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There was a small pause before Kat’s voice came through once again. “Yes, I’m in a big grey building. There’s a table and games.”
It really was her. Relieved, I closed my eyes for a moment and released a deep breath.
The tight grip around my arm snapped my eyes back open, and dad yanked me toward the door. Even if he hadn’t been lying, it was still a trap.
Instinctively, I struggled against him and slipped the gun from my back. He jerked me forward, but I slammed the gun against his head, and he recoiled immediately.
“NOW!” He shouted, backing away with a hand against his bleeding head. A wild look filled his eyes as he moved out of the way.
Already backing away, I was sure to keep my eyes on the open door, and a swarm of men poured out, all armed with guns bigger than my own.
Before I could get away, I was surrounded, left wide-eyed and not knowing what to do. The gun trembled in my hands.
But two men collapsed at once, clutching at the bullet wounds in their chests. More shots rang out, capturing my attention to the rooftops above.
While there was an army in front, there was an even bigger one behind me and above as well. The Morozov men. My new family.
A few more well-aimed shots brought a couple other men down, taking out my father’s defenses. Before I could celebrate, a hand grabbed me and pulled me out of the action. From my struggle, I watched as dad scurried back inside the warehouse.
I fought against the man carrying me away, squirming and yanking against him to try and get my chance. To make my shot. “Let go of me!” I screamed, trying to punch and kick my way to freedom.
“Stop fighting me,” he grunted, arm tight around my waist. “We’ve been ordered not to shoot you.”
Out of the line of fire and stuck with the goon, I was able to get a good look as the Morozov men moved in, pushing the others back. I grumbled under my breath, having missed my opportunity as they withdrew.
I didn’t get to take a shot at my father’s head as I planned.
“Mila!”
It was Nikolai.
Eager to see him, I shoved the goon off me, and only then he released me before retreating around the building, likely scrambling to get away from the fallout. If anything, he wanted to walk away with his life.
“Nikolai!” I shouted back, watching as the guards moved through the building.
At last, Nikolai shoved through the crowd and pushed out of the warehouse. He glanced around frantically, only able to breathe the moment he found me.
Even as he pulled me near him, Nikolai looked like he was about to explode with anger, red-faced and tense.
“Kat isn’t here.”
The words felt like a knife to the chest, but it was as we expected. Shaking my head, I tried to come up with something to convince myself not all was lost. But the agony only worsened inside my chest.
A guard kicked one of the downed men that had worked alongside my father, and the man’s arm slid down to the ground as he rolled onto his back. The guard grunted and looked at Nikolai. “A Balakin.”
Nikolai grounded his teeth together, already seething.
While I didn’t know much about them, I knew enough for my heart to ache with fear. Panic clutched me, and I swallowed hard. I never wanted my daughter to be caught in the middle of a bratva war.
“Kat said she was in a big building on the walkie-talkie. It’s grey. That’s all I know,” I said, quick to inform them. “It sounded a lot like this one.”
Before Nikolai could say anything, Aleksei walked out of the warehouse with his gun down at his side. He wiped his mouth. “Grigory must’ve gotten out from the back and fled. The Balakins have several warehouses throughout the city, identical to this one.”
“What about the walkie? Wouldn’t she need to be in range for it to work?” Nikolai asked, brows furrowed.
“If the walkie was long-range, it could have transmitted over miles. It isn’t much to work from, but we’ll get down to the bottom of it.”
Unable to hold it back any longer, I moved away from Nikolai’s comfort, clutching a hand over my mouth as a sob broke free. The dormant panic had been simmering all that time, and I couldn’t keep it in.
