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I already feel bad for the bold-faced lie. But I have to do what it takes to protect Alina, and I can’t run from this fight. These men want the Sakharov family dead—all of them. And I won’t let that happen. Alina is my world, my life, my very reason for existence. So I’ll do whatever it takes to bring them down. In this, Viktor and I will always be allies.
I can’t sit by and wait to see how things unfold.
Alina’s safety is the only thing that matters, and these guys have made it clear that they will stop at nothing to bring Sergio down.
Taking one last sweeping glance of my apartment, I make sure we haven’t left anything necessary behind. Then I close and lock my door and guide Alina back down the stairs.
Rasputin and my team are there, all wearing stoic expressions. Lenka and Kristof at least know what took place in my apartment, since they came in with Viktor. But it seems like no one’s said a word since they got back to the car. I suspect they’re nervous to incur any of the wrath seething from him if they tried to crack a joke about what they saw upstairs.
Malik hands me several more guns and rounds of ammunition as soon as I climb into the Escalade. As the doors close, I inspect and load the weapons before holstering them without a word.
“We’re making a stop on the way,” Viktor growls at Lenka in the driver’s seat, casting Alina a withering look. “To drop my sister back off to her bodyguards.”
Rasputin cocks an eyebrow in my direction, the surreptitious look saying a thousand words. I keep my expression flat, saying nothing. I’m not about to kiss and tell. Or shoot myself in the foot. Though I suspect it didn’t take much for my sharp-eyed captain to deduce exactly what’s going on.
And as the tension in the car skyrockets, I suspect my list of allies just got considerably shorter.
27
ALINA
The SUV is packed with intimidatingly large Sakharov men whom Viktor has rallied for this fight. It fills me with anxiety to think they’re going to face the men who attacked me—and at the same time, the thought of bringing those monsters to justice gives me an immense sense of relief.
But I don’t like that Viktor or Mishka will be in danger. Not for my sake. At least my brother has Mishka and is surrounded by a contingent of powerful men. I worry more that Mishka will no longer have anyone to watch his back for what will likely be an ugly fight.
I suspect he already knows that.
And still, he’s going into battle because he wants to protect me.
It makes my heart ache, and I can’t help but steal glances at him as we drive toward Katie’s. I wish I could spend these last precious minutes in his arms. But I don’t dare even take his hand. Not with Viktor in the car. Anything that might aggravate my brother could endanger Mishka further, and I’ve already made things bad enough.
The drive is a short one, and the tension is palpable as the men remain completely quiet. Only my directions for the driver interrupt the heavy silence. No one even glances my way, their eyes fixed pointedly out the nearest window. I suspect it’s because of the fury rolling off Viktor in waves. When I have the driver pull up in the alley beneath the fire escape that leads up to Katie’s room, Viktor glowers at me.
“Walk me up?” I suggest, giving my brother an apologetic smile. I don’t want to let him drive away with Mishka without at least talking to him.
Grumbling, Viktor climbs out of the car and slams the passenger door with enough force to rock the vehicle. I take the momentary relief from my brother’s presence to turn to Mishka one last time, and my heart shatters as I peer into his stormy-blue eyes. The love in them steals my breath away, and I want to cry at the thought of leaving him—possibly for the last time.
“Please be careful,” I murmur, choosing my words carefully since the car has ears.
He offers me a soft smile that says everything he can’t tell me with words right now. “I will. I promise.”
God, why does it hurt so badly to let him go? I feel as though I can scarcely breathe. Casting a sideways glance, I note that the men are still studiously avoiding my gaze, and I can’t help myself. Grasping the nape of Mishka’s neck, I press a quick, desperate kiss to his lips.
Then, before I can change my mind, I slip past him, throwing open the door and stepping out to the cold, scowling gaze of my older brother. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, and the knot in my throat is nearly impossible to swallow, but I don’t turn to look back as I close the door behind me.
“Share a parting kiss with your lover?” he taunts.
“Don’t be a dick,” I snap. Taking my brother’s arm, I drag him toward the fire escape’s metal stairs.
“So, you’ve been using your little college friend as an excuse to sneak around, is that it?” he states flatly, his disapproval blatant in his tone. “I might just have to mention to Otets that Katie’s becoming a bad influence on you.”
“Please, can we not talk about this right now?” I beg, looking up at my brother as we climb the stairs together.
In so many ways, he reminds me of my father. While he doesn’t have the same heavy frame, he has the red hair, gray eyes, and steely, commanding presence that makes people stop and listen. He also has an ego that makes him believe he deserves that authority. Viktor and I butt heads constantly, and I hate how he tries to control me. But I still love my brother, and I know he wouldn’t be doing this tonight if he didn’t love me too.
“I should have shot Mishka on the spot,” Viktor growls, his temper rising.
“Don’t say that,” I insist, jerking his elbow until he’s facing me. “Please, Viktor. I can barely stand the thought of you two facing these men as it is. Promise me you won’t do anything to Mishka before I have a chance to explain. I deserve that at the very least.”
