Chapter Text
Nikolai's grip hardens on the steering wheel as the words reach his ears, pulling an ugly tug in his chest.
No matter how he looks at it, why would anyone kill the bodyguard he personally stationed elsewhere just to get back at him. It would be much more convenient if they attack him or his men directly….. unless their target is not him but someone else this time.
A brief pause of alarm seeps into his body.
His throat feels clogged up even thinking of such a possibility and he emits out the syllables carefully, “What about…. Lotus Flower?”
Jeremy, as if sensing a tremble in his voice, replies urgently, “Don't know. His cell phone is off so we couldn't track him as of the moment”
Nikolai swallows thickly, picking up a budding worry in the sentence.
“....But his phone was in the same area before getting switched off”
And that was it.
An indication enough to raise his shackles and send shivers all through his body.
Without thinking further, he cuts the call almost immediately and speeds up the car towards the mansion.
He quickly fishes out his phone and dials to Brandon. His hands clutch the phone tightly, calming himself out of the growing uneasiness that shoots up his insides but the call doesn't reach. Wetting his lips in anticipation, he again tries and continues to do so but everytime the call either answers unreachable or directly goes to the voicemail.
By now, he can feel a raging storm building up inside him. A hurricane which is currently being masked upon by the anxiety that is beginning to choke his heart.
Nikolai curses out loud. The throbbing in his head intensifies as he accelerates the car much higher.
“Baby, please be at home…. Please” He mutters under his breath.
Hoping so hard for it to be some prank or joke, to see his Bran at home welcoming him with that charming smile of his, to disprove everything he just heard because the reality is much more cruel for him to digest right now.
Twenty minute journey finished in ten and those ten minutes were nothing less than hell for Nikolai. He applies brakes, making the car bounce and screech to a sudden halt and hastily gets out, not even caring to close the door before bolting towards the entrance.
His heart is beating loudly behind the ribs as if preparing him to handle the glaring truth and premonition of what he is going to face next.
His steps are fast, skipping past the butler standing at the entrance as he enters the main hall. The loud sound of his boots already indicated his arrival.
Everyone in the hall glances at him. Levi and Astrid spots a warm welcoming face while Rai gestures him to come.
But Nikolai can't really pay heed to any of it as his eyes sweep around, trying to find any trace or clue about Brandon's presence.
There is none.
What courses next in him is not just an uneasiness but rather a full blown panic attack.
He moves across the hall with hurried steps and cuts the warm ambience with his alarmed voice, “Where is Brandon?”
Everyone present there looks at him in confusion, pausing whatever they were doing. Silence stretches for too long and Nikolai clicks his tongue, getting impatient, “Is he here?”
Every second that passes is weighing down on him. He can't take a breath of relief with the impending ache engulfing his head. Not getting any response, he yells in the surroundings, “Brandon? Baby?”
“The fuck?” Someone comments from behind but Glyn interrupts in a confused voice, “He went to buy something but didn't come back”
In the meantime, Rai stands up, placing a hand on his arm. Her face perplexed, “What happened?”
Nikolai curls his hand in a fist and covers his eyes with the other one. He emits out a load of curses when the situation finally settles inside him. His hand slips down to his hair, grabbing on the strands in frustration.
“Mom, I think some - ”
He halts when his mobile rings and hurriedly looks at it only to find Jeremy as the caller. He swipes to the left at the first ring itself, “Yeah?”
“His cell phone was found broken alongside the road but we are successful in recovering its data. There is nothing much important apart from his recent message which he attempted to send but was saved in the backup. This seems weird as It contains a name. Victor Salvatore”
“What?” Nikolai is not able to believe what is said just now.
“Yeah, it surprised me too”
“What the fuck is he doing in London?”
“No idea. He was hiding himself well till now, so for him in be in London doesn't sit right with me”
Nikolai absolutely agrees to it. Victor left the circle when Rai and Adrian took the charge. He was living far away in a hideout, apparently claiming to be retired from the Mafia. Nikolai himself hadn't heard about him for so many years.
He ruffles his hair in irritation. But the question is still hanging in the air. What does Victor have to do with Brandon?
“What about Lotus Flower?”
“You didn't find him there?”
