Page 90 of Unholy Tsar

“So foolish,” I mumble, just loud enough for her to hear. “All of that scheming just to end up hiding in some abandoned Gulag?”

“I won’t be like this forever. Once we get to our destination, your little tsarina will be killed, and so will you. Then Viktor and I will take over the filthy empire you built in America.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It will be,” she promises. “As always, you underestimate me, Maksim. But you’ve made that mistake for the last time. We have your tsarina. You will do whatever we say, or she will suffer for it.”

She’s right. As long as my cooperation keeps Cecilia alive, I’ll do whatever she and Viktor want. I just need to keep biding my time. Rian, Tytus, Roz, and Gabriel should be in the country any time now.

They’ll figure everything out. Then they’ll come looking for us. I just have to keep us alive until then. “So, let’s say you kill me, then what? What’s your grand plan?”

“Like I said, Viktor and I will go after your empire in America. Only after we get there, our dear brother will encounter an accident where he loses his life. I alone will rule.”

“So heartless.”

She grins at me. “Are you disappointed in me, little brother? That’s a shame. I thought you, of all people, would understand that in this life, only the ruthless win. We beat you because of your weakness. I don’t have any.”

“Having emotions isn’t a weakness.”

“I beg to differ. You became too comfortable with your new family. The Kilpatricks. Your emotions distracted you, leaving the door open for me to infiltrate your empire. Just like we hollowed out your palace here, we hollowed out everything you worked for over there. Now, we’ll fill both with your blood and the blood of everyone you’ve ever loved. Call it a lesson. Tough love.”

“You’re crazy.”

We stop in front of a door and Vera nods at her men. But her words still rattle through my skull.

Just like we hollowed out your palace here, we hollowed out everything you worked for over there. Now, we’ll fill both with your blood and the blood of everyone you’ve ever loved.

It all clicks together. I know where Viktor is holding Cecilia.

“What did you do with my men?” I ask Vera.

“After you lost consciousness, I had my snipers take care of them. They’re dead.”

A gust of rage blasts through me as I’m pushed through the doorway. We come out onto the compound, still awash with floodlights. Sure enough, everywhere I look, blood stains the ground. To my surprise, though, there are no bodies.

Hope snakes through my fury.

That means there’s a chance they’re still alive. I almost stop in my tracks with relief at the revelation, but the gun digs deeper into my back, forcing me ahead.

“Keep moving,” Vera demands.

They’re alive. Dante probably discovered the trap and quickly evacuated everybody. Vera just doesn’t want to admit she was outmaneuvered.

Nothing is lost yet. I just need to come up with a plan. Anything.

I’m still brainstorming when we reach a convoy of cars. I’m shoved into one of them, closely accompanied by Vera and two men.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Not to your woman, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not that—”

All of a sudden, a blinding flash erupts outside, and the rest of Vera’s words are drowned out by a massive explosion. The car we’re in bounces from the impact. Ahead, I can just barely make out the cause.

Part of the convoy has been completely obliterated. Men spill out of the wreckage, their bodies engulfed in flames. And thick white smoke billows up, choking the air.

My heavy heart lifts. That white smoke—I’d recognize it anywhere. Tytus.

I grin. Looks like Rian is finally here, and he didn’t come alone.