Page 150 of Betrayal and Vows

“Don’t be,” he says. "All this time he was playing with me. Letting me think I was hunting him while he watched me like a lab rat." The rage in Anton's voice is terrifying. "Every move I made, every plan I formed—he knew about it."

"Then why didn't he kill you?" Dmitri asks.

Anton's laugh is bitter. "Because he was enjoying it too much. The irony of having his own son work as his weapon. Making me kill for him, betray for him, become exactly the monster he wanted."

"Does Mikhail know?" The question tears from my throat.

Anton meets my eyes. "I don't think so. But it doesn't matter now."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" My mother's voice rises with panic.

"Because now that we've run, now that I've taken his precious bride—" Anton's jaw clenches. "He'll reveal the truth. He'll tell Mikhail exactly who I am and watch him tear me apart. Finally getting the satisfaction of watching me die.”

This time, Dmitri doesn’t have jokes.

He curses, turns around and walks a few steps away.

The three of us sit on the stone steps in silence.

I can’t see a future.

My future is limited to days instead of years.

My mother drops her head. “I’ve failed.”

Chapter 25

Anton

Iadjust the straps on my pack one final time, checking the weight distribution.

Everything we need for the next three days is on my back.

Not much to show for two lives, but it's enough to keep us alive until we reach the Georgian border.

Ifwe reach the Georgian border.

Dmitri emerges from the cabin.

He's not coming with us.

We both know this is where our paths split, at least for now.

"You sure about this?" he asks.

"No, but it's the only play we have."

Through the window, I can see Luda fussing over Lena, pressing another loaf of bread into her already overstuffed pack.

The old woman has been mothering us both since we arrived, but Lena especially.

I think she sees something fragile in her that needs protecting.

She's not wrong.

I see it.

But I also know Lena is a lot stronger than she looks.