There's a few things I've learned as the head of this family.

1) keep your loved ones close
2) keep you enemy's as far away as you can

I've broken those two rules already.

Nat sits next to me, her hair up in a messy bun held together with a clip and a sharp butterfly knife in her hand that she keeps playing with.

The blade nearly nicks her her skin but her skilled fingers keep it from spilling her blood.

Besides...I knew that if I said something, I'd find myself at the end of that very blade. Nat wouldn't hurt me but when she was like this, it was best to just let her be. Nik and her shared that trait,  a strange animosity for orders or self control. Well, nobody is perfect.

Arlo was a bloody mess in front of us. A lesser man would feel pity for his poor, rotting soul. His face was bloody, cut, and scraped. He stared at her through his one good eye, his irises shaking as he followed the movements of her hand. It was like watching a mouse being hunted by a king cobra. I could only watch, waiting for the next move.

"Fucking bastard," Nat hissed. She slammed the knife down on the table, the blade sinking partly into the wood.

Arlo jumped, his scream muffled by his gag. His eyes kept shifting towards the door. I blocked his view, leaning forward. The only people he could hear or see were us, and nobody else. There was no escape from us.

It's been two days since Meera was taken. Two whole days of us planning meticulously as we moved from safe house to safe house with Arlo, gathering bits of information and staying vigilant. The tides of war had shifted with the information we had gained from him. Ambushes we're expected, warehouses were burned to the ground, and we knew the layout of the docks. He valued his life more than his secrets—mostly Nik's handiwork.

"Well, Nat," I said, getting up. "Shall I leave you to him?"

She grinned, the butterfly knife stilling in her hands. "With pleasure. It's been a while but I think I can handle it. You don't mind if I get bit...messy, do you?"

"Be my guest." I nodded and glanced at Arlo. He was looking at me now, almost begging. I could tell Nat to stand down but that was like talking to a brick wall. She wasn't here for me, she was here for Meera and I knew that she wanted blood.

There was more things to worry about. I took my leave, ignoring his muffled cries as I stepped out of the room and into the hallway of the safe house.

Anya was in the living room with Nik and some of our men. She had forgone the pantsuits and heels, wearing a turtleneck so red that it resembled the blood on my shoes. Her long hair was tucked underneath a knit cap. Her gloved hands tapped the cheap wood of the table, watching the map of the city like s hawk to find something—anything—that could be used. Ever since Meera had been abducted, she hadn't slept. She must've felt guilt and I knew she wasn't the only one.

Eddie was there too, his face bruised and a bandage placed on his forehead. The blood was still fresh. Felix was still in the hospital, recovering from a broken arm and a gunshot wound. It was a miracle that he was still alive.

By the time our men had found them, they were half alive. Dr Carlson didn't know if they would make it throughout the night but some how they managed.

Eddie lowered his head when I walked in, refusing to meet my eyes.

I let it go. I knew why he felt guilty but at the same time I knew there was nothing I could do. He could forgive himself or ask me for forgiveness once when saved Meera.

"Where's Nat?" Anya asked, looking behind me.

"She's....making a mess."

"Ah," Anya nodded, ignoring the sound of screams from the following room. "Is that a good idea?"

"If you want to stop her, you can." I sat down at the table, my chair creaking. "What information do we have so far?"

Eddie picked up a map and placed it down. "This is Zoya's ports," he said, pointing to the red circle on the Jersey side of the Hudson. "He controls this exclusively. According to our dear rat, he has a yacht that visits almost every two weeks—"

"That's where she is," Anya concluded. "She's not at his building. There's been no movement there."

"So if we hit the ports, we get Meera." I stated. "What if it's a trap?"

"That's because it is," Anya muttered

Eddie pursed his lips. "That's that catch, boss. She's on the ship but the ship has been missing since three days. Our sources tracked it leaving the Hudson and that's it. Gone."

Fucking great. We're back to square one. If Meera was on that ship, how long would she have to wait?

I didn't dare to think of anything else because I was terrified that something had already happened to her. Zoya was one sadistic bastard that discarded things and people who had no use to him. Meera was just an ordinary doctor. I knew she had a troubled history with her family but that couldn't be important? Could it?