“No, fuck. He didn't come back”
Jeremy stops briefly, “Unfortunately, there's nothing to get a hold of him. I have asked for the CCTVs in the area, let's see if something has been caught on….. But I have a hunch that Victor surely has some thing to do with this”
Nikolai lets out a yell and slams his hand on the dining table, making the plates and other things above it vibrate. His suspicion was right. Brandon is definitely missing. No, in fact, someone did a ‘not so funny' business to mess with him.
He looks at his mother with murderous eyes “Someone kidnapped Lot- Brandon and Victor is here”
“Kidnapped?” Rai mutters in disbelief.
Kyle gets up from his seat instantly and stands beside her, “How did it happen?”
“Don’t know. The guard I put on him is dead and he is nowhere to be found” He moves forward to say, heads on with a clarity, “I don't fucking care who's behind this fuckery, Victor or anyone else but I'll, sure as hell, fuck everything up if something happen to him” His voice comes out intense, dropping the weather inside the room to a low degree.
It is a warning and Rai knows it.
His eyes are turning crimson and there's also a trace of looming scent which was faint earlier but is consuming the entire hall now.
Glyn and Astrid struggled in the background, feeling suffocated and out of breath. Levi tends to them and Landon yells in urgency, “What the fuck is going on? Where the hell is my brother? Who the fuck kidnapped him?”
Kyle adds, cutting the threatening silence and taking out his phone quickly, “Don't worry, son. Whoever it is, wouldn't go far till now. I'll help you locate him”
Nikolai grits his teeth and without wasting any more time, makes a run to the exit.
“Niko” Rai calls his name. Her complexion changes to worry.
Levi, who was silent all the while and has been listening to their dialogues, takes his stand and refers to her rather strongly, “What is all this about? Where is my son? What happened to him?” He gives a single glance to the door and back towards her while holding Astrid in his arms.
Rai closes her eyes and exhales a sigh.
It would be better if they were to know about it in a pleasant moment but now, things have come to this where they all need to strive forward carefully. She can't afford to let them be in the dark now. It's the matter of their child where they need every support they get.
Rai turns towards them in a hard stance, “I'll tell you.” She just hopes that their children will come back safely.
Landon follows him when Nikolai leaves. There are many questions revolving in his head but the topmost among them is where the fuck is his brother and where the hell does this person come into the picture.
But whatever it is, one thing is crystal clear now that this creature is the reason for what is currently happening to his baby brother and he will fucking kill him if there's even a strand of hair missing from Brandon.
He almost catches up to his fast pace when suddenly a group of bodyguards surround and stop him. He throws a curse and tries pushing through them but Nikolai has already taken off in his car.
“Any updates?” Nikolai says into the call and drives past the speed limit towards his office.
Jeremy's silence is enough to tell that even after half an hour, they still have nothing on their hands which fills him with wavering anxiety.
“Nothing. All the CCTVs were being hacked during the time of kidnapping. There's no record anywhere”
Fuck, just how much planning was involved in this? And for what purpose?
His mobile pings with a notification, catching his attention, “Wait a minute, Dad is calling”
“Niko, I have checked with our sources. There's no way Victor is in London”
“Are you sure?”
“Hundred percent. He is hiding in Sicily under the guise of a local merchant. He has suffered enough loss in his recent oil dealings, so he wouldn't dare engaging in any struggle at the moment”
Nikolai frowns in confusion, “This can't be. We are missing something here. Why would someone write his name at the last minute before his death? That can't be a coincidence. This is not adding up”
“Well, there's also a vague thing I was told, if it is to any of your help. He frequently visited a club two weeks ago. The reason is unknown but there's a person who used to accompany him, the son of his second cousin sister. They didn't do anything out of ordinary though but did frequent the club four days straight”
Well, that does sound suspicious.
“Who is that person who accompanied him?”
“He seems to be just a distant relative. Never saw him before. His name comes out to be Albeno Bernardi”
“What?” The name clicks something in his mind and he pulls an immediate brake on his car “Dad I'll call you later” He quickly cuts him off and connects back the call on hold, “Jer, who was the traitor we caught in treason weeks ago?”
Jeremy frowns at the sudden demand but replies without delay, “Alessandro Bernardi…. What happened? Why are you asking about him?”
Nikolai rubs his face in exasperation, “Goddamnit” He slams his hand on the steering wheel, “Remember his son who ran away?”
