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What the actual fuck? The performance didn’t end that long ago. How could this whole place be empty?
I run, rounding a curve in the corridor. My slippers skid on the slick surface. I pass the polished cherry wood walls, the large photographs of past performers a blur as I careen around another empty corner.
Tossing another look backward, I choke on a raspy breath.
There’s no sign of the man.
No sign of—
“Ow!” I jerk my head around, too late to avoid the crash into Hadeon.
He grabs me by the shoulders, steadying me.
“Where the hell have you been?” I slap his hands away as I scream at him. “Some guy came for me. He had a knife. He knew my real name.”
He nods, his eyebrows knitted together, jaw set tight. “I know. That’s why we need to get out of here. Now.”
* * *
I punchthe code into the security keypad at the house we rented for the week here in Miami about half an hour later. The alarm bleeps and I push open the door and kick off my slippers.
“Daniela,” I call out. My brothers follow me inside, both on their phones trying to track down Bohdan. I rush for the stairs, practically tripping over my feet to get to the second level.
My chest tightens, my breath lodged in my chest until I push open one of the bedroom doors. Uncle Isai has Daniela in his lap in the corner rocking chair. I fall to my knees in front of him and take her into my arms, hugging her warm body tight against me. Her cotton onesie is worn and soft to the touch. She wraps her arms around my neck, mumbling sleepily.
I bury my face in her soft blonde curls, breathing in the scent of strawberry and citrus. “Baby girl, I was so worried about you. Mama is here. You’re safe now.”
Uncle Isai stares at me and his eyes lance my skin like tiny razor blades. “Your brothers knew this would happen. It’s been two-and-a-half years, and they’re still not finished with our family. How much longer can we wait to retaliate?”
“You heard what Hadeon said when he called you on our way back here.” I rise to my feet, stroking Daniela’s back as her breathing deepens. “You don’t know for sure that it’s the Malikov family who’s watching us. It’s been so long. Why are you being so paranoid? What could they possibly want with us now?”
“Don’t be naïve,pleminnycja.” I bristle at Uncle Isai’s irritatingly condescending tone. “The Brotherhood 7 put a hit on your father because they didn’t get what they wanted from him. They know we’ve built ourselves back up, and now they want to tear us down again, to make us weak. To humiliate us in front of the rest of the world.”
I roll my eyes. “That sounds really dramatic.”
Petro leans against the doorway and addresses my uncle. “We’ve already talked about this,stryj. If we go after the Malikov family, we open ourselves up to attacks by their allies in the Red Ladro syndicate. And our rivals in the Kovalenko clan back home will smell our blood and sink their teeth into whatever’s left. It’s too risky. Forget it. We’ve moved on.”
My eyes flicker over to Hadeon. His eyes narrow, lips pulled tight, quivering the slightest bit like he has something to say but doesn’t. A chill slips down my back. He doesn’t usually hold back his thoughts, especially when he feels like his family is being threatened.
Uncle Isai shakes his head, muttering to himself. He’s been humming in my brothers’ ears for months to retaliate against the Malikov family. The timing would be perfect because they’d never expect it. He claims it’s an act to save face with the rest of the underworld, to show everyone that nobody can break us.
But he’s full of crap. Power and control are his two great loves. He hated playing second fiddle to my dad when he was alive. And now what he hates more is that my brothers are cockblocking his attempt to unite with those loves.
He wants to take all the credit for crushing the Malikov empire so he can grab the pieces and create his own because he’s got a “Masters of the Universe” complex.
“Enough with this talk of retaliation. We need to find Bohdan. He disappeared from the concert hall. That’s the only reason why that guy got close to me.”
Uncle Isai snorts. “That was a warning, Rysa. And even if you find Bohdan, he won’t be enough to stop the Malikovs next time. I’m telling you that the only way to protect yourselves is to attack first. Make them scramble.”
Petro clenches his jaw, his frustrated gaze locked on mine. “I’m going to station a group of guys around the house. Hadeon, Isai, and I will find Bohdan. You’ll be safe in here with Daniela. Nobody has the security code except us. Stay up here with the baby. We won’t be gone long.” He pulls a gun from the waistband of his pants and hands it to me.
I take it, still cuddling Daniela. My beautiful, innocent baby girl. I love her more than my life, but my God, I hate so much that she was born into this life of horror, danger, and malice. “Are you sure leaving the guys will be enough?”
Petro nods. “We’re not a target anymore now that Tato is gone. Having the guys here is more of a precaution than anything else. You’ll be safe here.”
I nibble on my thumbnail before answering. He’s right. Without Tato, we don’t have anything left to take. “Okay. Be careful.”
“Holy shit,” Hadeon suddenly blurts, his eyes on his phone. He holds it out to me.
