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When she spoke, did she pretend I was Vasily?
Is she wrong?The voice in my head asks pointedly.
No …I admit.She is not.
Paige has been watching me from a distance, and nothing I’ve done can convince her that she’s safe.
Because Paige isn’t safe.
She’s not safe from me.
Chapter 49
Andrei
There hasn’t been much activity tonight as Dmitri and I stake out Talia’s house. I finish a bag of roasted almonds, and he tosses another empty water bottle into the back. The enemy Bratvas are broken in spirit and lost without their dynamic leaders. And in a way, I feel what they are going through. The challenge is gone, as what we thought would never change will never be the same again.
Dmitri sits up and grabs the wheel of the SUV. “They’re on the move.”
Talia leaves her house through the garage, and Valeri loads suitcases into the back of a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. Talia assumes a low profile, ready to slip away in the night.
“Should we block the driveway?” asks Dmitri.
I watch her get into the passenger side. “No, we’ll follow them.”
“They’ll notice,” states Dmitri.
“I want them to notice.”
The Hyundai backs out of the long driveway and heads toward the Thruway. But instead of turning toward the city, the car heads north. We follow behind them at a safe distance, not to spook them, and soon, we’re the only two cars on the road at this time of night. We continue to drive through backwater towns without knowing where we are going.
My phone lights up with a message from Talia. “Are your men following me?”
I text back, “It’s me. I’m following you to keep you safe.”
There’s a long pause before the next message. “I am leaving.”
“I know,” I text her.
The car pulls off the road, and we continue to follow them until we arrive at a private airpark with two large hangars and one airstrip. Tiny two-seater planes are parked in a row under open sheds. The largest hangar is farther from the road. Their car stops at the gatehouse, and a security guard steps outside. Valeri motions toward the SUV and then drives through. For a second, the guard watches us with his hand on his hips and then motions for us to follow them.
“Are you certain this isn’t a trap?” Dmitri grips the wheel tight. “I wouldn’t trust her. And she shouldn’t trust you.”
I laugh, and it feels like forever since I’ve heard that sound. “Talia has her reasons for not breaking our truce.”
Dmitri scowls. “I’ll keep my gun in my pocket just in case.”
The Hyundai pulls up to the hangar, and the wide doors methodically open with a low hum. Two men in coveralls, with the airstrip insignia on their backs, exchange words with someone just out of view. The lights flick on, and the metal building glows brighter than before. One by one, the lights illuminate the airstrip like a torch racing into the darkness down the runway. I step out of the SUV slowly, cautiously taking in the sight before me in awe.
My past is about to end.
“Andrei Vasilyevich.” Valeri extends a hand toward me. The man looks tired, the careful grooming replaced with dark circles under his eyes and graying stubble covering his chin. He looks as if this transformation has hit him hard.
“Congratulations,” I reply, taking his hand. We shake quickly as a gesture more than out of warmth. We agree to do what Talia wants for one last time.
“Excuse me,” he mumbles. “They’re getting ready to take off.”
The private jet isn’t flashy. It looks a decade old, but you don’t buy flash when you want to be incognito and disappear. Talia moves away from the car, wrapped in a long wool coat and dark glasses concealing her face. She resembles a celebrity avoiding the paparazzi more than a pakhan on the run.
