“For every rotten thing that you turned out to be,” he says, “you have your mother’s looks. Your mother was so beautiful that she could stop a man on a dime with a just a hair flip or the right look over her shoulder. And the sex.” He laughed bitterly. “I’ve never known a woman who could fuck like her. If she had asked me to burn all this to the ground, I would have done it. The power of her pussy was just that potent.”
I’m so repulsed that I find myself slowly sliding away from him. I don’t know how far I would get if I tried to run. He told his men to get rid of the cars and their clothes. Maybe they’re all gone and there’s no one else on the premises.
He points one fat finger at me and says, “That’s how you bewitched him. You fucked theBol’shoy Levof Astrakhan into submission and he called off his war against Nikolai.”
“He’s his own man,” I say in futile defense. “I can’t influence—” He slams his hand on the counter and I yelp in surprise.
“I don’t want to hear your bullshit lies,” he says. “And anyway, it doesn’t matter. Tomorrow morning when he finds the pretty head of his lover sitting on his doorstep with a note of regard from Nikolai, the war will be back on.”
Oh, God… He means to kill me. I have to?—
He strikes out at me like a viper, grabbing me by the neck and pulling me toward him. “I’m finally going to do what I should have done after you killed your mother,” he snarls at me. “And for the first time in your miserable life, you’re going to be of some use to me.”
He pushes me and I fall backward, hitting the kitchen floor hard. He stalks around the counter island and grabs me by the hair, dragging me out of the kitchen.
He half drags, half carries me up the stairs until we reach one of the bedrooms. It’s already ajar, so he pushes it all the way open and practically throws me inside, then slams the door shut. I hear the locks engage right after.
I’m on the floor in this empty room with nothing but the light from a single window. I can tell by the wallpaper that this used to be my room, but… but not anymore. All the furniture has been taken out. There’s nothing in here anymore but the carpet on the floor.
I fall back down onto the carpet… and I just start crying.
26
ANTON
“Nikolai’s estate is well fortified,” I say to the roomful of my brigadiers. “But it’s not impossible to breach. We’re going to have to move quietly in order to take him by surprise.”
Agreements all around the table. After I told them about the break in, there was no questioning what had to be done. Nikolai, for whatever reason, broke this truce. Now, I’m going to break him in half.
“Also,” I add, “there is one element to this that I think everyone should be aware of. During his attack on me and Mikki, his men kidnapped a young woman who’s been staying with me.” I hesitate. Part of me doesn’t want to tell them, but I have to. If Natalya is hurt in the crossfire of this raid, I’ll never forgive myself.
“The woman is Natalya Petrov,” I tell them. There’s an uneasy rustle among them. “Yes,” I add. “ThatNatalya Petrov. For obvious reasons, she is to remain unharmed. If she comes out of this any other way than whole and any of you had to dowith it, accidental or otherwise, you will answer to me. Am I understood?”
Everyone nods or speaks in the affirmative.
“Good. Questions? Ask them now. Anything you are not clear on, I will not repeat once we’re in the thick of it.”
No one speaks for a second or two, then Leonard, one of my younger brigadiers, asks, “Should we find Ms. Petrov, are we returning her to this house?”
“Yes.” I don’t elaborate. I know every single one of them wants to know how it is that the daughter of Vladimir Petrov is coming back to my house instead of back to her father, but that doesn’t matter right now. It’s none of their business. “Any questions about our strategy? Or what must be done?”
No one says a word. The door to the meeting room opens and Mikki sticks his head in. I was just wondering where he was. Shortly before the meeting started, his phone buzzed and he excused himself.
“Sorry, Anton, but I need a word.”
“This can’t wait?”
“I’m afraid not.”
I give everyone a quick glance, then, “I’ll be right back to go over weapons and positions with everyone.”
I leave the room and Mikki closes the door and walks me a few paces away so we won’t be overheard. “What’s going on?”
“Iggy just called me. He saw Kat a little while ago, drunk off her ass at the Firebird.”
I glare at him. “You seriously pulled me out to tell me about Kat? Now? Out of all times?”
“No, listen. Iggy says Kat was so drunk that she was getting into it with the girls there. According to him, it was getting crazy until one of the patrons stepped in and calmed her down.”
