Page 21 of Prey of the Bratva

Sera.

The line rang once. Twice. Three times. But there was nothing. My jaw tightened slightly, and I ended the call before trying again, but I got the same result. Sera always answered, which was enough to tell me that something wasn’t right. I did not allow the concern to settle because concern slowed you down, and right now, I needed answers.

Instead, I moved to the next option.

Diane White.

The line connected on the second ring.

“Hello?”

Her voice was cautious and alert, exactly as it should be.

“It’s me,” I said.

A sharp inhale on the other end.

“Misha?”

“Yes.”

“You’re alive.”

“Obviously.”

“Where the hell have you been?”

“I have been unavailable.”

“That’s not an answer to my question.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting right now.”

“The last time any of us heard from you or of you was when you went to the docks. We have been worried sick looking for you everywhere. What happened there?”

“It was a setup.”

“Of course it was,” Diane muttered. “I told Sera it felt wrong.”

“Where is Sera?” I asked.

Another pause.

“She was looking for you but has gone quiet. Now that I know you are fine, I will start looking for her as well.”

My grip on the device tightened. “How quiet?”

“Off-grid,” Diane said. “No contact in three days.”

That was not good. Not good at all.

“Any chatter about what happened at the docks?” I asked.

“Some,” she replied. “There’s talk about a failed containment attempt at the docks. There have been no names or details. Just that something went wrong, and people didn’t walk away from it alive. No one knows who did it.”

“Good.”

“Good?” she repeated. “Misha, they’re looking for whoever caused that mess. Was it you? Did you kill all those people?”