I scoop her up into my arms and carry her past the rows of empty seats.
Carina blinks a couple of times when I jostle her, descending the stairs, but her eyes drift shut again once we’re on solid ground.
“Did you drug her, boss?” Viktor calls.
I ignore him, loading Carina into the back seat of one of the waiting SUVs and slamming the door shut. “Gurin, with me.”
Misha nods, climbing into the passenger side while I get behind the wheel. He’s the most experienced—and discreet—man here. I’m not in the mood to talk, but I might need the backup. It’s common knowledge we use this airport, and the attempted attack on Aleksandr wasn’t that long ago.
I race along the dark roads as fast as I dare, periodically checking on the headlights directly behind us.
Twenty minutes into the trip, Carina wakes up. “Lev?” she questions sleepily.
Misha glances at me. My guess is, he’s confused by the lack of fear in Carina’s voice. She was just abducted from her family and sounds unconcerned.
“We’re almost there.” I watch her sit up and yawn in the rearview mirror. “Put on your fucking seat belt,” I add before pressing harder on the accelerator.
The headlights behind us disappear.
“Anything you want to tell me?” Misha says quietly.
“It’s better if you don’t know,” I tell him, glancing in the rearview mirror again. Still dark.
“How bad?”
“You shouldn’t stick around.”
“I will. If you need backup.”
My grip tightens on the steering wheel. I dismissed most of what Maksim said earlier … maybe too much. I’ve always followed orders, and men have always followed me. Tonight is the first time I tested if my orders would be obeyed separately from the usual chain of command.
Igor and Aleksandr will be as furious about that as my refusal to let Carina be used. It shows I have more power than I should.
That will cause all sorts of issues in the future. But tonight, it might be the only reason I make it through this.
“I don’t,” I answer Misha. “Thank you.”
He nods, and we settle into silence for the rest of the drive.
I enter through a back gate, the one closest to the garage and the kennel, waved through as soon as the guard on duty sees my face. Carina says nothing as the main house comes into view, and I try to see Serebryanovo through the eyes of someone whohas never been here before. The huge house is beautiful. And desolate.
I park as close as I can and climb out. Misha does the same.
I reach into my pocket and pull out the drive. “Find out what’s on this.”
He glances at it, then at me. Nods and takes it without asking any other questions. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Lev.”
I do too.
I watch Misha stride toward the garage, then open the rear door. “This way,” I tell Carina.
She scrambles out of the back seat, glancing up at the manor. We ascend the stairs together, passing two guards before we’re inside.
My name echoes a few seconds later, reflecting Igor’s access to the logs.
“Keep walking,” I tell Carina, ignoring my father.
She listens, continuing toward the stairs.
