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Oleg sighed and ran a hand through his wild hair. “Girls, they never listen, yeah? Think they knew what’s best. Have too hard of life. Wish I could help.”
“Come on,” Leo said. “You probably just gave them more money than they’ve made in their lives.”
He snorted. “Not that generous. Only few hundred. Probably less than dead asshole was going to pay.”
Leo went downstairs first. I followed and Oleg brought up the rear. We stepped back out into the crisp evening. The three girls walked fast away from the house and toward the main road. I figured they’d get a cab and find their way back to wherever they came from.
At least my uncle couldn’t hurt them again.
“So, Maksim is dead,” Oleg said. “That’s good, yes? Hedeon will be pleased.”
“Now it’s a matter of mopping up the Volkov organization.” Leo pushed his gun back into the waistband of his pants. “Won’t be easy. But it’s just a matter of time now.”
“The world is changing, friend. I hope you are ready to change with it.” Oleg gave me a smile, waved to Leo, then walked away back toward where he parked.
Leo watched him then reached out for me. I stepped close and let him hug me tight.
“Fucked-up shit,” he said softly. “Really fucked-up shit. Sorry you had to see it.”
I kissed his throat. “Just happy it’s done.”
“Me too. Come on. We should get back to the hotel.”
“What do we do now? I mean, it’s over, right? My uncle’s not going to bother coming after me anymore.”
“No, I don’t think any of his men will bother with that. I mean, with Maksim gone, the whole organization’s going to fall into chaos. You’re an afterthought at best.”
“Freedom then.”
He laughed. “As free as you’ll ever be, I guess.”
I chewed my lip. “It should feel good. But I don’t feel different.”
“Never feels different until you do something with it.” He grabbed my hand and held it tight. “Now come on. Let’s get going. Hey, maybe we can go to my apartment tonight instead of a damn hotel. How’s that sound?”
“Weird. But good weird.” I squeezed his fingers. “Take me home then.”
“Gladly, little birdie.”
I let him tug me along down the block, toward the car, and toward our future and freedom.26LeonidThe Leone family mansion looked like a string of single-family row homes in a nice section of Old City. Except I knew the insides had been gutted, and the whole block had been turned into one massive structure. The exterior looked like there were multiple entrances, but there was really just one.
Vincent met us at the doorstep. He smiled and waved a hand as he let us inside. “Come on. You’re running a little late.”
“Sorry.” I looked back at Robin as she hustled across the street toward us. She wore tight black jeans, black heels, and her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her lips were painted red and her eyebrow quirked as I smiled at her.
“What?”
“You just look good.”
“Shut up.” She beamed and held out her hand. “Vincent, right?”
He shook it. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Volkov.”
She laughed and gestured. “Shall we?”
Vincent led us inside. The entryway was gleaming tile and austere gold gilt around the edges. An enormous crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. I noticed a few odd spots of what looked like some kind of hardened concrete scattered all over the place.
“We’re meeting in my father’s former office,” Vincent said, leading us down a series of hallways covered in plush carpeting. We passed oil paintings, statues on tables, vases with fresh flowers. The place was deadly silent and smelled expensive.
“I heard you had to rebuild a few years back,” I said.
“There was an attack. But yes, we’ve rebuilt. You’ll notice a few things that don’t look quite right, which were a product of my father’s impatience.”
“The concrete in the foyer?”
He smiled. “That was an unfortunate accident. Here, just down this way.”
We reached a pair of large double wooden doors. He pushed them open and we stepped into what looked like an ancient library. Tall bookshelves crammed with leather volumes lined the walls. A single, long oak conference room table dominated the space. Large windows on the left let light drape across the carpeting.
Hedeon sat at the table with Reid and Aldman. Dante sat at the other end flipping a pencil between his fingers. Vincent gestured for us to take a seat, and I pulled out a chair next to Hedeon, across from Reid. Robin sat on my right while Vincent took the chair at the head of the table.
“Well, I’m glad you could join us.” Vincent cleared his throat. “I apologize for our small turnout.”
“We decided to leave the unnecessary people at home,” Dante said.
Hedeon smiled. He looked better than he had in weeks. The color had returned to his face and his eyes had that cool and uncaring gleam that made him look so passive and so dangerous.
