Zaal swallowed, closed his eyes, and as the guards forced him up the stairs he disappeared from view.
All energy drained, a crippling grief sweeping through my body, I sagged in the tight chains, sagged and cried, cried until darkness claimed me, and I could cry no more.
Chapter Eighteen
Talia
“Down here!”
I stirred from sleep on hearing a male voice shout upstairs. I heard the rush of feet. Footsteps stormed down the steps to the basement.
I was aching, in pain, and my head throbbed.
“Shit! Talia!” I heard. Cracking my bruised eyes open, Luka ran my way. Luka and Mikhail, and byki, lots of byki.
“Luka.” My mouth formed the word, but my throat felt like it was filled with razors.
“Get her down!” Luka ordered. I smiled in my head, my lips too weak to make the gesture. He sounded like a leader, finally like the man he was born to be.
A sudden pain shot through my body as I was freed from my chains. Every muscle in my body screamed as the blood began to fill them, forcing them back to life.
Strong arms held me and lifted me off the floor. Something was put to my lips. Cool water immediately filled my mouth. I struggled to swallow through a raw throat, but I forced myself. I had to tell Luka about Jakhua, about Zaal. I had to save him. Luka had to save him.
“Get her robe!” Luka called. I heard footsteps on the stairs as someone obeyed his order.
Luka poured the water over my face. A towel followed as he cleaned my face, the soft material feeling like stabbing needles.
Luka’s hand pushed my bloodied hair back from my face, and he asked, “Talia? Are you okay?”
My eyes widened and filled with water. My body jerked. I tried to move. I needed to move. We needed to save Zaal.
“No,” Luka said as my body arched with pain. “You need to wait. Your body needs time to adjust.”
Looking into Luka’s brown eyes, I cried, and rasped, “He took him. He came and took him from me.”
Luka’s face darkened. He pulled me to his chest. “I’ll get him, Talia. This I promise you.”
“But he is going to drug him again. Zaal agreed to be the prototype again, to save my life.” Luka lowered me until I could see his face, his face torn with pain. “He saved me, Luka. Traded my life for his.”
Just then, a byki came with my robe. Luka ordered them all out of the basement. My eyes widened, and I asked, “Savin and Ilya?”
Luka’s eyes narrowed. “Shot.”
My stomach fell. “Are they … dead?”
Luka shook his head. “No. They’re not in good shape, but they’re on their way to the hospital. They should be okay.”
Luka helped me to stand, my legs aching as I tried to balance on my own. But Luka never let me fall. Instead he helped me dress, then lifted me in his arms.
As we made for the stairs, I asked, “You’re going to save him, right? I don’t, I don’t think I could live without him.”
Luka stopped. Looking me straight in the eyes, he said, “I already have men, trustworthy men, finding out where Jakhua’s taking Zaal. We have men on the inside, rats in his crew. It shouldn’t be long. He left himself too open risking this visit to retrieve Zaal. His tracks are already being traced. And as soon as we know where the fucker’s crawled off to, I’m gonna fucking storm the place and kill every last piz’da there.”
I swallowed at seeing my brother so violent. But right now, for the first time, I welcomed it. I wanted it.
Only Luka, Luka who used be known as Raze, could free Zaal.
* * *
As we approached my parents’ house a few hours later, I opened the door and ran into the hallway. Everyone was in the living room; Mama, Kisa, Papa, and the Pakhan. As I hurried into the living room on still-shaky feet, my mama jumped up and her face turned white.
“Talia … my girl,” she cried, and ran toward me taking me in her arms. She gripped me so tightly I flinched. Hearing my quick inhale of breath, Mama pulled back. Her hand lifted and skirted over my face. “Talia, what did that man do to you?”
“I’m fine, Mama.” I rubbed the top of her arms, and walked around her to face my father and Kirill. “Jakhua came to the house.” I swallowed, my throat still sore. I said, “They took Zaal. He took Zaal again. He’s going to use him for the drugs again.”
Someone entered the room, and when Kisa jumped from the sofa, I knew it was Luka. But my eyes stayed on my father. “Papa, we have to go and get him.”
My father stood, as did Kirill. My father walked forward and took me in his arms. “We’ll kill, Jakhua, Talia. He’ll pay. He’s fucked with the Bratva for the last time. Touching my daughter was the last thing he will ever do.”