Quickly, the boy shook his head. “Oh God, no, the older Mr. Petrovov is fine. It’s him at the house.”
My heart started up again. “At my house?” My eyebrows shot up. He nodded silently. “Why?”
“I’ve got no idea, sir. The call came in from both the guards at your home and the carers in the retirement home. He stole the carer’s car. They thought he would head here.”
If it hadn’t been so ludicrous, I would have laughed. The older Nikolai was almost bedbound, and he had stolen a car.
“But he went to your house.”
Now that did surprise me. The old man had been bugging me for ages to come and visit. I thought if he was going to do a Houdini, he would have come here as well.
“Wait, he went home?” I froze. “Where is Violet?”
He stared at me without saying a word.
“Shit.” If my grandfather had gone there with no call to me, then he planned to end this thing once and for all. He was old, but he was still lethal. He wouldn’t even hesitate.
“Can you go and tell my wife that I’ve had to rush home. Tell her it’s to do with Nikolai.”
He nodded.
“Do not under any circumstances mention Violet. Is that understood?”
Again, he nodded, but this time there was a hint of disgust in his eyes. Ignoring it, I took off down the corridor. It wasn’t like I was hiding anything from Amy. I just wasn’t telling her the whole truth. Violet was no longer part of my life. But that didn’t mean she deserved to die.
The gatesto my house were open when I got there, and there was a small yellow car parked haphazardly outside the front door. Leaving my car door open, I rushed up the stairs, looking wildly around until Ispotted a woman I didn’t know through the open doorway to the dining room.
Striding forward, I watched her shrink back in fear.
“Who are you?” My eyes scanned the room. Nikolai was sitting at the head of the table. His liver-spotted hands folded on the mahogany wood. Next to him sat Violet. She was shaking in fear.
At first glance, they looked like they were having a nice visit, and it was only when I looked closely that I could see the real looks on both of their faces.
“Mindy, sir,” the woman said in a timid voice. “I’m your grandfather’s carer today.”
I did a double-take. Had my grandfather not only committed theft but kidnapped one of his caregivers as well?
I rolled my eyes. Nothing surprised me when it came to him anymore.
“Ah, Alexei.” He stippled his fingers under his chin and met my eyes. There was so much age in his face, but his eyes were as bright as ever. The body was old, but the brain was still sharp.
“You didn’t have to come,” he said with a wicked smile. “I have everything under control.”
“Of course, I had to come. You kidnapped a carer, stole her car, and forced her here.”
“She drove, not me.”
Behind me, the woman bristled. “Only because you said if I didn’t, you would do it yourself.”
The old man chuckled. He was enjoying this.
“You didn’t have to come. You should have stayed with my favorite daughter and my great-grandson.” His eyes darted towards Violet. “Have you heard that they named him after me?”
Violet twisted her hands together. Her eyes didn’t lift from the table. “No sir.”
“Grandfather.” I tried to draw his attention to me. “Why are you here?”
“To do what you seem incapable of doing, Alexei.” He said with asigh. His eyes bored into Violet’s as she glanced at him. “I am ridding you of this bitch once and for all.”
