“Alexei?”Papa’s right-hand man. He must have been the one who was coming to take me to America. I’ve never much liked him, but if Papa trusts him, then so do I. “Help, please, Mama…she’s—”
“Dead,”he barks, stepping into the apartment. “There is nothing you can do for her now but avenge her death—caused by this man. You must not cry, boy.”
I blink, registering for the first time the wetness on my cheeks.“What do you mean? Why would he kill her?”
“He is an enemy of your father.” He nudges the man on the ground with his foot. It looks like he’s passed out, because he doesn’t move. “He would have killed you too if I hadn’t come. I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time to save your mother.”
More tears sting my eyes as I look down at Mama. Her chest does not rise or fall, and the pool of blood below her still grows.
“Come.” Alexei yanks me up by the arm and shoves a pistol into my hand. “You must avenge her death. You must not shame the Vasiliev name.”
Sniffling, I look down at the gun in my hand, the metal cold and heavy. More tears sting my eyes. “I don’t know how.” And really, I don’t want to kill anyone. Shouldn’t we call thePolitsiya?
“Just point it and pull the trigger,” he orders, shoving my shoulder. My stomach roils in protest, and I swallow roughly.
“But Alexei, why—” My words cut off as a sharp slap whips my head to the side.
“Do it!” His face is turning red with anger, even as something sad shines behind his eyes.
My lip wobbles as I lift my hand, aiming the gun at the man. “This…this is what Papa would want?” I ask, my voice small. Tears blur my vision, and my hand shakes. “He will be proud of me if I do this?”
“As long as you listen to me, Nikolai, your father will always be proud of you.” His large hand grips my shoulder, and I let out a shaky breath before nodding once.
Then, tears still in my eyes, I pull the trigger.
one
Jo
Declan’s arms wrap me in a death grip of an embrace.
Seriously, I’m pretty sure I was gentler on the alphas I was trying to murder.
“Gray hairs, Jo!” Declan growls, his chest rumbling against me. I don’t think I expected him to be this awake and worked up at two in the morning. Then again, my big brother has always been just a tad overprotective.
Now, though, he’ll be the cause of my death if he doesn’t let me get some air into my lungs. “Dec…need…air…can’t…breathe—”
Dec loosens his hold, and now that I can breathe properly, his honey and tobacco scent fills me with a sense of nostalgia. He pulls back to look me over, bracing his hands on my upper arms.
I’m not sure how much he can see since the only light is coming from his front porch and the glow of the moon, but he doesn’t seem to care. “You’ve given me at least twenty fucking gray hairs in the last month!” he grumbles, spinning me around so he can check me for more injuries. “I’m only thirty-two, Jo! I shouldnotbe going gray.”
I’m still a bit battered from our time with Hayden’s daddy, but it’s nothing serious. Well, not as serious as it could have been.
Certainly not as serious as Dick Pierce’s injuries, considering he’s dead.
Nope, I’d say compared to the sperm donor of my pyro alpha, I’m fit as a fiddle.
I make eye contact with my guys, who are all leaning against our SUV. We arrived at the compound all of two minutes ago, and I had barely made it out of the car before Declan was storming down the steps of his porch and smothering me.
Grinning, I roll my eyes at my brother’s mother-henning.
Hayden stifles a laugh, his hazel eyes shining with mirth, while Kole smirks, pushing his black hair back as he arches a brow at me. Sam and West are talking in hushed tones to each other, but both of them glance at me every few seconds, like they’re afraid to let me out of their sight.
“I fail to see how your old age is my fault.” I turn in his hold and cross my arms, looking up at him. Gray hairs? Not a single one that I can see. “And, where the fuck is Turnip?” I expected her to be with Dec when we got here. I need to see with my own two eyes that she’s okay.
Nolan’s voice speaks up from the porch of their house. “She’s sleeping in her enclosure. Poor thing had a rough day. She’s okay, though, I promise.” I give him a grateful nod, and smileat the rest of my brothers' packmates, who have all become like my adopted big brothers, in a way. Nolan looks just as awake as Declan, despite the fact he’s clearly in his pajamas. His golden hair, which is shaved on the sides and back, is braided in those Viking braids he loves so much.
Next to him, Rory’s dark eyes glint with pride, and I have no doubt that Declan’s already filled them all in on our recent activities. He’s always been a bit unhinged, but his particular brand of crazy comes from needing to make sure the ones he cares about know how to defend themselves.
