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I slam my hand down on the coffee table beside me. “No, he doesn’t. The only thing he loves is his power. The same power I told him I was taking away many weeks ago, or have you forgotten?”
“First of all, I think it’s time you got to your fucking point. What was so dire that you needed us to be here tonight? Huh?” I snarl in his face.
His nostrils flare, and his fury is evident, but I couldn’t care any less. “Release me, now.”
“I’m done following orders from a man who doesn’t have a leg to stand on in the Umarova family. You are nothing more than a glorified custodian. One whose reign has been up for quite some time. I’ve been more than accommodating to your dedication to the Umarova family, but the facts are very simple: you will no longer be running things.”
“You can’t do shit, boy,” my stepfather hisses, and Lom cackles in the background, obviously finding this amusing.
“That’s the thing, Ruslan can do whatever the fuck he wants, and he knows it. The person who has no power here is you, Anzor. You aren’t an Umarova, and once we make sure all our allies know it, your words will mean nothing.” Lom comes up beside me and snickers. “Now, what is it that’s so important?”
Anzor grimaces in outrage, and I tighten my grip around his neck. “You two don’t have any idea what you’re doing.”
Lom doesn’t like to admit it, but even he recognizes how Anzor has used our name for his own gain. Though, Lom has a soft spot when it comes to our mother. I think it’s because when our mother remarried, Lom was only four years old, whereas I was ten. I saw a lot more of what was happening while he was playing with his race cars and other toys.
“No, he wouldn’t be responsible for such a thing. He loves you like you’re his.”
“No, he doesn’t.” I hiss, growing more aggravated by the moment. I know her love for Anzor knows no bounds, but he’s used us—all of us—for far too long. Now, I don’t think my mother is entirely innocent in all of this. What I think is that she didn’t know how to handle everything when it was happening, and Anzor offered a helping hand. I know his hand wasn’t helpful whatsoever, but my mother wouldn’t have realized it any differently.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot two figures coming our way, and I assume they’re guards until the familiar faces of my half-brother, Nazyr, and half-sister, Eset, come into view. “What is all this commotion about?” Nazyr snaps, looking between Lom, me, and our mother.
“I could hear you from all the way in the attic,” Eset adds. Eset is the baby of the family, just now reaching adulthood. The attic was turned into her art studio, where she could craft whatever creations were filling her mind. She’s particularly good at textured paintings, but her oil paintings are also magnificent. “I’m glad to see you’re home safe and sound, by the way,” Eset adds and comes rushing over to me. She wraps her arms around my body, and I hold her close. She is definitely the baby of the family, the strong-willed sister filled with innocence and so much love.
I release my sister and look at her, then at Nazyr. “Your father’s the one responsible for my capture and torture,” I say as plainly as I can and await some sort of shock to roll through them, but my siblings don’t even flinch at my accusation. Our mother, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.
“No! Anzor would not have done such a thing. Stop with this madness, Ruslan! Stop!”
I turn to face our mother and stare right into her eyes. “No, I won’t! I was told firsthand they were loyal to Anzor. He instructed them not to kill me, Mother, but to keep me there for however long he deemed fit. If it weren’t for Lom and Danill, I’d still be in that damned place in Armenia.”
She shakes her head over and over again, not wanting to believe it. “He raised you, Ruslan. Why would he do something like this? He raised you. He’s loved you as his own.”
The more she tells me these things, the more I grow aggravated. “No, he didn’t raise me. In fact, neither did you. Nannies raised me as well as the rest of us, or have you forgotten? You weren’t there either unless it was a situation where it would’ve looked good for you to be the doting mother.”
She rears her head back from the emotional hit I’ve dealt her, but I’m not done yet.
“All he’s ever done is take what wasn’t his, and I’m done with it. I warned him a few weeks ago his time as the head of the Umarova family was coming to an end, but now he has no idea what I’ll do to him when I lay my hands on him. I would’ve shown mercy before, Mother, but now I will do no such thing.”
“He’s only ever wanted power, Mother,” Eset speaks up, and my brothers look shocked at her admission.
“I cannot do this with any of you. He’s your father, and you’re speaking as if he’s some traitor!” our mother cries, and she begins to walk down the hallway, trying to get away from us.
“Ruslan has never been one to lie. I’m sure you know that,” Nazyr speaks up in my defense, and to say I’m shocked is an understatement. Yes, Eset and Nazyr are my siblings, but they’re also Anzor’s children. I never expected them to believe my accusations so easily, but I’m glad my siblings can see the truth their father has tried to hide for so long.
I even know Lom’s aware of Anzor’s true intentions. All Lom is concerned about is our mother, though. I commend him for his love for her, but she will have to fall in line like the rest of our family has.
Anzor is our enemy. He’s an enemy who’s been eating at our table.
***
Lom and I drove back to my home with our siblings on our side and our mother furious at us all. I’ve been trying to understand why she’d believe Anzor’s innocent, but I have to remind myself she’s been with this man for many years. She probably believes he can do no wrong and that he’d never go against the family. Personally, I think he’s said these things to her over the years to truly make her believe he’d never do such a thing, but I know better. I know he’d do whatever he needed in order to keep the power he craves so badly.
It’s ironic how all these things started happening a few short weeks after I told him I was taking the power that should’ve been mine in the first place. I don’t believe in coincidences, but even if I did, I know this isn’t one.
Before we got back to my house earlier, Lom told me he was going to stay here in Grozny for a while. He offered to handle things with the old man, and I agreed to it. He isn’t going to kill him, but he’ll torture him for as long as he can and gather information. After we both believe the old man has said everything he’s going to say, then I might end his life, but only when I know there’s nothing more of use to learn.
Amelia, Emily, Danill, and I all got on a private jet a few hours ago. If we had flown out commercial, we’d be forced to stop in Istanbul for a night and then head back to Atlanta. Over the years, the Grozny airport has had fewer and fewer one-way stops. Now, almost every time anyone takes a long flight, they must stop for an overnight layover.
The flight was long, but it was smooth. I got some good sleep on the flight, as did Amelia. When I first saw her after I was rescued, all I remembered was how beautiful she was. It had been so long since I’d seen her, and I didn’t recognize the dark circles under her eyes or the way she looked so exhausted.
