Page 279 of Volik

His face scrunches with doubt.

“Have you ever seen photos of what happened at The Trials? Not the courtroom shit. The facilities. All the facilities?”

He lifts a shoulder. “I’ve seen the pictures of the places afterward.”

I give him a slow nod.

“They were just images of empty buildings. I never saw what happened.”

“That is what happened.” I jab my finger into the tabletop. “One moment, the facilities were full. Holding cells. Barracks. Doctors. Security. Brass. And the next moment…” I spread my hands. “Empty.”

“Where’d everyone go?”

“Nobody knows.” I point to the TV. “But he knows. Because he basically just admitted to being there.”

“What do you mean, nobody knows?”

“I mean, nobody fucking knows. Every captive was released. And everyone else disappeared. There were no bodies. No one ever resurfaced alive. And when we checked with other governments, it was the same all over the world. Same time. Same results.” I glance at the TV. Then turn away when I see the replay of two dozen wolves leaping out of thin air. “I don’t know what you have to do to make that look like a disagreement. And I don’t wanna know.”

“But…” My guy looks back and forth between me and the TV. “There has to be something we can do.”

“Yeah.” I tug on the knot of my tie. “We pray the other Vadas brother is dead. That’s what we fucking do.”

Chapter 129

Nix

“Can I take my blindfold off?”

“Nyet. Wait.” Volik grips my shoulders and turns me a little to the left.

All weekend, he hasn’t let me out of the house because he was working on a surprise.

And I haven’t the faintest clue…

“Okay. You can look.”

I reach up and pull the scarf off my eyes. “What are…”

Volik steps to the side.

And my smile freezes on my face.

In the middle of the yard, in front of the house, is a pool.

A round, above-ground, metal-framed, four-foot-deep pool.

Pressure surrounds my heart, and I realize Volik is keeping my pulse from jumping.

I look up at him.

“I am sorry.” His expression is stricken. “I thought we could learn… It is stupid.”

“Shut up,” I whisper.

Then I launch myself at him.

My gravito helps me jump up. And even with his confusion, Volik catches me.