“Yeah?”
Nikolai laughs bitterly, “Apparently that fucker went on to beg Victor to attack me”
“I'm not quite following. Why would Victor help him knowing his opponent is you?”
“That botched face is some kind of a fucked up relative of him”
“Still Niko, he won't attack you for such vague reasons. He is a selfish bastard who wouldn't even care to save his wife just to protect his position. Why would he go to such lengths for a mere relative?” Jeremy argues.
Well, this is logically right. Victor Salvatore may have people to support himself but he wouldn't take a measure until it benefits him in the long run. He also tried to wage a war against his mother, Rai when she chose to marry Kyle. Claiming to destroy the legacy, he even hired assassins to kill her. It was not until Rai gained more power and support from other members of the mafia that finally it was ruled out to send him to exile on the charge of contempt and treachery.
But if Victor has something with him, he should just attack him and not Brandon, who……..
Who is also connected to him in some way.
“He knows,” Nikolai whispers in horror.
Fucking Goddamnshit!
He runs his fingers in his hair, heart beat pumping to a new high as he finally joins the pieces together.
“What does he know?”
Nikolai ignores the question and immediately connects their call with Kyle, “Dad”
“Niko, any lead?”
“Dad, I need the location of places where Victor’s men might be present. Focus on the hideous ones which suddenly became active recently. That fucker wouldn't dare to use the existing sites where we can easily reach him” He murmurs everything in a breath.
“On it” Kyle responds.
Nikolai slams his head at the back of the seat and closes his eyes. His fist clenches hard with much force, even turning his knuckles white. He is not able to inhale a good amount of air inside his lungs ever since he got the news about Brandon.
His headache is getting worse as his body is getting worked up with the fury and unwavering rage filling every part of his cells. Rage against himself for not able to protect his love, against all those motherfuckers who dared to kidnap his Lotus Flower, against the fucking situation he is in where every minute feels like a test of his patience and endurance.
His hand goes to trace the mark over his neck, feeling the incessant urge to go to Lotus Flower and never leave him alone again, to cling to him and fill every pore of his body in his calming floral scent, to tie himself with Bran and kiss him until he gets to feel his breath again.
Every minute passes unnerves him of the uncountable possibilities clouding his mind.
His phone glitches, earning his attention as Kyle comes on it again, “There’s a place where considerable movements have been reported since the past few days. It is not that hideous but this seems to be the place where they must have kept him. I have sent you the location. It's in the upscale part of the city, very daring I must say. You need to be careful, Niko, It will be troublesome if someone gets a whiff of it. I'll give you a signal to go after dealing with all the cameras and securities. Be prepared, you'll have limited time to deal with them”
“Got it” Nikolai says, quickly putting the location on GPS and starting the car engine.
“I'll be reaching there soon” Jeremy conveys before hanging up the phone.
After taking a sharp U-turn and stepping hard on the accelerator, he whispers,“I'm coming baby…… Just hold out a bit more”
________________
Brandon opens his eyes to darkness. He tries to move himself but feels constrained, his hands seem to be chained up at distance above his head. The sound of chains clicking resonates as he shuffles them but to no avail. They are tightly tied around his wrists, almost bruising them.
The room is pitch black, making him unable to see anything. He frowns and takes a deep breath, thinking of the reason for his state.
He was walking back from the shop after purchasing the sweets and was excited to meet his fiance after a span of seven whole days.
He was so engrossed in his paintings all the while in order to complete most of them early so that he could spend more time with the alpha. He also missed Nikolai these past days and couldn't wait to meet him again. Even though they had done face timing almost every night, it couldn't be compared to seeing him in flesh and feeling his warmth engulfing him once again.
Brandon couldn't hide the giddy smile on his face as he was tracing the path back to his house.
He was just a few metres away, just around the corner when a loud thud was heard from behind. He turned around to see the cause of it but in the meantime someone struck his head with something. There are no memories after that and now, he finds himself being tied up in some basement.
It is so dark that he can't make a shape of anything. His hands are tied up at a height, keeping his feet slightly hanging over the floor which is putting pressure on the upper part of his body. He tries to stand on his bare toes to relieve his posture and takes a deep inhale, feeling the stretching of his rib muscles over every intake.
