"Dad." My voice cracks. "It's me."
Silence. Then: "Ava? Baby, oh God, are you okay? I heard—"
"I'm alive. No thanks to you."
"Ava, listen, I can explain—"
"Explain?" I laugh, and it sounds broken. "Explain how you sold out the Bratva? How women and children died because of you? How Mom and Brit are terrified because you were too much of a coward to face the consequences of your foolish, stupid actions?"
"I had no choice! They were going to kill me!"
"So you killed their families instead. Kids died, dad. They were just innocent kids." My voice breaks fully as the weight of it threatens to suffocate me.
"They're not innocent! They're criminals! The Bratva is—"
"The Bratva has me now." I let that sink in. "They came for me, Dad. Just like you knew they would. Just like you left me to face alone."
"No." His voice breaks. "No, Aiv, I never wanted—" The use of the nickname he gave me further enrages me.
"I don't care what you wanted." I shout, breathing deeply to try and remain calm enough to get this out. "I'm calling because you left us in danger. Mom and Brit and me. I don’t care what happens to me, dad, but I won’t let mom and Brit be hurt because of you." I look at Dariy who nods. They’ve got his location. “I’ll never forgive you for what you did.”
I hang up before he can respond.
For a moment, nobody moves. Nobody speaks.
Then Renat is there, pulling me out of the chair and into his arms as I break down completely.
"I know," he murmurs into my hair. "I know,milaya.You did so well."
“You need to go," I say against his chest. "Before he realizes what I did."
“He's in Henderson, at a motel off the highway."
"Good." Renat's voice is cold now. Professional. "Send a team to watch him. I want to know if he runs. If he contacts anyone. Everything."
"Already done."
I pull back to look at Renat. "What happens now?"
"Now we prepare." He cups my face, his thumbs wiping away my tears. "Tonight, we end this. And then we start our real life together."
Our real life. Marriage. Children. A future built on the grave of my father.
Renat
The warehouse smells like rust and old concrete. Perfect for what we're about to do.
I check my watch. Yakov and Dariy will be here any minute with Michael Torres.
Adrik is standing by the entrance; his face carved from stone. Rurik leans against a support beam to my left, cleaning his fingernails with a knife like he's bored. I’m waiting near the kill box we've set up in the center, my energy barely contained.
We're ready. We've been ready for weeks.
"She did well," Adrik says, breaking the silence. "Your woman. The phone call was perfect."
"Her name is Ava," I say without looking at him.
"Fine. Ava did well. You trained her good."
