pressure helped me focus on what was important.

Sam.

If Yuri and Ivan weren’t able to catch up to Devin, he’d head straight for Sam, and, if he were smart, he’d leave town. Or, in this case, hop on a plane. I had no idea where a small plane like Fyodor’s would fly out of, but I had enough men to cover every airport in the city, so that is what I did.

I spent the next five minutes getting orders out to every available guard, enforcer, and recruit to head to every airport in the area and keep an eye out for Sam, Devin, and Fyodor. I hated that I was just sitting on the floor and waiting for everyone else to fix this, but I knew I’d kill myself if I tried to get in my car and haul ass around the city looking for her. The best thing I could do for Sam and our baby now was sit back and relax.

Still, I had to do something. The idea that I could die in that small office and leave my baby behind without any protection was unbearable, so I unlocked my cell phone and began typing up a hasty amendment to my will in my phone’s notes. If I should die, I wanted everything to go to Sam and the baby.

Sam needed to be able to take care of herself and our child. I wanted her life to be better because she knew me, not worse. And if I left her as a single mother with a sick mom of her own and a psychopathic brother, I would most certainly have made her life worse. I attached the note to an email and forwarded it to my lawyer, Yuri, and Ivan just to cover my bases.

As soon as I was finished, I heard the front door of the warehouse open again. I tilted my head towards the office door, trying to determine whether Yuri and Ivan had caught Devin, whether they were coming back to tell me they’d lost him, or whether I was about to have a run-in with another member of Devin’s patched together crew. I could have called out to ask who was there, but I didn’t want to give away my location.

I still hadn’t asked about whether Devin was responsible for the two guys who had tried to break into my house the week before, but I assumed he was. And normally, I didn’t have any trouble taking out bumbling guys like that who thought they were tough shit because they carried a gun but didn’t have a drop of training.

However, in my current state, I didn’t feel so confident. My side ached, and though I hadn’t stood up yet, I knew I’d be unsteady on my feet. I could have been overtaken by an aggressive pre-teen. So, I grabbed my gun and aimed it at the door.

The footsteps grew louder, and I heard labored breathing getting closer and closer. Finally, someone walked in front of the door, and I was relieved to see it was Yuri.

I lowered my gun. “Did you get him?”

He grunted as he turned around and began walking backward, he and Ivan hauling an unconscious Devin into the room and dropping him on the floor.

“We had to chase him for awhile and knock him out to get him to come back with us, but he’s here,” Yuri said. “What do we do now?”