Page 38 of Daddy Brigadier

I think we need to find Petrov and find out what he did to the girl,” Dmitri responds. “Before we bury a Brigadier,” he cautions me with a side glance.

“Are you going to kill her for killing Fedir?” Dmitri raises an eyebrow at Nikolai.

Nikolai shakes a man’s blood off his knuckles. “Nah. Fuck him! He’s a weasel.” He looks at me and adds, “Unless you want me to?”

Dmitri places his hand on my shoulder. “Brigadier, you know she can’t go unpunished for kidnapping you.”

I’m fully aware of what that implies. It means we must make an example of the girl.

“She’s already being punished,” I tell him, and Nikolai laughs.

“Yeah, we saw how you punished her,” Nikolai jokes, grabbing his balls.

“We have more urgent matters to address than the girl,” Dmitri says, tucking his gun into the back of his pants. “We need to find the fucking thief and deal with him.”

As soldiers charge into the warehouse with their weapons drawn, they quickly inspect the lifeless bodies on the ground to confirm that none are still breathing. Those dumb fuckers, now corpses, will be sent back to Bianchi as a warning.

“Let’s keep it between us that a group of girls saved us,” Nikolai sheepishly suggests, lowering his head in shame.

I think we can all agree on that.

The brothers turn away as the soldiers begin to clean up the dead bodies. I call out to them, “Hey.” They pause and look back. I step closer, wanting this discussion to remain between the three of us. “Do you think the ladies know her?” I ask, referring to Elise and Ivy.

Dmitri shakes his head. “Nah, Elise would have recognized her at your birthday party.”

Nikolai chimes in, “Yeah, I asked Ivy about a girl named Lexi, and she denied knowing her as well.”

I take a deep breath and step back, my instincts on high alert. There’s something off about Lexi. She’s clearly hiding something more than just her search for Petrov.

“Thanks,” I say, making my way to my vehicle.

As I step inside, shielded by the dark glass, I reach for my pill bottle and hurriedly swallow one. With my head resting against the seat, I shut my eyes, trying to steady my breath—the breath I might not have if I had died just moments ago.

I press my hands against my face and exhale slowly, relieved to be alive. Lexi showed up just in time, but how did she know where I was? Is she stalking me again? Perhaps it’s time for me to pay her an unannounced visit and teach her a lesson.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

VALENTIN

I stand before a small building that seems abandoned at first glance. However, the cameras surrounding it reveal a different story.

My feet remain firmly on the sidewalk until Lev reassures me, “All clear.” He opens the metal door, and I step into the building.

Taking a moment to glance around, squinting in the low light, I see three doors upstairs. I ascend the metal stairs, each step amplifying the sound of my shoes. I quietly slip off my loafers and, now in my socks, quickly make my way to the second level.

The first two doors stand slightly ajar. In the first room, I spot a girl with black hair—the masseuse whom Lev held at gunpoint when I stumbled upon Lexi, vulnerable and naked on a massage table, waiting for me. The second room reveals a blonde, the very girl who assisted Lexi in nearly drowning me. A mental note to myself—kill her after Lexi.

The third door is closed. I push it open, expecting to find Lexi, but instead, I’m met with a different girl sprawled on the bed, surrounded by medical prescription bottles on the nightstand. She must be Ruby, the girl Petrov hurt. As she stirs,soft screams escape her throat. Recognizing her innocence in this tragedy, I close the door.

The reality is that the lives of innocent people often become tragic collateral damage in the ruthless world of organized crime, a brutal lesson these girls will soon learn.

I make my way down the stairs, collecting my loafers along the way, when a soft snore catches my attention from just around the corner.

Beyond the open kitchen, I find an open two-door slider. On the couch, Lexi’s peacefully asleep, the blanket slightly slipping off as her legs stretch comfortably over the cushions.

I gaze at her, captivated by the way her nipples are peeking from beneath the blanket, drawing me in. I watch her sleep, fighting the urge to touch her.

She looks up at me, her long lashes fluttering, and her soft pink lips parting slightly. Her chest rises and falls with rapid, shallow breaths. Suddenly, her eyes flutter shut again, and her snoring deepens.