Chapter 5 - The Betrayal at Lake Michigan
Dimitri's threats were not empty words. He was actively planning a coup within the Volkov organization, gathering greedy captains who resented Mikhail's strict rules against drug trafficking and extortion.
Two weeks after Dimitri's visit to the diner, disaster struck.
It was a Friday night. Mikhail was returning from the airport in a convoy of three cars. As they crossed a secluded stretch near Lake Michigan, an explosion blew out the tires of the lead vehicle!
Gunfire erupted in the darkness. Dimitri’s loyalists ambushed the convoy!
Inside the estate, alarms blared. Nikolai rushed into the private study where Misha and I were studying for a history test.
"Miss Maya, grab Misha! We are under lockdown!" Nikolai shouted, drawing his weapon. "Dimitri has launched a strike! The Boss's car was ambushed near the harbor!"
Misha turned deathly pale. "Papa? Is Papa okay?"
"We don't know yet, young master!" Nikolai said, escorting us down toward the secure underground bunker beneath the mansion. "Stay here! Do not open this door for anyone except me or your father!"
The heavy steel door of the bunker sealed shut with a loud thud.
Inside the dimly lit room, Misha began to panic, tears streaming down his face. "He's going to hurt Papa, Maya! Uncle Dimitri told me last week that Papa was going to disappear!"
I held Misha tightly, wrapping my arms around his shaking shoulders, just like I had four years ago in the diner. "Listen to me, Misha. Your dad is the strongest man in this city. He survived the worst storm Chicago ever had. He isn't going anywhere."
Hours passed in suffocating silence.
Above us, the faint sound of gunfire and shouting echoed through the estate's floorboards. Dimitri’s men had breached the mansion grounds!
Suddenly, the bunker's electronic keypad hummed. The red light turned green, and the heavy vault door slowly creaked open.
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Standing in the doorway was not Nikolai.
It was Dimitri Volkov, holding a smoking pistol, his face smeared with soot and blood.
