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“I’ll stay out of your way and do whatever you say. Just let me be there. I need to be there for Kat.”
Meeting Mila’s gaze then, I recognized a familiar conviction in her eyes. It reminded me of myself and my own stubbornness.
She was brave—far braver than I ever would’ve thought. Even when we had more than enough manpower for anyone to run in there and grab Kat, not needing to endanger herself, Mila was still prepared to run in the middle of gunfire to rescue our daughter.
She really did belong in this family.
Sighing, I flipped the signal on before finding a driveway to turn around in. “Fine. I’m not one to take another’s act of vengeance, and that continues today. Just be prepared for anything.”
“I am,” she said, face set like a true mobster.
“Embarking on two invasions in one day,” I chided, turning the wheel, and gliding onto the main road. “I’m proud of you.”
While Mila had her sights set ahead, focused on the task, I noticed the small flicker of a smile on her face. I pressed my foot into the gas and continued, ready to finish it once and for all.
Kat had been right about it being a gray building, but it was a different kind.
Rather than a warehouse, it was a modern house, deeper into the outskirts. It was strangely luxurious for what we thought was a hideout until Aleksei caught wind of it being Alphonse’s house.
The place was already surrounded by the time we arrived, weapons drawn and poised. Our men wore their Kevlar vests, ready for anything. Ivan approached us and handed me a vest as well.
“We managed to corner the head here, thanks to Lukin. The snake led us right to him. Every exit in this place is now secured, but since this concerns your family, I’ll let you take the lead on this one,” Ivan informed me, understanding. “Alphonse, Grigory, and Kat have been located already. If you want, we can send Aleksei in to get her. The others can take care of Alphonse since he and Grigory had conspired to take us down eventually. The ball is in your court.”
Lukin had been working close enough with Alphonse to go running back to his house. It was a bad move on Grigory’s part, but it gave us the perfect opportunity to nip our war with the Balakins in the bud.
“No,” I returned easily, jaw set. I secured the vest around my midsection. “Mila and I will take care of Grigory and get Kat. We’ll take a few men with us for backup, but the others can handle the head. He doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Nodding, Ivan gave his orders, and with a few men behind us, Mila and I made our way into the house. With our pistols drawn, we moved up the front steps and inside, finding ourselves in a hallway.
One of our men situated in the building motioned toward what looked like cellar stairs. “Lukin is down there. The girl is too.”
“We’ve got it,” I murmured, aware of Mila behind me, holding her gun in preparation. Motioning for her to follow, she did exactly that without question.
Shoving through the door, we hammered down the steps and entered the cellar. It was bigger than I anticipated, but it didn’t take long for us to find Grigory tucked away in the corner, head hidden behind his arms.
“No!” he shouted, trying to push further into the wall as if planning to fuse with it. He sniveled like a coward, trembling all the while. “Please, spare me! It was the Balakin head—he tricked me into luring you out with the child. I only wanted peace, I—”
“Shut up,” I snapped, aiming the gun in his direction, arm strained. “You’ve done enough.”
“Please don’t kill me, I’m begging you!” Grigory cried, lifting his head just enough to peer at us through the crook in his arm. His eyes widened the moment he noticed Mila tucked behind me, gun in her hand. “Mila, my daughter.”
“I’m not your daughter,” Mila bit back coolly, tone like ice. “Not anymore.”
Grigory shuffled from his place, crawling on his knees closer to us. His hands were pressed together, pleading. His face was splotched from fear and the tears that ran down his cheeks. “Don’t say that Mila. Please, my girl, don’t let it end like this. If you let me live, I promise I’ll get as far away from here as I can. I won’t say a word to you ever again. I’ll change—I will! Anyone can change if you give them the chance.”
“But not you,” Mila returned, face blank. “You were the first evil I ever met in my life, and that will never go away. You’ve brought me only pain and suffering, and I will never forgive you for that.”
Grigory blinked back at her, surely surprised by her resolve. He spoke gently as if it would help soften Mila. “But I brought you two together. If it weren’t for me, you never would have known about the marriage pact.”
Mila stepped into place with me, stare set on her pathetic father. The only hint of emotion in Mila’s eyes was the fury that cloaked them, enraged as she took him in. “You say it like you did me a favor. You killed my aunt. You manipulated me time and time again. You threatened to end my baby. All of this is for your own benefit. You are a sad excuse of a man, and you will die like one.”
“No!” Grigory shouted again, trying to grapple for anything to save his skin. He rambled incoherently, on his knees.
“Where is my daughter?” Mila asked, face stitched with ire.
Grigory gestured to a nearby room where the door remained shut. “She’s safe, I swear!”
Mila exchanged a look with me, and I nodded. It was time. She cocked her gun and aimed.
