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If I can’t have love, then I’ll take respect.
I head upstairs to the second floor. I don’t see Viktor, but sometimes he sits in Emma’s room. I wonder if that’s wise, but she’s had enough of my challenges for today. There are no other guards on the doors, but my father must be on this floor. I check each door and find empty bedrooms until I reach the door at the end of the hall.
Inside is my father. And Andrei. He sits beside my father’s reclining bed, reading his phone. He looks up as I slowly approach my father’s bedside. It’s been a week, but Dad has changed. I thought with the treatment, he would look stronger, but he’s so frail underneath the covers. Drool comes down the corner of his mouth, and I take a tissue and wipe it away.
Andrei stands beside me, and my breathing picks up.
He kidnapped me, but I would be devastated if Andrei made me leave. My father’s eyes slowly open, but when he sees me standing beside my husband, he snaps them shut again and turns his head away.
Quickly, I walk out of the room, not sure where to go. Andrei’s heavy footsteps follow me as I head downstairs. I step into his office, leaving the door open. He walks up to me and places his hand on my cheek, but I move away.
I stand tall. “You have to do something for me to get back into my good graces.”
He smirks. “Of course.”
I know what he thinks—that I want a dress or a piece of jewelry.
My mind is on the terrible things I saw in that basement. And if what Dad told me in the hospital—about the money and about Mom—is true, then there’s something else that Andrei can give me.
Justice, vengeance, and blood.
“The killer wasn’t the only one who hurt my mother.” I recall the last conversation I had in the hospital. “Others in the past have also hurt her. Raped her. I’m certain of it. I want you to find them.”
His look turns stony as he stares into my eyes. “I can.”
“Good.” I close my eyes. “I believe they will lead the way to my mother’s murderer. But I want them killed, one by one, until you find the final culprit. One of them is bound to snitch to save his own neck.”
Chapter 12
Andrei
It’s a shockingly perfect plan to find a killer. Even Dmitri is impressed with Paige’s newfound cruelty. Deep in thought, I sit at my desk, toying with a pen, spinning it in circles on the sleek surface while he rattles off possible names, all members of the Karamazov Bratva.
“They will snitch on the murderer to save their necks.” Dmitri nods his approval. “She thought this up on her own?”
“Yes, she did.” I concentrate on the pen, spinning in circles.
“I have to admit that I underestimated your wife, but…”
I look up. “But what?”
He crosses his legs and leans back on the couch. “We have other issues that need to be addressed, Andrei.”
I slip the pen into my pocket. “The fallout in the Poconos?”
“Yes. Talia was safe and as sound as can be expected. Only two of her men were killed. The other Bratvas feel you were justified since Talia brought your wife against her will into neutral territory. I made it clear that Talia had not contacted you to make an exchange or pay a ransom. She forced your hand.”
“Good.” My mind refuses to dwell on what Paige must’ve gone through. I can’t allow it to conjure up dark thoughts, or I will do something rash, foolish, and possibly, deadly.
“It only worked because of your past history with her,” Dmitri continues. “If it had been anyone else, there would be a price on your head. You committed asin, Andrei Vasilyevich.”
I lift my tone and try to sound optimistic. “Then let’s count our few blessings and move on. Avenging Paige’s mother gives us an excuse to go after Igor Karamazov’s men. Kill two birds with one stone. Put a hit out now. Start low and then move up the ranks.”
Dimitri opens his mouth to say something, and I pin him with a sharp look. I’m in no mood for his jokes today.
The other Bratvas have been sympathetic toward me since they learned the circumstances. But the facts have been altered slightly to make it seem that Paige was tricked into going with Talia. I don’t want her to be a target again. I don’t want the Karamazov Bratva to know my wife was easy to snatch off the streets.
“Andrei Vasilyevich, avenging your wife is important, but there are other objectives that are equally important.”
