We share several blows before my knee finds his solar plexus, and the guy wheezes and chokes as I bring my knife up against his throat.
“Who are you, and how the hell did you get into my house?” I snarl.
The man releases a crazed laugh as he gives me a bloody sneer. “This isn’tyourhouse. It belongs to ourPakhan. And we came to kill the Chiaroscuros,” he hisses between clenched teeth.
“I think you’ve severely underestimated how many men it might take to accomplish that. Why are you out for blood?”
“You took ourPakhan, our home, our headquarters. It’s time for you to pay.”
I scoff, shoving him back against the floor as I keep him pinned down with my knife. “It doesn’t look like you’re in any position to be making threats,” I warn.
The Russian gives another maniacal laugh. “Go ahead. Kill me. That won’t stop what’s coming for you. The Chiaroscuro family will bedonewhen we find the missing Novikov heir. We’ve been looking for him, you know, all this time that you thought we were just divided and in hiding, licking our wounds. We have a lead, and when we find him, the Bratva will unite behind him and come back to take our revenge. The Chiaroscuros will be finished, so you better enjoy your cushy accommodations while you still can.”
I glance up at my brothers, who have already finished off the other two intruders, and Raf gives a subtle shake of his head. There’s no point in taking prisoners. These men were willing to die for their mission.
With a growl of frustration, I drag my knife across the man’s throat, silencing his crazed laughter as hot blood splatters across my shirt.
But even after his last shuddering breath escapes his lungs, the man’s words trouble me.
“He said something about the missing Novikov heir.” I recall the twins saying someone had mentioned it at the wedding as well.
Raf’s brow buckles. “We didn’t learn anything more about it when we went digging,” he says. “As far as I could tell, this missing heir is a myth. We couldn’t even determine what generation of Novikov he would be. Hell, he could be Pyotr’s bastard for all we know. Personally, I’m starting to think he doesn’t exist.”
Maybe not, but I have a feeling I know someone who could shed some light on the rumors, someone who could tell me whether this heir is even alive—and if he could be a legitimate threat.
30
ANIKA
The house is too quiet. I stare at the glossy marble tiles of the bathroom floor, listening intently for a noise as I kneel in front of the bottom drawer I just reorganized for the third time in a row.
I line up bottles of lotion by height, rearrange cotton swabs into their little glass jar. I shift it a centimeter to the left.
Then another.
Then back.
It’s ridiculous, but I can’t stop.
Miko’s man said it was a minor disturbance. Some breach in the perimeter, but he couldn’t give me more details.
Maybe it’s another Russian faction sniffing around.
I suppose that would be better than if the Tanakas chose to show up at our front door.
The man Miko sent to stand guard outside our room made it sound routine.
Nothing to worry about, but I felt the house shake. I heard the boom. Which is why my anxiety is through the roof.
I didn’t argue when he asked me to stay in our room. I know Miko just wants me to be safe. But knowing something intellectually doesn’t stop my stomach from clenching, or my palms from sweating, or my mind from leaping to the worst-case scenarios.
I bite the inside of my cheek and push the drawer closed. I need to do something, anything to keep my thoughts from spiraling with fear for Miko’s safety.
The cabinet under the sink catches my eye, and I yank it open. It’s cluttered with half-used bottles, unopened extras, my rarely used curling wand, and my feminine hygiene products.
I pull items out, humming under my breath, trying to calm my nerves.
My fingers work quickly, sorting through the clutter.
