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King stops at the back of the building in front of a cellar door, he bends and lifts it open before heading down. Vin motions for the rest of us to follow, I trail after Knight and make sure to take care as I descend the stairs. It’s dark as shit and it’s only when we reach the bottom that a light flickers on. I look around the confined space surprised as hell. They have stretchers set up for their makeshift beds, a shelf in the corner which houses canned food and a couple desks in the corner with computers. They have been living like this for weeks and I had no fucking idea. This has to be hard for Bishop. He’s the head of the mafia in New York and yet here he is living like a common homeless man.
“You thought your hostel was bad, huh?” King’s attempt at humor doesn’t hit its mark, all I feel is guilt for them living like this. I turn to Bishop surprised to see his gaze is already on me. I open my mouth but he beats me to it.
“Don’t fucking look at me like that, I do whatever I have to ensure my family remains safe and on top.” He doesn’t wait for a response as he brushes past me to head through a doorway I didn’t notice earlier. I’m shaken from my stupor when Vin claps a hand on my shoulder. I can see from the hard set of his eyes that he is pissed with himself for missing the kill shot. Vin never misses and technically he didn’t, he still saved Anya.
* * *
Three days later…
This fucking cellar is too small for the five of us!
There is nowhere to hide or even get a minute to yourself, I am going to wind up hitting one of them soon. Bishop barks orders like there is no tomorrow. King paces every square inch of this place. Knight grunts and types continuously on the computer next to Vin who fucking whistles nonstop! I grip my hair and tug on the strands. Being around them all the time back home was fine because we had enough space in the house to escape each other, or I could just go back to my place above the gym!
“Find a fucking way in, this shit needs to be polished, Knight,” Bishop barks. He is a tyrant and hates the fact he has to rely on his kid brother to do it for him. Bishop needs control, thrives on it even, when he doesn’t have it he acts like he is now, being a dick.
“You want to swap seats and hack the fucking Russian governments files?” Knight snaps, clearly fed up with Bishop and all his demands. Can’t blame him. “It’s not going to take five fucking minutes, asshole. You breathing down my neck doesn’t fucking help!”
“The quicker you find a way in, the quicker we use it against them and get the fuck out of here!” Bishop’s words seem to strike something in Knight, his eyes narrow and his upper lip twitches.
“I’m the one missing out on seeing my fucking kids growing inside my girl so don’t fucking stand there and tell me how fast to move.” Knight’s anger can be seen in his face and the way his body is poised and ready to fight. For a moment I forgot all about Koby being pregnant. This whole situation must be fucking hard for him, on top of everything else he was just able to finalize Koby’s divorce to Vlad yesterday. He should be ecstatic but he isn’t as he can’t even call her to tell her the good news.
“Everyone needs to take a break,” I cut in, trying to defuse the situation before these two start throwing hands. The last thing we need in this small as fuck space is Bishop and Knight fighting. Four sets of eyes turn to me, each of them stares at me like I have lost my freaking mind. I throw my hands up and push on. “We need a way in, yes, but we also need to think better about this.”
“How so?” Vin asks. I run a hand through my hair as I answer them.
“You have been watching the video feeds for three days. Anya hasn’t returned to any of Vlad’s clubs, hotels, houses or even her own dump of an apartment.” Bishop and King eye me skeptically, before they can butt in I carry on. “Anya Volkov is our way in.” Bishop’s eyes crinkle at the corners, his eyes blazing with mistrust. He has been on edge and questioning everything since seeing Mav in the ring with Anya. Bishop trusted him and if the fucker did survive, he is going to wish he didn’t when Bish gets his hands on him.
“And why would you think that?” B grits out.
“Because the girl hates her father. In my time with them I picked up on the fact she controls his assets. If you want information about bringing Vlad and Ivan down, Anya is the way to do it.”
King scoffs as he says, “Let me guess, you can get her onside?”
I nod. “Damn fucking right I can. That girl wants me and I am going to use that against her to take down her whole fucking family.” I hate that a pang of guilt that hits me in the chest as I say that out loud. Truth is, Anya isn’t the only one who caught feelings in a short fucking time. I also have to come clean to my brothers and tell them that Anya knows where Rook is and that he is alive.
Anya
It’s been four days since the fight against Alek. I’m able to move easier now but the bruises that mar my body and face make it look worse than what it is. I know Vlad is going to be hunting for me, I don’t have my phone or anything on me. They were left behind when we fled. Krill, Vor and I have been holed up in a remote cabin up in the mountains as protocol dictates that if there is a hit on a high-ranking member, we are to retreat to one of the many safe houses and lay low until we are called back. Krill says Vlad and Ivan haven’t called once so that means they haven’t found Gage. I won’t lie, that knowledge has me breathing easier.
I don’t know how he is avoiding them in their own territory, but what that tells me is Gage isn’t in Russia alone, he has help with him. That thought has me feeling less tense knowing that he has people watching his back. I knew Gage wasn’t Russian from the first moment I saw him come in for intake. The fake accent was a dead giveaway. I put Vor and Alexi on and made them bunk in the hostel to keep an eye on him. Vlad has no idea I did that but he doesn’t pay attention to me anyway. The sound of Krill’s phone ringing snaps me from my thoughts. He answers on the second ring, grunts, then moves toward me in the small living room, holding the phone out.
I don’t miss the sad look he shoots me when I take the phone and place it against my ear. “Da,” I answer.
“You stupid fucking bitch!” I flinch at the angry voice, the fact he is speaking in English tells me he isn’t alone and doesn’t want whoever he is with him to understand what he is saying. “You fucking ruined everything. Your uncle is going to fucking flay you for this.” I cringe, I forgot for one blissful second that Alek is dead.
“I had nothing to do with that–” I try to defend but he cuts me off.
“You have started a war with the Americans that they can never win, you helped that suka (bitch).”
“I didn’t help anybody, I swear, Otets (father). I would never betray the family or the Bratva like that.” Vlad goes silent for a moment, giving me time to catch my breath and try to think of a way out of this. He thinks I am loyal to him because we share blood. I’m only loyal and stick around because I am terrified of what will happen to me if I left. I regret not running with Dimitri and Koby but I knew if I did, he wouldn’t stop hunting. With me here, I had a chance to distract him and keep him off her trail. The three of us didn’t pay the price though. Ivan had another son, Dante, he wasn’t like the others. He was good, kind, soft and loving. Vlad blamed Dante for Koby and Dimitri escaping. I tried to offer my life for his but Vlad wasn’t having that. The moment he pulled that trigger and killed my best friend, I knew I would do whatever I had to take him down.
“You draw this American out. You use whatever means you have, if it means he fucks your ruined cunt then you let him. I want his fucking head, Anya. Don’t return until you have done it. Fail me and your end will be worse than your cousins.”
Fear rushes through me but I manage to speak even if it sounds robotic to my own ears. “Da, Pahkan.”
* * *
Two days later….
