"As I expected, Alexei wasn't the only one in need of medical care; several of Korshev's men had been torn up pretty bad in the gunfight, and a number of them were critically injured. I asked Korshev if he was gonna help them, or if he just planned on having the dogcatcher put them down. He said, 'You say that as though you care.' I told him that caring wasn't part of the deal, but I take the people I work with seriously, and I don't like to leave them hanging...or leave things up in the air.

"He asked me what I had in mind, and I told him that I knew people who could fix up his men - - and not just to normal standards; we have doctors who specialize in a number of things, including cosmetic surgery. Not only would they be fixed up, but you'd barely be able to tell anything had ever happened.

"He said it sounded expensive, but I asked him if it would be as expensive as losing members of his crew, potentially having the police sniff around, and losing the confidence and loyalty of his remaining men. He kinda eyeballed me for a minute, then laughed and asked me what I wanted in return. I told him about the money in the warehouse, and that, for starters, I wanted the full amount. How and where would be on my terms.

"I pointed out that the money wasn't even his to begin with, and that I was asking for money we could've just taken. I also said that I would have his men attended to immediately, and that he wouldn't have to pay at all until treatment was completed.

"He asked me what if he decided not to pay the fee once his men had recovered. I just smiled and said, 'That...would be bad business.'"

"Ahh, so that's why you didn't just take the money when you found it; you knew that its value as a bargaining chip would be greater than just its cash value."

Dominic nodded, happy she'd caught on. "Exactly. Plus, there was another reason...in all likelihood, at least some of the money in that stash was marked. That's why I wanted the amount, but not those specific bills."

"Wow," Maya remarked, shaking her head. As reluctant as she was to admit it, she couldn't help being impressed with her husband's savviness and negotiating skills.

Maybe, just maybe, he was finally breaking through....Dominic looked down pensively for a moment, then continued, "I already had my medical connections on standby, so all I had to do was make a few phonecalls. Once they arrived on scene, our business with Korshev was finished, so we left to go see the boy's mother.

"I didn't want to speak to her in the house, due to the...bug problem, so I asked her to get in one of our vehicles instead so we could fill her in. We let her know that her son was safe, then broke the news about the uncle being the one who had kidnapped him. She just shook her head and said that she'd always been afraid something like that would happen, but she never thought her brother-in-law would be the one to do it.

"When her husband had died several years prior, Gregor had immediately come to the rescue. He helped them out financially, and kept watch over the boy; made sure he kept his grades up and stayed out of trouble. He promised to keep Alexei on the straight-and-narrow, just as his brother had done.

"After Alexei was kidnapped, he was right there by her side; hugging her, praying with her, promising everything would be ok. Meanwhile, he had the house bugged and was busy having his beloved nephew hacked to pieces."

"So much for a knight in shining armor," Maya commented. Dominic narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, sensing that the comment was partially directed at him.