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The crew nods, already pulling out chemicals. I force myself to look at Dmitriy’s body until it’s carried out of sight and the cleaning begins. Bleach burns my nose.
I keep waiting for the satisfaction to appear. The triumph and sense of victory. Despite his lack of resources, Dmitriy was a threat. He knew our operations, our warehouse locations, our protocols. That’s dangerous information for an enemy to possess. The nature of this business requires constantly being on alert, but rarely to the level we’ve had to maintain lately. Loyal lives were lost.
It’s more bitter than sweet.
Dmitriy was technically family, which I can’t say for anyone else I’ve killed. But it’s more than that. Dmitriy was an inconvenience, true.
He was also keeping Leo and Lyla here.
I pull out my lighter and start flicking it. None of the men look up. They’re used to me doing this. Not to mention working under conditions worse than this. It doesn’t take long for them to finish.
“Make the call to thepolitsiyafrom a burner,” I instruct.
Then, I walk away.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
LYLA
It’s dark out by the time we roll through the gates that now look more safe than scary.
Viktor and Roman are in the front seats. Leo is curled up next to me. He seems remarkably calm. Relaxed even.
Maybe kids are hardier than we give them credit for.
I think of everything I tried to protect Leo from in Philadelphia.
Things like overdue bills and doing something special on Father’s Day seem silly in comparison to being kidnapped at gunpoint by a deranged mobster. My childhood wasn’t unicorns and rainbows, and I wanted Leo to know nothing but love and safety.
I feel like a failure for everything he’s been exposed to, but I also feel proud. He handled everything today better than most people would have, regardless of his age.
He’s half Nick and half me. He’s tough.
We stop in front of the house, and everyone climbs out of the warm car. I give Roman and Viktor tired smiles before walking inside.
“We’ll be down here if you need anything,” Viktor says.
I nod. I think he and Roman are waiting for me to fall apart, but I feel calm. I know I’m in some state of shocked disbelief. Not about the kidnapping or the fear for Leo’s safety though.
Ishotsomeone. And no matter what Nick says, it would have killed Dmitriy. I saw the way blood started pouring out of him like a cork popping out of a bottle. The bullet hit something vital.
The fact that I didn’t intend to kill him, didn’t aim to kill him, doesn’t matter. Iwouldhave, and I had no idea I was capable of that kind of violence. I saw my mother get slapped around by some of her boyfriends and always wondered how anyone could purposefully inflict pain on someone else that way. It’s disturbing to realize I have that capacity even if I can use drastic circumstances as an excuse.
What also terrifies me is that Leo was gone. I had no idea what Dmitriy planned to do with me. Based on the story Nick shared, I hoped Dmitriy wouldn’t rape me. There was a good chance he would kill me.
But I didn’t pull that trigger because I was scared of what might happen to me.
I pulled it because I knew he was planning to kill Nick.
When we enter the house, there’s more staff around than usual. At this hour, they’re usually gone for the night. I assume it means they know what happened.
“Are you hungry?” I ask Leo as we walk deeper into the house.
He shakes his head. “No. I’m just tired.”
“Okay.”
We head upstairs. It’s strange, being back somewhere familiar. Like waking up from a nightmare to realize it was all in your imagination and you’re actually in your own room. It’s unsettling, realizing this looks familiar. Looks like home.
