And Bogdan Lebedev is about to learn what happens when you target a Kozlov.
24
Daria
The voices have stopped.
I flatten my ear against the bedroom door, straining to hear anything, but there’s only silence. Kira is curled on the bed behind me, clutching her stuffed dinosaur and watching me with wide, frightened eyes.
“Mama? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know, baby. Just stay quiet for me.”
The silence is worse than the yelling. At least when they were arguing, I knew Pyotr was alive and still fighting for us. But now there are no footsteps or voices, just the sound of the refrigerator down the hall and the pounding of my heart.
I count the seconds. Ten. Twenty. Thirty.
Maybe they killed each other. Maybe they’re both lying on my living room floor right now, bleeding out while I hide in here like a coward. Maybe I should have gone out there, faced Alexei, and told him the truth before Pyotr risked his life to defend me.
A soft knock sends me stumbling backward from the door.
“Daria.” Pyotr’s voice is muffled. “You can come out.”
My fingers are clumsy and uncooperative, and I fumble with the lock. When I crack the door open, Pyotr is standing in the hallway. Something has changed in his eyes. The coiled readiness I saw earlier has loosened.
“What happened?”
“Tony came through. He found the proof we needed.” He reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “You’re clear.”
The words don’t make sense at first. I’ve spent so long bracing for the worst that I don’t know how to process anything else.Clear. The word bounces around my skull without finding purchase.
“I’m clear?” I repeat stupidly.
“Alexei wants to talk to you. He’s in the living room.”
I glance back at Kira, who’s sitting up on the bed, watching us with her dinosaur smooshed against her chest.
“Bring her,” Pyotr prompts. “It’s safe. I promise.”
I scoop Kira into my arms and follow Pyotr down the hallway. My legs are unsteady beneath me, like they might give out at any moment. The apartment looks the same as it did an hour ago, but everything feels so charged.
Alexei is sitting on my couch, looking comfortable as can be. He looks up when we enter, and his eyes move from me to Kira and back again. Taking measure. Noting details.
“So,” he begins. “You look like hell, cousin.”
“It’s been a difficult few weeks.”
“I imagine so.” His mouth quirks into a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “And this must be Kira.”
Kira buries her face against my neck. “Mama, I don’t like him.”
“Kira, that’s not polite.”
“She’s right not to like me.” Alexei stands and crosses the room until he’s in front of us. “I came here to do something terrible to your mother. I was wrong. Bogdan Lebedev made a mistake when he decided to use you. He thought he could hide behind your name, and no one would notice. He was wrong.”
I don’t know what to say. The man who was ready to kill me just minutes ago is now speaking to me like we’re allies.
“The evidence Tony found clears you,” Alexei continues. “Dmitri will have it within the hour. The federal investigation will shift to Bogdan, and your name will be removed from their files. But that doesn’t mean you’re safe. Bogdan still has resources, and he’ll lash out when he realizes that his empire is crumbling. You and Kira will be his first targets.”