I glanced over at Anya who was discussing a strategy to get into the ports with minimal casualties.

Anya would know if Meera was a person of interest right? After all, she was the one who hired her. There was no way that she could hide something like that from me.

But what about me? Meera shared just the tiniest fraction of her past with me, giving me a glimpse of the person that she is. Did I have a right to ask her anything more than that?

I wasn't her friend. I wasn't he boyfriend either. She didn't owe me answers.

I knew that a darker, more sinister part of me wanted to get an answer from her by any means necessary. I could pry out her secrets one by one and keep her by my side forever so she'd never leave. I'd shower her in jewelry and books and designer dresses if she wanted that. But she wouldn't. My meera wouldn't be swayed by bold intimidation or material things. She would plant herself like a tree in a tempest, refusing to yield or bend to anyones gale. Her stubbornness could become her saving grace.

"Anya," I said, placing my hand atop of the table. My index finger landed on the ports. "This isn't the only port that Zoya has, right? Arlo told us that this is the main port but—"

"Shit!" Anya hissed, her eyes widening. "You think he's hiding in one of his other ports."

I turned to Eddie who nodded. "It makes sense, boss. But what about the missing ship?"

Nik cleared his throat, raising his hand. "What if we're focusing on the wrong ship?" We all stared at him. "Okay, hear me out. It might sound crazy but what if the ship never left? What if they showed us a ship leaving the Hudson but it was a decoy? What if the ship is somewhere else and it never moved at all? They just took Meera to the ship instead."

Anya started to shift through papers, her eyes looking for something. "Nik, that might actually be your best idea yet."

He grinned. "Thank you. I try."

I patted him on the shoulder, glad that I had him on my side. "If we know which ships are in which port then—"

Eddie's eyes lit up. "Then we can find Doc!"

I turned to look at the door where Arlo was, it was quiet now. "Shall we exchange hostages?"

*****

It didn't take long after that. When we matched the ports that Arlo told us to the illegal vessels that Zoya had bought to launder his money—-we found where he was. There was port near the Long Island sound that had been sold to one of Zoya's men. Supposedly, it was closed down but that wasn't the truth. Zoya was hiding out there with Meera on his ship.

He was probably waiting for us. I doubt he expected us to figure it out so quickly and that was our advantage. As long as Zoya thought we were running around like headless chickens in New York then we could ambush him when he had few men and no protection. Meera was in the middle of this. So was Arlo. Zoya might not care for his son but he does care for his bloodline. The loss of Arlo would be like losing a future he had spent bodies, blood and countless of stolen lives to build from the foundation up.

Anya was in New York waiting for my signal to attack Zoya's main port.

The crystal millennium sailed in the waters of the Long Island sound, its now slicing through the water like a knife through butter. It was a large astounding vessel that was larger than it needed to be.

Meera was on that ship.

"Zoya!" I called out, my voice ringing through the chilly morning air. "Let's make a trade."

I didn't know if heard me or not but I could see him on the neck, enjoying a drink and dressed in black from head to toe. He stood up, waving his arm.

"Ivan, my boy! I didn't expect you to come to your own death! You've made my life a litter easier! How kind of you!" His voice was loud enough. "Now, will you come here or shall I kill you later?"

I waved my hand towards Nik. He pulled Arlo from the white Land Rover and shoved him onto his knees in front of me. I was still surprised that was still alive. After what Nat did, I thought he would be dead by now. I brought my gun from its holster and pressed it against his forehead. He whimpered and tried to pull away but I grabbed him by the scuff of his neck. There was no escape, only death or mercy.

"Let's trade!"

Zoya laughed. "Let's not!" He snapped his fingers, signalling someone. I could hear multiple sounds of guns cocking and the smell of gun smoke.

This wasn't a mistake. Zoya had planned this. He knew we would find him and he had prepared accordingly.

Someone shot first, it could've been us or Zoya's men but there was an absolute gunfight raging within seconds. Arlo took advantage of my distraction and launched himself into the water, sinking into the green waves. There was no point trying to go after him.

I tucked down and hid behind a crate, bullets and sand spraying all around me.

"Ivan!"