I’d have her fired for annoying me—I can pull strings like that in this city—but I know she’s just doing her job and trying to take care of my wife. So I relent, stepping aside as they continue their assessment and apply a splint to her ankle.
“We’re going to get you to the hospital, Mrs. Andriani,” the paramedic says. “You need a thorough examination after being so close to the explosion.”
“But my brothers,” she protests. “Has anyone seen them?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know,” the paramedic says.
I glance in the direction of the smoking heap that was Silk. It doesn’t look good for either of them, but I don’t want her to focus on that now.
“I’ll find out for you,” I promise her, taking her hand in mine and bringing it to my lips. “I promise. For now, we need to take care of you first.”
She nods, then sighs. “This is all my fault. I fell on the steps, and it took us too long to get out. If I hadn’t…”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell her sharply.
The truth is, it’s my fault.
My family’s fault. I almost lost Katya because we wanted to bomb the Bratva as a show of strength.
But I can’t admit that in front of all these fucking witnesses.
So I kiss her hand again. “I’m going to be right by your side,cara mia, and I’ll do everything I can for your brothers.”
“Svetlana,” she murmurs. “We have to find her too. Misha…” Her eyes dart around, and I know she’s seeing what I see, understanding she can’t talk freely.
I’m also pretty damn sure I know what she’s going to tell me. Her brother was holding her stepmother against her will. And right now, she’s out there somewhere.
“We’ll find her too,” I promise.
I just hope like fuck that it’s a promise I can keep.
Katya
My ankle is throbbing,and my lungs burn from inhaling so much smoke after the explosion. And while I’m thankful to be alive and to know Dmitri and Svetlana are okay, there’s a weight deep inside me that I suspect won’t be lifted any time soon.
“You’re sure?” I ask Dmitri from where I’m reclining in the living room at Enzo’s orders, both my legs propped up.
My brother is bruised but otherwise shows no sign of having narrowly survived the explosion that took Misha’s life.
Dmitri nods, somber. “I’m sure, Katya. There’s no way he made it. He went back in less than a minute before the whole place went up.”
In the aftermath of the detonation, everything was complete mayhem for a while. I ended up at the hospital with Enzo by my side, where I received a thorough screening from the staff. By the time I was deemed free to go with my new accessory—an air cast on my ankle—Dmitri had already contacted Enzo with the good news that he’d escaped the blast.
Authorities attempted to interview me about what I knew, but Enzo referred them to our lawyers. For the first time, I found myself grateful for all the power and money at the Andriani family’s disposal.
And that gratitude is continuing now as my phone lights up with a FaceTime call from Svetlana. It turns out, Misha had her being guarded at her own house. Within hours, Dmitri had theguards removed, and now, a car is bringing her to me in the city. She’s going to stay in the guest room for a while, at least until the dust settles.
I answer. “Hey, Mama.”
Her face is worried and too close to the screen like always, but she looks like she’s in perfect health. “How are you,lisichka? Dmitri told me you hurt yourself.”
“I’m fine,” I reassure her. “It’s just a sprain. My bad ankle. I’ve got an air cast, and it’ll be healed up in no time. But tell me, how are you?”
“Better now that I’m no longer a prisoner in my own home.” Her smile is sad. “But I do wish it didn’t have to end this way, with Misha…”
She doesn’t finish her words, but she doesn’t need to.
A fresh rush of tears burns the backs of my eyes, and I desperately hold them at bay. “I know. Me too.”
