“I know I’m being selfish. It’s why I didn’t argue with my father. But I can’t help but feel my life is over, and I’ll never get it back. I know the men that my father is considering. None of them is what you would call a kind man. They’re all cold and selfish. I just wish Alexi were here.”
“We all wish that. Your father wishes it the most. He hasn’t given up hope. Your father has been making inquiries. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and they’ll find Alexi.”
“Maybe,” I relent. I don’t know if I still have hope, but I do know I’m too tired to think about everything that is happening right now. “I’m going to take a bath.”
“I’ll prepare it for you,” Nadia offers, rising from the bed. She gestures toward the tray she brought. “I’ve brought you some pelmeni. Eat, you’ll feel better. Then you can relax in the tub.”
I thank her as I lift the lid. The fragrant smell of broth and meat wafts up. My stomach growls appreciatively as I lift my spoon to sample the delicious dumplings filled with seasoned beef. The comfort meal does the job. I clean the bowl and grab the glass of wine before moving into the bathroom. Nadia has placed a lavender bath bomb into the steaming water.
“Thank you, Nadia, this was just what I needed,” I say, hugging the older woman.
“You relax now. Enjoy your wine. You’ll feel better.”
With those words, she leaves me. I turn on the speaker and plug in my phone. After selecting the soundtrack for The Sleeping Beauty, I strip and lower myself into the fragrant water and let out a long sigh. The music swirls around me as I let my mind drift to the upcoming performance. I see myself as the Lilac Fairy flitting across the stage, accompanying Aurora. The water cools around me, but my mind remains focused on the performance I plan to give. Maybe my life won’t be the same once the music finally ends, but until then, I will be the Lilac Fairy who puts the story in motion.
As I dry off, I consider what I can do to change the direction of my life back onto a course that I want. I don’t want to leave my home or abandon my father, though, depending on the man he selects, I may have to consider it. I pull on comfortable clothes, lock the door, and grab my laptop.
Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I check my email. Since Alexi’s disappearance, I’ve been searching for someone to help me find him. I never expected to find someone, but I kept searching. I needed to do something, and this was all I could think of. For so long, it was a fruitless search. No one knew where Alexi was. There was no information. All I knew was thathe left the house one day and never returned. My father searched for him and discovered he’d been drafted into the Russian Army and sent to fight in Ukraine.
Father contacted everyone he knew to get information about Alexi’s location. He discovered that Alexi had been assigned to Pischane just before the Ukrainians reclaimed it. Father’s contacts reported that Alexi was likely now a prisoner of war. Father called in several favors, but he couldn’t uncover any more information. That didn’t stop me from searching myself.
I scoured social media in hopes that someone knew something. Until a few days ago, however, I had only received encouraging comments full of support, but no real information. Not until NOLAKING messaged me. He claimed to know Alexi’s whereabouts. Every day, I checked to see if he had anything more, but it had been days since he replied. Closing my eyes, I click open the app and pray. When I see the notification, I hold my breath and read it. “No new information, but have a lead.”
CHAPTER FIVE: VLADIMIR
I nod at Dom, who uses a knife to shred Maxim’s shirt and expose his back. With a flick of the wrist, I lay a lash across his shoulders. His scream releases some of the anger I’m carrying.
“Now, tell me what you had planned for Delphine and the girls,” I order.
Maxim whimpers, but refuses to speak. Rather than ask the questions again, I flick my wrist to lay a second lash across the first so they criss-cross. Once his scream subsides into sobs, I speak. “I won’t hesitate to strip the skin from your bones. Fucking tell me your plan.”
“Okay!” Maxim shouts. “I was going to use the time on board the ship to train them and then give them to Alexandr as a bribe. He’s a believer in the supernatural and has always sought out the advice of psychics. By giving him Delphine, I hoped to curry his favor. With his son missing, he’s looking for an heir to his title. I wanted him to select me.”
“But why Shayna and Sasha? They’re not psychics.”
When Maxim doesn’t respond, I flick the whip and lay a third slash across his back. He screams before panting like a dog.
“I’m running out of patience,” I growl. “What did you have planned for Shayna and Sasha?”
When he doesn’t speak, I lift the whip. He pleads with me before relenting. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I thought that if Stepanov didn’t agree to make me his heir and chose someone else, I could use the girls to bribe the winner into giving me the East Coast. That’s all I wanted. I wanted it for you, for us!”
Dom stiffens at Maxim’s words. I know he just met Sasha and Shayna, but he’s established a protective stance where they’re concerned. I may not have grown up with Delphine’s twin daughters, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see them as my sisters. The idea that Maxim planned to traffic my mother and sisters in exchange for territory has me ready to slit his throat, but I still have questions that need answers.
“Why did you hire Sigil to kill me and the others? Don’t bother to deny it. Delphine’s man, Dixie, works for Sigil. He knows who paid for the contracts.” Along with my death, Maxim had paid for the elimination of two other Bratva leaders–Dimitri Shrevchenko and Ivan Orloff. Dimitri is the head of the Bratva family in New York. Ivan controls the Bratva in Boston. Both men received warnings of their pending assassinations and went into hiding.
“Fine. I wanted to eliminate the competition. With them gone, I thought I could convince Alexandr, or his replacement, to give me all of the Eastern Seaboard.”
“Why order my death?”
“Because I knew you’d kill me once you discovered what I did to Delphine and the girls,” Maxim admits. “No matter how hard I tried to turn you into my son, you’re still hers.”
I grin at that. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. You’re right. I am going to kill you for what you tried to do to them. Where are we?” I ask Dom.
“We’re still in the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll be in the Atlantic in a day or two.”
“Good enough. Leave him hanging here. Let him suffer, then toss his ass over once we hit open water. Let the sharks feast on him.”
Maxim screams for me as I leave the room. Ignoring him, I slam the door shut and take a deep breath. Maybe I should feel guilty about signing the death warrant for my father, but I don’t. Not after all he’s stolen from me. I could have had a mother, a brother, and two sisters if not for him. Ridding the world of Maxim is my pleasure, not my sin.
