Thick As Blood - Nestor Oceteva

26. Yesterday

I woke up wrapped in Nestor's arms and I could almost forget the events from yesterday. It wasn't until my eyes actually opened and I found myself in the room I once shared with someone I thought truly loved me, that was when I realised we weren't in our own home. I slipped out of his embrace and smiled as he rolled into my spot and buried his face in my pillow. I showered and dressed before heading downstairs to see how everyone else had fared overnight.

Ivanka still sat slumped in the chair she was tied to and the ballroom was filled with mattresses. The men who were on night shift were now sleeping, loud snores filling the room. I closed the curtains before leaving and closing the door behind me.

"Francis, how long do you think this will take?" I asked the mortician as we sat at the dining table with our coffees.

"About an hour or two. It depends on how much concrete we are going through and what condition we find in the casket." He replied sombrely.

I finished my coffee and grabbed my tablet before heading into the command Center.

"Good work." I told the man who had been monitoring the security cameras all night. "Go have a break, I'll watch this for an hour."

He thanked me before making his way out of the wing and to the main area. I kicked my feet up on the desk and opened the Bratva communication network. I logged into Kirill's account and created a notice for all of them.

The funeral for our beloved brothers and my daughter Tahlia shall be held at our sacred Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 12 PM tomorrow.

Without pain we learn no strength.

The old man loved to end with an obnoxious proverb, whether it fit or not. Immediately responses came through confirming attendance and repeating the proverb back in agreement. I left the chat room and monitored the cameras.

The hour passed by quickly and the man came back to take over. I found Nestor in the kitchen with Alpa and Bishop. I gave him a quick kiss and stole his slice of toast with a grin. I ducked under his arm when he reached out to grab it back and shot off down the hall with a laugh. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and hoist me off my feet.

"It's a good thing I love you." He growled in my ear.

"I don't know, you wouldn't do that thing that I really love last night." I purred.

"I don't need a platoon of men hearing how sexy you sound when you scream my name. That's for my ears only." His hands tightened on my hips as he ground himself into the back of me making me moan.

"Stop teasing me Nessy-Boo."

He threw his head back with a groan and slapped my ass for using the name he hated.

"Finish my toast, it's almost time to head out."

He kissed me again before going back to his remaining breakfast that I hadn't stolen. I pulled on some combat boots and went to the garage where the crates of weapons were being stored. I looked at my watch and found I still had 45 minutes before we left for the exhumation. I opened some of the containers that had major warnings labels across them. I pulled on a pair of coveralls and a N95 face mask.

I cleared bench space and pulled scales, scoops, pipettes and beakers out of another crate. When the space was prepped and ready I grabbed a 5kg bag of the nitramide powder known commonly as RDX. I carefully measured the other chemicals compounds and poured the binder over the mixture and churned it until it became the final putty result. I cut the putty to specific weights and rolled them up before wrapping them and placing them in the container and sealing it up. I had just finished the bag off when I heard a knock on the door.