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YAKOV
There’s no one out by the pool. No one in my room or Mariya’s. The kitchen is empty. In the living room, the television is on, the screen glowing blue across the untouched movie snacks Luna spent the day organizing.
The house is completely empty.
Where the fuck are they?
Gregory slinks out from under the chair and curls around my ankles. I shake him off just as my phone rings.
It’s Nikandr.
“Tell me good news,” I order.
“Boris is dead.”
I close my eyes. “We just saw him.”
“Which is what did him in, I think. He was shot in the parking lot fifteen minutes ago.”
“Someone knew he met with us,” I grit out.
“I watched the location all day. There was nothing, Yakov. I swear.”
“Did you kill him?” I ask.
I don’t really think he did, but after the way the two of them got into at the meeting, it’s a possibility.
“I hated that fucking worm, but I wouldn’t do that. Not when we need his intel,” he says. “After the meeting, I spotted a car in the parking lot. It wasn’t there when we went in and the windows were tinted. It was suspicious, but I didn’t think it was anything. Then Boris came out. As soon as he got close to the car, someone jumped out, shot him in the back of the head, and peeled out. He should have seen it coming, but he wasn’t paying any goddamn attention.”
“Any leads on who it was?”
“No plates on the car and I couldn’t ID the shooter. But it had to have been Akim.”
My hands tighten into fists at my side. In a flash, I turn over the coffee table, sending snacks flying everywhere. “Fuck!”
“What is happening?” Nik asks. “What’s going?—”
“Mariya and Luna are gone.”
The words drive the reality home.
They aren’t here.
And Boris is dead.
The two things have to be connected. Mariya and Luna wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave the house on their own.
Nik echoes the curse. “I’m texting Oleg. He’s been Mariya’s guard the last few days, but he was off-duty tonight. I didn’t think we needed him since they were going to stay in.”
“I want everyone in on this,” I demand, storming through the house. “I want every soldier on patrol. We’re going to blow through Akim’s gates and kill that motherfucker for thinking for even a second that he can come into my house and touch what belongs to?—”
A piece of paper flutters off the counter as I pass. It was small, no bigger than the palm of my hand. I didn’t see it before. Now, I bend and pick it up.
“Yakov?” Nik asks. “Are you there?”
I read the note once and then twice. I read it again and again until the words are seared in my brain.
Movie night got booted in favor of dancing. It was nice of you to let Mariya get out. She’s excited. XO, Luna
