"Plans changed." I walk over and grab the remote to turn off the TV, but not before I see the breaking news banner scrolling across the bottom. "Local murder investigation. Police confirm one witness being questioned. Casino connection suspected."
"Wait, I was watching that." Tatiana reaches for the remote, but I hold it away from her.
"You don't need to watch the news." I toss the remote onto the coffee table. "You need to pack your things."
Her smile disappears. "What? Why?"
"You're leaving," I tell her simply. If I get into too many details, the anger inside me will come out at her, and I don’t want that for her. "Today. Within the hour."
"Leaving where?" She stands up and crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes at me. "I don't want to go away."
"I need you to go, Tatiana. To Moscow." I walk into the bedroom and pull a bag from the closet and hear her feet pattering after me. "You'll stay with an associate of mine until this situation's resolved." It's killing me that I can't tell her about her cousin, but when the time is right and I know she's safe, I’ll do it.
"No," she protests in a whine. "I want to be here with you where I'm safe."
"You're not safe here anymore." I throw the bag onto the bed and feel the anger rising again, but now it's not aimed at my brother or the bad situation. It's got a clearly defined target. Malcom Kozlov is going to die and I'm going to be the one to do it. "The Kozlovs are escalating. They're coming after people connected to you and sooner or later, they're gonna find a way to get to you directly."
Tatiana grabs my arm. "You said you'd protect me. You promised…" The way her eyes plead with me is killing me. I hate this. I don't want it to be this way.
"This is how I'm protecting you." I cup her face with both hands but resist kissing her. "By getting you out of this city before they kill you."
"What aren't you telling me?" Her eyes search mine. "Something happened. I can see it on your face." What I have to do next is crossing a line that crushes me, but it has to be done in order to make sure she listens to me.
"Nothing happened." Lying to her is worse than a million murders. She trusts me, and I am actively deceiving her. "I'm just being cautious. You'll go to Moscow with Rurik. He's an old friend, and he'll keep you safe while we clean up the Kozlov situation here."
"I don't want to go to Moscow," she whimpers.
"It's temporary." I lean down and kiss her hard. "A few weeks at most. Then I'll come personally to bring you back."
"You promise?" Tears fill her eyes and her bottom lip quivers.
"I promise." I kiss her again, softer this time. "But you have to trust me. Go with Rurik and do exactly what he says."
"I don't know him." She wipes her eyes. "How can I trust someone I've never met?"
"Because I trust him." I release her face and start pulling clothes from the closet. "He's been in this life longer than I have and he knows how to keep people hidden. You'll be safer with him in Moscow than you are here with me."
I continue shoving her things into the bag as she slowly changes out of my clothing into her own, and the entire time, I feel like the piece of trash I really am. Sending her away is my brother's choice, not mine, but if I didn’t believe it was the right move, I wouldn't be doing it. But lying to her about my knowledge of Arseniy's death will come back to bite me.
And when it does, I pray she forgives me.
22
TATIANA
It's warm and muggy as we step out of the casino doors and walk toward the man in a dark suit standing by a black sedan. Rurik's car is parked at the curb and at least a dozen of Dimitri's guards are positioned around it like they're protecting the president. The show of force should make me feel safer but instead it makes my stomach twist with anxiety. Dimitri walks beside me with his hand on my lower back. He hasn't let go since we left the penthouse, and I can feel how tense he is under his fake smile. He doesn't want to send me away, but he's doing it anyway because he thinks it's the right call.
"Rurik," Dimitri says, nodding at the man I've never met. He's intimidating—biceps as big around as my thighs and a dark expression on his face.
"Yeah, Boss," he says, dipping his head at Dimitri in return as they both turn to me.
"This is Tatiana. Take good care of her." Dimitri's hand in the small of my back gives me a nudge as I look up at the imposingcreature in front of me and shudder. He's scary and I don’t like this, but what can I do if I don't obey them?
"Put your bag in the trunk." Rurik opens it, and I lift my bag into the trunk as a feeling of dread swarms my belly.
Dimitri turns me to face him and cups my face with both hands. "Two weeks, maybe three. Then I'm coming to get you." How can he sound so reassuring and certain when he has no idea how deep it goes? Those police splattered the news story on every single news channel in the state and the men who did it know it's my fault.
"I don't want to go," I whimper into his embrace. "Please don't make me do this."
