“You still haven’t told us how you got from there to here,” Ilya points out tightly, moving to stand on the other side of his niece. “Considering that’s a nine-hour flight and I haven’t heard from the school that you’ve gone missing. Who will be getting a fucking earful from me and your father.”
Mila pauses at the warning, but she must figure that the consequences aren’t terrible. “You probably don’t want to know that. I’m safe, and they won’t miss me for a few days, then they’ll probably call you. Depending on how things shake down here, I might be back by then and it won’t be a problem.”
Rori snorts out a laugh, earning a quelling look from the two furious men, but she ignores them. “Damn, you and I are going to get along just fine,” she tells Mila with a wicked grin. “I might even be able to give you a few tips.” She wiggles her brows, making Mila laugh.
“Over my dead body,” Zakhar snaps, glaring at Rori. “Mila, go to your room. We’ll talk later. Oleg, keep Freya with her.” Oleg nods, and Mila shrugs, getting to her feet, clearly seeing that now is not the time to push her father or uncle.
Once they’re gone, Zakhar and Ilya round on us. “Touch her, and I’ll kill you,” Zakhar hisses with a warning at Rori.
I bristle, ready to defend Rori, but she says calmly, “If I wanted her dead, she’d already be dead, and I’d have killed youall before you had a chance to process it.” Zakhar’s face contorts with rage, and I brace, ready to jump in.Damn it, Rori, what the fuck are you doing?“Lucky for you, I never kill kids, and prefer them over the majority of adults. The only thing I now need to factor in is making sure that she’s always protected.”
Ilya glares at her. “You think that we’re not capable of protecting her?”
“You can, but we both know that until we know who the other assassin is that will be brought in to replace me, she’s vulnerable, especially in this house. Once they find out she’s here, if they haven’t already clocked her being brought here by this unnamed friend, then she’s fair game to them.” Her tone is cold, harsh even. The reality of the situation is stark, and I feel my gut tighten at the realization of the danger that girl is now in. “I’m one of the few who have scruples about children; most don’t. If you want your daughter safe, then you figure out a way to get her the hell out of here, or you ensure that she’s put somewhere no one can reach her in this house until everything is finished.”
Ilya and Zakhar say nothing, but they turn and storm out, orders already being barked.
I look at Rori. “You think she’s actually in danger?”
Rori cocks a head and looks at me grimly. “She was in danger the minute this friend went and picked her up at that school. Now, I just have to make sure she stays alive, because if she doesn’t, then not only will Zakhar and Ilya kill me, but so will her friend. She’s here to be put under my protection and as a warning.”
A chill skitters down my spine. “A warning?”
It clicks. My gaze sharpens on Rori, and she gives a barely perceptible nod. I don’t know what the hell kind of game Tatiana’s playing at, but I’m going to kill her. She’s put an even bigger target on Rori’s back with this stunt, and now I’m going to have to watch it from every angle.
Damn it all to hell.
26
RORI
Exhaustion pulls,and all I want to do is sleep a few hours, but not yet. This new wrench has just fucked any plans I was making. Why the fuck did Tatiana send Mila here? What could she hope to accomplish by putting an innocent teen girl in this shit show? And why would Tatiana have disguised herself as a friend in the first place?
There are too many unknowns, and the sand in the hourglass is falling faster. I don’t have any time to waste. I make quick work of gathering what I need, securing a balaclava over my face and sliding in colored contacts. Only the skin around my eyes shows, but in the darkness of the forest, no one will see the small patch of skin.
It speaks to how upset and freaked out Ilya is when no one stops me from walking out of the house and onto the grounds with Hades at my side. Unlike Nico’s giant maze, Ilya hasn’t bothered with something so elaborate, instead letting the scenery be what draws the eye.
His home is situated deep in the hills, the Rocky Mountains a grand backdrop, the white peaks glowing under the full moon. Below it sits a large lake, the water glittering like the stars reflecting the moon directly above. Even with the moonlight, the forest surrounding it is dark, foreboding.
I’ve always thought that the Washington forests had an eerie feeling, but as I make my way silently through it, Hades ahead of me, it cloaks me. Perhaps I should fear it, but instead, I embrace it. The silence other than the wind rustling through the trees, can be used to my advantage.
I took Hades’s collar off as well to make sure he isn’t creating too much noise. Deep in my gut, I know someone is out here, waiting and watching. Not Ilya’s guards, but someone who wants to see just what’s happening now that I’ve arrived. Because I know Simeon was an idiot and announced it to the wrong person. Ilya does too, which is why I’m betting he’s freaking the fuck out his niece is in the crossfire.
So I need to make sure that she’s as safe here as I can make it happen. Even if it means working myself into exhaustion.
Sleep won’t matter if I end up dead.
I seamlessly blend into the shadows, Hades doing the same as we make our way carefully through the woods. I’m careful not to step on any branches or twigs, only the whisper of the leaves rustling under my feet. My old training blends with the years of tracking bounties that did everything they could imagine to avoid capture.
The hours drag on, but I never stop moving, weaving my way through the trees, turning in random directions, including back tracking to make sure that no one is following me. I hear soldiers moving, but none of them spot me, completely unaware of any kind of danger they might be in.
Hades stays quiet, lying in the underbrush like I taught him with just a wave of my hand, or a whispered command.
I’ll give it to Ilya, his men are professional, smart, and value their jobs, because not one of them could be considered lacking or lazy. They move with practiced precision, altering their routes, but not enough that I can’t detect a pattern. Most people don’t truly do things randomly, their brains unknowingly pushing them into using a pattern.
Straight, right turn, right turn, left turn, left turn, straight.On and on they all move, covering a large portion of the forest. Yet none of them notice me, Hades, or anyone else lurking.
I make my way to the other side of the forest, slowly and methodically, but still, nothing stands out. If someone is hiding out here, they’ve been very good at disguising their tracks. I don’t even see or sense any hidden cameras or trail cams this far out. Closer to the house, the forest is littered with them, but by the time an enemy hits that point, Ilya and his men will be hard-pressed to stop them.
