Knocked Up By the Russian Boss by Bella King
Chapter 36
MAXIM
My head is pounding so hard that it’s a miracle I can see straight. I would never allow myself to lose my composure in front of Ivory, but seeing my dead brother laid so uncaringly in a pile of leaves would have been the closest I’ve come to blacking out from rage.
This isn’t just another one of Sergei’s hissy fit binges gone wrong. The photo of him in the woods was a result of pure evil, pure malice. Somebody knows who I am, that I’m associated with Ivory, and they’re using it to torture us both.
I fly through stoplights as I speed toward nowhere in particular. The background of the photo looked shockingly like the surrounding forest of the bat caves, which would make sense given the fact that the crimes against Sergei and Ivory alike are connected.
The first person I call is Joey. Joey, with no kids and no wife, is a much more reliable person in the event of an emergency. Emery will respond appropriately as well, but not without pissing and moaning about his nagging bitch of a wife.
“Maxim, what’s up?” says Joey as he picks up the phone.
“I need you to meet me at the bat caves immediately, no exceptions,” I reply. I hate to sound so impatient and demanding right out the gate, but this isn’t the kind of situation that I can lean into after a few minutes of pointless witty banter.
“Shit, what’s going on?” he asks.
“There’s been a murder, and I think it might have been recent enough that we can catch up with the person who did it,” I reply, trying as hard as I can not to give any unnecessary details before he’s ready. As much as he and Sergei clashed, as did everybody, nobody wants to hear that someone they work with closely was brutally murdered.
I call Emery next, and as expected, I’m tossed through a barrage of insults and petty comments about nothing before I’m able to get a word in edgewise. When I’ve finally been graced with the opportunity to speak, he falls silent and agrees to meet me.
The bat caves are well-known for attracting college students. Red plastic cups, empty beer cans, and bottle caps litter the beach like an apocalypse of frat boys had stormed the area looking to be as disrespectful and immature as possible about their decision-making skills.
Here and there, I spot a hypodermic needle, and I cringe at the thought of intravenous drug users gathering at a fucking lake and shooting up their shit. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to use drugs at all. It’s funny because they’re already illegal.
Emery and Joey show up shortly after I do, a commendable effort given the fact that they both live at least twenty minutes further from the bat caves than I do. They’re both extremely quiet, likely uncertain how to conduct themselves given the situation.
“Okay, so we’re looking for a body or at least evidence that there was a body here in the recent past,” I say, projecting my voice to mask the uncertainty and panic rising up in me.
Without asking questions, both men comb the area with me, and I’m careful to inspect every hill and embankment that could be the place Sergei was killed. Knowing what I’m looking for has me nearly to the point of vomiting.
Joey approaches me about thirty minutes later, with no sign of the body at all. “Hey, I haven’t heard from Sergei at all since we spoke last. Shouldn’t he be here too?”
As nonconfrontational as his question is, a jolt of panic runs through me, slicing through my heart and stealing a few beats with it.
“Maxim, please tell me what’s going on,” he continues, still innocuous but with more urgency.
I breathe deep and look him straight in the eyes, willing myself to say the words out loud for the first time. “Sergei is dead. He’s the one we’re looking for.”
Joey freezes. His shoulders slump and his eyes widen in horror. “No,” is all he’s able to say, even the single word trailing into hopeless silence.
I could have never seen this coming. I feel completely responsible, and I have no idea who even did this or why. So much of my mental bandwidth has been spent on pursuing Ivory that I’ve been missing out on integral details of my Family’s operations.
Could it be the Chinese mafia? If so, what would they want with Ivory? Trying to expose me to her as a mobster would be awfully petty of them, given the weight of the circumstances.
We continue the search, and to both my chagrin and relief, we don’t find any trace of Sergei’s body.
Emery is still unaware of exactly how dire the situation is, but I’d hate to stress him out any more than he already is with a wife and baby that he deliberately allowed to ruin his life. I’ll probably have to tell him sooner than later so he knows not to be a fucking pissant about being called out here early in the morning.
The drive back is dead silent. I’m alone in my car, again, with nothing but my thoughts circulating through my head. My Family has become fragmented beyond repair, and there’s nothing I can do but anticipate the next blow.
With everything lost, I feel like Ivory is my last hope. That poor woman doesn’t know what she’s in for.