Suddenly, a door creaks near him and several footsteps enter surrounding him. Swallowing the creeping fear inside, he squints and blinks uncontrollably when the light is finally turned on. The instant bright light almost blinds him, creating a dull ache in his head when he tries to maintain focus.
“Welcome to our humble abode” Someone sings in a tune, cutting the silent edge in the surroundings.
Brandon looks up after adjusting to photons and notices that he is indeed in a large room with a number of people around him. He glances towards the figure, who is standing in the middle, spotting a sly grin and addressing one of his men, “Did you take care of our esteemed guest perfectly?”
His face turns to Brandon again, “I apologise I couldn't ask you for the formalities, actually we have a shortage of time today, so let's skip to the last part instead. Hope you don't mind”
Brandon notices that no one interrupts or does anything when the man is speaking and wonders if he also belongs to some gangster group.
“Who are you?” He asks, voice still strong as ever.
The man lifts his eyebrow in surprise and a laughter rips out of his lungs, “My bad, I forgot to introduce myself but….. you really don't want to know about me, do you?” His face contorts into a smirk, as if daring him to say something.
Brandon frowns and feels wary to speak more. Judging by the appearance, the man doesn't seem to be hailing from the mafia like Nikolai, albeit he appears more like a local gangster. His clothes are covered in dirt, hair dishevelled covering his forehead but a constant nasty stretch of lips is what makes him look repulsive.
What do these people want from him? What is the purpose of kidnapping him? The questions spiral inside his head continuously.
“What? Got nothing to say?” The mobster says “Well, I thought to have some chit-chat before getting down to final business but you seems to be in a hurry”
One of his people enters the room, carrying a plate full of different tools and puts them on the only table situated in the middle. The man grabs the knife among them and slides his blade parallel to the back of his hand, checking its sharpness.
“What do you want?” Brandon states, eyeing his every movement.
“Nothing from you” The man says immediately and turns to face him with a sadistic smile, “You can't give me the things I want but you can surely be the reason for it”
“Actually I didn't think that I would be capable of abducting you but it seems like your lover boy didn't provide you with much security” He continues rambling on as if reminiscing the past and takes a glass of whiskey from the table in his hold.
He strolls towards Brandon in a completely relaxed posture and takes a gulp,
“That Sokolov one, right? It took my blood, sweat and tears to stalk him all this time. It wasn't in my plan to kidnap you but you turned out to be the most important person to him. That fucking bastard who appears as if he will kill every person come his way, was smiling at you. He looked at you as if you hung the goddamn stars in the sky. Good Lord, Fuck that shit!”
Brandon smiles slightly hearing him. He can very well imagine Nikolai doing that.
“Don't blame me for your fate. It's your mistake to hang out with him”
His face soon turns into disgust and hatred, “It shocked me when I learnt about you, afterall how can two alphas be together? That's fucking disgusting. But it helped me in the long run, so it's fine. I don't fucking care what you dirty motherfuckers do” He then finishes the drink in one go and releases a content sound.
Brandon somewhat had an idea but after listening to his rubbish, it is clear that kidnapping him is a measure done in revenge against Nikolai. He subtly tries to loosen the grip in his hands but the chains are not budging even a bit.
Pursuing his lips, he looks down at himself. His feet are bare with no shoes, he doesn't feel the phone in his pockets and with him tied like this, there's nothing he can do now.
He looks around, tries to find any loophole or escape exit but to no use. The room only has a door with no windows in sight. He is completely trapped inside with no way out.
A moment of anxiousness fills his body but he schools his expression. Nikolai must have known about him by now. His fiance is that much attuned to his presence, so Brandon just needs to pass the time successfully until he gets here.
He swallows the lump formed in his throat and tries to keep himself calm and composed.
A cold sharp knife placed under his jaw breaks his thought, forcing him to look up as the man comes near him, “Thinking of some escape plan?”
Brandon glares at him quietly. His eyes bore into the man’s when the knife is lifted to his cheek, “What do you intend to do?”
“Straight to the point, good question” The man moves the knife down to his jaw, tracing the flesh ever so slowly with the pointed tip that is threatening to break through the skin, making him move his face away “Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily. You have a purpose to serve after all”
He finally rests the knife against his neck, plunging it with a slight pressure into the skin, resulting in a trail of blood starting flowing down.
