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“Why?” Violetta says with a sneer. “Why him?”
Because he’s the only one in the world who has ever shown me an ounce of kindness,I want to tell her. But I don’t. I’m pretty sure Violetta doesn’t even understand the word.
In a world that’s cold and bleak, Pyotr is my safe haven. His endless patience, his sweet smiles… I’d choose him over the family who never wanted me every day of the week. He may not love me, butIlove him, and that’s why I’d rather die trying than sit back and watch my mother go after him and his family. Love is selfless, unconditional. I’ll do everything in my power to protect him.
I keep my arm locked around Violetta’s throat until I manage to get behind the wheel. The second I’ve got the keys shoved into the ignition and the engine roaring to life, I shove Violetta away. She falls to the ground, smacking her head on the pavement. I don’t even feel bad about it.
I stomp my foot onto the gas pedal, tires screeching behind me as I make a break for it. This time, I’m prepared for the ensuing chaos. They managed to stop me from getting away at the airport, but now I’m armed, too.
Bullets fly. They shoot at me, but I return fire. Violetta’s guards have no choice but to scramble for cover, giving me ample opportunity to peel out of there and leave them in my dust.
Chapter 32
Pyotr
Iprobably look like hell.
I haven’t slept in three weeks. It’s impossible. Every waking moment, I’m plagued with worry. And when I try to get some shut eye, I’m rewarded with endless nightmares. Alina is out there somewhere, but I don’t know whether she’s dead or alive. Shortly after I’d located her phone signal, it had gone dead. Likely, her mother discovered it and had it destroyed. I’m not a praying man, but I find myself praying for Violetta to show her daughter mercy. I know what that woman is capable of, and that’s exactly why I’m afraid for Alina’s life.
“Another one of our warehouses was hit last night,” Mikhail informs us as he walks into the room. We’re gathered at his place. The kids are upstairs, fast asleep and none the wiser of the turmoil our family’s been going through for the past few weeks.
“How many did we lose?” Dimitri asks severely. There’s a hard edge to his tone which tells me the stress is getting to him. My twin is normally much better at letting things slide right off this back.
“All of them,” Mikhail says gravely.
I’m more than aware of the gravity of the situation. I stand at the back of the room, arms folded across my chest as I listen to the bad news rolling in. Our Bratva is losing territory and manpower faster than we can blink. The Salkovs have been hitting us hard and fast, working so efficiently we haven’t been able to retaliate.
I can’t help but feel guilty.
None of this would be happening if I hadn’t left Alina alone. I should never have gone to the wedding. If I’d been there to protect her… Alina was the only thing standing in the way of the Salkovs making their move, and now that Violetta has Alina in her grasp, there’s nothing to keep that madwoman from going after us.
“I want us to remove our remaining men to protect the last bit of our territory,” Mikhail says. “If we lose our remaining businesses, we’ll lose our foothold in Moscow for good.”
“Remaining men,” Dimitri echoes, sounding almost incredulous. “Mikhail, wehaveno remaining men.”
“What of our allies?”
“They want nothing to do with this conflict.”
“Those fucking bastardsoweus.”
“I’ll make a few calls and see what I can do, but it’s starting to look hopeless. We had a good run. Maybe we should cut our losses and get our families the hell out of here before it’s too late.”
Mikhail sneers. “Don’t let me hear you say that again, Dima.”
“I’m trying to be pragmatic here, that’s all.”
They bicker back and forth. I’m with Dimitri on this. It really is starting to look helpless, but defeat isn’t a concept we Antonovs understand. We’ve worked too hard for too long to see our efforts dashed, but if I’m being frank, there’s something far more pressing on my mind.
“I’m going out to look for her,” I announce. “This is your business, not mine.”
Mikhail gives me a hard look. “It’sfamilybusiness. You’re as involved as any of us.”
I shake my head. “No. I never agreed to be a part of the Bratva. You chose to return to this life and I’m not going to judge you for it. But it’s not whatIwant. I need to find Alina. That’s the only reason I’m even here.”
Dimitri regards me with much more obvious sympathy. “I know you’re worried about her, but now is not a good time for an Antonov to be wandering around in the streets. Violetta Salkov has amassed an army—”
“All while under your nose,” I snap. I don’t mean to, but my nerves are fried. The longer I sit around doing nothing, the more anxious I become. “How could you have let her get the upper hand?”
