“Why?” he growls, unhappy with my answer.
“Because of her… affiliations.”
“Speak plainly, Kirill.”
“She’sentangledwith the Romanos.”
“How entangled?”
“She’s dating Luciano Romano.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
“Well, you should. We have no idea the extent of their relationship. If she was welcomed into the Romano fold, they might consider her one of theirs, and not—
A loud crash cuts me off on his end before I can finish my sentence.
“She’s a Petrov!” he roars. “A Petrov! Bring me Katya’s daughter, Kirill! That’s an order!”
I’m no longer talking to my brother. I’m talking to thePakhan. And I know it.
“Yes, boss.”
The line goes quiet for a long, heavy pause before he speaks again. “By day’s end, Kill. Don’t fuck this up,” he says before hanging up on me.
Blyad.This is going to be a shit show. I can already feel it.
Still, he’s right. Kira belongs to us. Not the Romanos. Unfortunately for me, I can’t just walk back into the school and snatch my niece from their grasp. They outnumber me, and while I could easily take care of the twins, there are two Romanos I don’t want to face—Marcello, for one, and Stella, for another.
Pizdets.Stella is going to think I used her to get close to Kira. And she’d be right. That was my intention. But aside from a few conversations, I didn’t actually work her for intel. Not like I should have. Instead, I used my time to… what? Grow feelings for her?Blyad.
Okay. One problem at a time. I need to focus on one goddamn problem at a time. And right now, my biggest one is getting Kira home.
I pick up my phone and call my most efficientsoldat.
“Boss?” Lev greets, answering the call.
“I need you to come to Sacred Heart and follow someone.”
“Who, boss?”
“I’m sending you the photograph now,” I explain, taking Kira’s photo from my coat and sending him a quick snap of it.
“Got it. Anything else?”
“Yes. Once you’re sure she’s alone, I need you to bring her to me. I’ll send you the address.”
“Sounds like a two-man job, boss”.
“I don’t care who you take with you. Just bring her to me. Tonight, Lev.”
“Understood. I’m on my way.”
I hang up and wait for Lev to arrive, not wanting Kira to leave the school before he gets here and misses her.
When his car pulls up beside mine, I roll down my window and see he’s brought his unreliable brother-in-law, Pyotr, as his sidekick.
“Don’t disappoint me, Lev,” I warn, since it will be his head if they fuck this up. “ThePakhanwants the girl on a plane back to Moscow tonight. Understood?”
