31
LEAH
"Viktor!"
The cry leaves my mouth before I can stop it. The man I thought I would never see again is being led onto the floor. He's here, he's real, and he’s not a figment of my imagination. If he were, all the guns in the place wouldn't be trained on him and the hulking figure of Iliya behind him.
Only moments ago, Marius came to us with his entire body radiating psychotic glee, which I knew had to do with the gunfire we’d heard. He dragged us roughly from the upstairs office down to the warehouse floor where two big men held Eliza.
At the sight of the two men we thought were dead, I hear Suzie gasp behind me, a sound that means she's holding back a sob. Then Eliza cries out.
"Viktor! Iliya!" My daughter’s voice is filled with desperation and fear, and tears stream down her face. At the sound, Viktor's implacable expression turns monstrous.
The expression is gone as swiftly as it appeared, replaced by calm composure. "Be brave, Eliza."
Iliya says nothing, but the look in his dark eyes is dangerous, especially as his gaze lands on Eliza first and then the bruise on Suzie's cheek.
Marius marks the big man’s attention, and he's grinning again. "I did that myself." He's either stupidly assured or truly psychotic. Probably both. But if looks could kill, Marius would be an oozing puddle on the floor. Iliya's scowl promises instant death by his hands alone.
Even Marius falls silent as Andrei wanders up to Viktor. He knows he’s won; I can see it in every line of his large frame, and the way he squares up to his brother to the curl of his lip.
I feel whatever little hope that had sprung up when I saw that Viktor wasn’t dead drain at the realization of his plight.
“Brother," Andrei sneers.
I always thought there was something wrong with Andrei; I never trusted him. But now I can see what's behind the mask, and it’s truly ugly. Something dark, slimy, and malevolent. Marius has the same look of rot to him, growing from the inside out. Something revolting. But I had trusted Marius; the string of men I have misjudged just keeps growing.
I didn't misjudge Viktor, though. And now that I know there’s no escaping his world, I would rather be there with him than without him. My whole heart is crying out for the man I thought I’d lost forever, who I still stand to lose forever. The man standing there all in black, ready for a midnight offensive to save us.
He stares at his brother impassively, though I imagine if he could, he would kill the man with his bare hands for his betrayal.
"I've warned you for years that betrayal often comes from within, from those who know you best. But you didn't listen, did you?" Self-satisfaction hovers around Andrei's mouth. "WhyOtetsthought you would make the betterpakhanI never understood. But it doesn’t matter anymore, does it? I will control the Eastern Seaboard, here and in Moscow. All will bend the knee to me."
"Father made mepakhan because he knew you had ambition, but not the brains to back it up." Viktor’s sentence is simple, but it says so much, and it affects Andrei far more than his words affected Viktor. The man’s satisfaction curls into a sneer.
"Your brains, your careful plans have only hobbled the growth of what our Bratva could be,shouldbe. I seek to make us one that everyone fears. No one will stand in our way."
Viktor shakes his head. "You wish to become a dictator instead ofpakhan,Andryusha. You will bring the Antonov Bratva tumbling down on top of you. This is your last chance to make amends, to realize your mistakes."
I don't know what "Andryusha" means, possibly a nickname, but the use of it turns Andrei's displeasure into red-hot anger. The man's eyes burn.
"I will ensure there is no one alive who doesn’t know the Antonov Bratva. None will forget it. None will forgetme. But they will forget you, you fucking fool. You have failed, and I will succeed. Tell that toOtetswhen you see him in hell."
A scream splits the air as Andrei levels the muzzle of his gun at his brother. I don't realize I’m the one who screamed until heads swivel my way, and my throat is raw. "No, don't. Please don't! Please don't kill him!"
Viktor's blue eyes find mine, hold mine, and won’t let me go. "It will be okay, Leah."
The words are said with such calm solemnity that I could almost believe the man I love doesn't have a gun pointed at his head, that he isn't moments away from death.
"Leah, look at me. Pay attention to me.Everythingwill be okay."
There is an odd intensity to his voice. I want to believe him so badly, but I know he's simply trying to calm me. To distract me from the inevitable.
"Yes, indeed," Andrei says. "You won't have to live without him for long. I'll take care of you as soon as I take care of my brother."
I inhale to scream again, but Suzie beats me to the punch as Andrei cocks his gun and takes more careful aim. Eliza sobs, and Benji is upstairs barking, snarling, and pounding against the door, trying to break free and get to us.
An explosion rocks the warehouse, followed by a burst of sound as Andrei goes down with a bellow of pain.
