My men scatter to obey.
My jaw tightens as I rise to my feet.Geliy has that same fucking tattoo.
I don’t like being played. If Geliy’s sudden reappearance wasn’t just about catching up with old friends, then what the hell was it?
He’s talked plenty about his work before, none of it sounding important.Until now.A freelancer with tactical skills, loyal to the highest bidder…and with an ‘in’ to the Bratva?
Coincidences don’t exist. Either this was Geliy’s old crew acting alone, or he helped fucking plan the raid. Either way, two of our men are dead. Two good men.
And Avelina and the kids were there too. I shove that thought aside before it can fully take shape.
Getting back into my SUV to return to the compound, I slam my foot on the gas as I drive, agitation churning inside me. It isn’t from being overstimulated or feeling duped by Geliy.It’s from knowing that Avelina and the kids were in the crossfire.
It shouldn’t matter.
I shouldn’t care.
But I do.
And even worse, Iwantto care…
But people like me don’t get to have that sort of life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
AVELINA
There’s a knock at the door.
It opens, and Viktor steps inside. He’s just arrived back at the compound and looks exhausted. There’s a vein ticking at his jaw, and his hair is an absolute mess which says he’s either been running his hand through it or doing something physical.
He looks at me and the packed bags, then back to me.
“You’re leaving.” It’s not a question.
His jaw clenches, and my gut twists. He looks attractive and intimidating all rolled into one. I watch Viktor carefully, unsure what’s going through his head.
He sighs heavily. “Avelina?”
“Yes?” My voice sounds small, uncertain.
He scrubs a hand over the back of his neck, looking…troubled. “Would Geliy help someone target the compound even knowing you and the kids were here?”
I blink at him, completely thrown. “What?”
“The intruders—we found a connection,” he says, his tone grim. “It links back to Geliy.”
My eyes go wide, and a chill sweeps through me. “Oh my God,” I whisper.
“Do you think he’d help them even knowing you were here?”
My lip trembles as I bite down on it, my mind spinning.
“I think he might be mixed up in some bad stuff. In over his head,” Viktor says, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
A long breath escapes me, my shoulders sagging under the weight of old memories. “Getting tangled up with dangerous people is Geliy’s thing. It’s why we’re not together anymore.”
It’s been nice having Geliy check in on me and the kids as often as he has over the last week, but this morning he’s been radio silent.
