Page 165 of Betrayal and Vows

"Yes," I breathe.

Lenoid collapses into a chair, defeated.

"Then I’m dead. You understand that? If I can’t give them something... I’m dead."

I meet his gaze.

For the first time, I see him clearly—not as a father.

But as a man who sold every soul around him for another breath of power.

"Then you’d better start running," I say.

Anton grabs him and shoves him out of the apartment.

“Come back here and I’ll kill you.”

Chapter 27

Anton

An hour later, Dmitri arrives.

His hair is disheveled, his jacket torn at the shoulder, and there's dried blood on his knuckles.

"Well, that was fun," he announces, grinning despite the obvious signs of violence.

"Nothing like a high-speed chase through Moscow traffic to get the blood pumping."

I holster my weapon, relief flooding through me at the sight of my oldest friend alive and relatively intact. "How many?"

"Four cars. Lost them somewhere near Red Square." He glances around the small apartment, taking in Elena's bruised face and Lena's tear-stained cheeks. "I see the family reunion went well."

"Lenoid was here," I say grimly.

"Ah. The loving father routine?" Dmitri pulls out a cigarette and lights it, ignoring Elena's disapproving look. "Let me guess—he offered to trade Lena for his pathetic life."

"Something like that."

"And you told him to go fuck himself."

"In so many words."

Dmitri nods approvingly, then his expression grows serious. "Which brings me to why I'm here. I have a message from Vadim."

The temperature in the room seems to drop ten degrees. Lena's hand finds mine, gripping tight.

"What kind of message?" Elena asks quietly.

Dmitri takes a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling slowly. "He wants to meet. Tomorrow night. The old warehouse district. Just him and Anton."

"No," Lena says immediately, her voice sharp with panic. "Absolutely not."

I feel the familiar calm settle over me—the cold clarity that comes before violence. "What else did he say?"

"That he has something that belongs to you. And that if you don't come alone, he'll make sure you never see it again." Dmitri's eyes meet mine. "He also said to tell you that thirty years is long enough to wait for a proper reunion."

Lena is shaking her head frantically. "It's a trap, Anton. Obviously, it's a trap. He'll have fifty men there. You'll be walking into a slaughter."