Brandon doesn't react to it. His hands are turned into fists as he speaks, trying to indulge him in conversation, “What do you gain from doing this?”
“Are you really asking me that?” The man replies “What does someone gain from revenge? Satisfaction, contentment and more than anything, blinding happiness. I want to experience all that too. I also want to see that bastard crawl in pain just like I did, I want to see him cry for the loss of his loved one just like the way I did when he killed my fucking father”
He shouts, voice echoing in the room, “My father who was fucking loyal to the Mafia, who sacrificed his happiness just so I could live my life the way I deserve. So what if he embezzled some money? It's literally not that big of an issue, Everyone does that for their family. He fucking has a right to live”
It's quite easy to get someone to talk by laying hands in their sore spots. Now, Brandon just needs to stall the time as much as possible.
“Do you really believe it?” Brandon asks, making the man frown in his direction, “What?”
“Do you believe he did nothing wrong?”
“Even if he did, he didn't have to be fucking dead” He shouts and Brandon releases an inaudible sigh. His hands are hurting at this point. The chains are sinking into his skin, increasing the pain but he manages himself to stand on his toes to lift some burden off hands as he continues, “So you plan to kill me. Do you think Nikolai will let you live after that?”
“You're so fucking gullible. What does that bastard even see in you?” The man sneers, “If I really wanted to live, why would I kidnap you?”
Brandon freezes at his admittance.
“I have given up on living the moment I decided to have my revenge” The mobster takes a small bottle out of pant’s pocket and shows it to him, “I have come prepared” He chuckles as if they are discussing some joke “I have nothing to lose but….”
His eyes darken at the knife suddenly, “But that bastard has everything to lose” and in an instant, he swings the knife and digs it into Brandon's shoulder, making him wince.
He clicks his tongue in annoyance at Brandon's resistance to not utter a cry of pain, no matter how hard he twists the knife inside his shoulder.
“You got some fucking strength” He mutters and takes the knife out. He laughs maniacally, watching the blade of the knife stained in dark red colour.
Brandon heaves a deep breath, feeling the blood pouring out of his shoulder. He stumbles a bit and gasps in pain as his wounds stretch whenever he loses his footing. It takes a while for him to get in the moment again.
He hears a voice and looks up with eyes changed to dark red. The man then picks up a whip among the tools and walks towards him at a slow pace with the end of the whip twiddling in his hold, just like a predator.
Brandon closes his eyes, knowing he can't do anything at this point. It's futile to engage him in baseless talks when he is already dead set in his mind. He will just save his energy instead. Besides, people who have nothing to lose are far more dangerous than anyone. He doesn't intend to incite him any further. He just hopes for Nikolai to come soon.
“Finally getting down to the real business”
Brandon can hear the joy in his voice but he pretends to ignore it. The sound of shoes is coming closer and he waits for the first strike.
There's a little bit of silence before the first throw comes and Brandon bites his lips hard to not create a sound. He will die before letting this lunatic feel the satisfaction of seeing him in pain.
“Too stubborn, aren't you? I will fuck that stubbornness out of you soon, just wait” He comments followed by a few chuckles from his men present in the room.
Brandon doesn't react to that or anything in general. He counts the numbers in his head as the strikes follow until he can't, until the pain supersedes everything.
By the time it ends, he doesn't have any strength left in his body. Whatever he tries to feel or think is consumed by the intense pain running down his body.
It even feels too burdensome to just open his eyes but he still does. This time, he finds himself in a sitting position and tied to a chair. He doesn't remember when they carried him away, his mind too absorbed in the physical agony.
He blinks and exhales a sigh, watching his hands bind in cuffs with their spikes prickling on his wrists. There's so much red on him that he spirals for a moment at the quantity. Is it all his blood?
There are a few hushed voices surrounding him until someone comes to stand in front of his chair.
“Still holding up? Well, I should be the one to do the last honor” The man crouches down to his level.
Brandon can't make out the words. His head is buzzing with numbness as he tries hard to look up only to lock eyes with the warm crimson ones.
He blinks in surprise and opens his mouth to say something but instead of words, blood gushes out with force when a knife is being thrusted into him at the last minute.
Dizziness clouds his mind almost instantly and he notices a figure running towards him before black spots consumes his sight, finally succumbing him to unconsciousness.