He blinks, thrown off for a second, as if he’s having a hard time believing I knew anything about it. He quickly recovers. “Yeah. Bratva. Exactly. And that’s what I’m trying to keep you safe from. Trust me. You’re going to want to get away from Barinov as soon as you can. He’s bad news.”
I glance at Sasha, still asleep, thankfully not hearing any of this. I hope he sleeps for the whole trip and that I can just wake him up when we get home like none of this ever happened.
We keep driving. I zone out a little, closing my eyes and hoping the next time I open them we’re in front of Roman’s place. Our place. Worry runs through me. All I want is to be in that house, in his arms, my head resting against his shoulder.
The sound of gravel crunching under the tires snaps me out of it. I open my eyes and see the front of a derelict building. A quick look around reveals that we’re not at the Barinov mansion—not anywhere close to it. The scenery seems to be that of a run-down, abandoned warehouse district.
I turn my attention to the building in front of me. Boarded windows, graffiti, cracked concrete, and a security light over the side entrance that flickers like it’s seconds away from turning off for good.
We’re tucked into a shadowed side lot, not a neighborhood, not a street with witnesses, not anywhere I’d expect Kyle to tell Max to take his pregnant sister and a five-year-old.
My gut tightens. I don’t like this at all.
“Why are we here?”
Max shushes me. “Just give me a second. I was supposed to hear from Kyle to get the all-clear to take you to the mansion. But I haven’t yet. As soon as he texts, we’ll head over.”
“An all-clear for the house? You mean the mansion with security cameras, armed guards, and a panic room? Why wouldn’t it already be all clear?”
He grimaces. “That panic room is exactly why you should be listening to me. You think a place where Barinov expects a goddamn home invasion is safe for you? For that kid?” I frown at him in the rearview mirror. “Listen, I’m not your enemy. I’m on your side here. I want to keep you safe.”
I don’t answer right away. I glance over at Sasha. He’s the only reason I’m not already yanking the door open and sprinting to the nearest public place like my life depends on it.
Because it might.
Sasha makes a tiny sound in his sleep, shifting a little. I reach over and smooth his hair.
“You don’t know the half of it, okay? And Kyle doesn’t either.”He glances over his shoulder. “Wait here for a second.”
He steps out of the car and shuts the door, hard. I crane my neck to watch as he looks around, as if he’s expecting someone. As he does, I spot something on the passenger seat.
His phone. It’s dark. Turned off.
Suddenly, everything in me goes very, very still. I reach forward slowly, my eyes on Max as he looks around. I don’t know what’s going on, but my trust in him is dwindling by the moment.
Once the phone is within reach, I grab it.
That’s when he turns to come back to the car.
Shit.
I fumble, reaching as far as I can, finding the power button with my thumb. He steps closer and closer, extending his arm to grab the door handle.
“Come on, come on…”
The screen flashes, the Apple logo appearing. I flip it back over and set it just how it’d been before. Max opens the door and slides back into his seat, oblivious.
“Come on, man,” he says. “I don’t have all goddamn day.”
He rubs his chin, then turns his attention to the phone. Slowly, he lifts it and turns it.
“Did you do this?” he asks, holding it up to me.
“Your phone? Yeah, I saw that it was off. Kyle can’t reach you if it’s turned off. That’s why we’re here, right?”
His eyes flash with unmistakable anger. “No one told you to touch this. Kyle knows where I am.” He sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth. “Shit.Shit.”
His brow knits for a moment, as if he’s trying to figure out what to do next. Then, with one more curse under his breath, he gets out of the car, practically kicking the door off. I watch as he storms across the warehouse grounds, phone in hand. Max then pulls back his arm and whips the phone through the air. I watch as the little black rectangle grows smaller and smaller, finally landing in the nearby river with a splash.
