If I lose it, I won’t find her.
If I lose it, I can’t save her
If I lose it, she dies.
And so does our baby.
Once I’ve regained one-hundred percent of my composure, I dial Tristan’s number and wait.
He answers on the second ring. I can tell by the echo that I am on speaker phone.
“Speak of the devil,” he says.
“I’m going to kill her,” I answer back.
“Kill who exactly?” Tristan asks. And my eyes drag up to Jenica who waits. “You forget that I am the one with the girl.Yourgirl.”
“Someone you love. You should know who I’m talking about.”
But Tristan only sounds bored. “I don’t love a lot of people, Rozanov. It’s why I don’t care about the Bratva. All that talk of family and sacrifice just makes my dick go limp.”
“Of course,” I say. “That would mean you’d have to give a shit about loyalty. About rules. Which, clearly, you never have. But I don’t think your heart is that black. I think Jenica means something to you.”
“Not that much,” he says, but I can hear the nerves in his voice. Whether or not they are close, they grew up together.
“I think it’s fair. An eye for an eye. You know, since you don’t have any siblings. She’s the only one who ever actually loved you. Though I think it’s safe to say that feeling is past tense. Or it will be, once I put a bullet in her pretty little head. It’s a shame, really. All that Botox gone to waste.”
Jenica rolls her eyes and flips me off.
“You’re lying,” he spits out.
“Am I? Because Igor thought the same thing before I sprayed my office with his brain matter.”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end. Then, “Prove it.”
“Hold. This mouth gag is pretty tight.”
I look at Jenica. At first she seems confused, but then she catches on.
After a moment that I swear had to be rehearsed, she lets out a blood-curdling cry.
“Tristan! Tristan, you have to stop him!” she wails and gasps. Her ability to turn on the fake panic and waterworks is impeccable.
“Where the fuck are you?” Tristan snaps.
“He beat the shit out of me, Tristan. He says he’s going to kill me! Please…”
“Alright, that’s enough,” I say, pretending to gag her again. “Well?”
“Yeah, alright, you made your point. What do you want, Rozanov?”
“I want to know that Amara is alive.” After a beat, I add, “And her friend.”
“They are.”
“Prove it.”
“Fine.” I can hear mumbling. Something about not telling me where they are or Electra dies.
