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“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Vanya, please listen to me. This man, this Andrei Smirnoff… he’s not the same one we came to know and love. He has changed. He’s more dangerous now than he has ever been. Yes, I believe he saved me, but if he’s still resolute to kill you—”
“He’s welcome to try.” Vanya pushed her mother aside. “I’m not going anywhere. If you’re staying, then so am I.”
“Isus Hristos! Why do I have to be the one blessed with such stubborn children?” Zafira muttered. “Please, just listen to me for once in your grown-up life! I will be fine. Believe me, if I didn’t think I was safe here with Andrei, I would’ve escaped long ago, but you have to leave. Now!”
“You heard me. I’m not leaving.”
“Perhaps you should listen toComare,malen’kaya printsessa.”
“I’m not your fucking little princess.” Vanya spun around at the sound of Andrei’s voice.
He wasn’t surprised to see the K-bar at the ready in her left hand. The fiery response was exactly what he had expected. In fact, he preferred to deal dealt with the hellion in her.
“This is a new low for you, Balan.”
“Again, the subconscious need to provoke me, Ms. Guzun, is a symptom of a disordered mind wanting any kind of contact. Your mother warned you about that name.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How long have you been lurking in the door listening?”
“Long enough for an enemy to have smoked you several times. It’s the same old shit with you, Vanya. So argumentative and so dangerously consumed by what’s in front of you that you leave your six open. Fatal mistake.”
“Andrei, Vanya was just leaving. She’s—”
“No, I’m not,” Vanya cut Zafira short as she shot a sideways glance at her. “I told you. I’m not leaving without you.”
“Darling, please. Andrei…” Zafira looked at him beseechingly, as if she was begging for his understanding. “He’s not the—”
“Da, I got that. He’s not the same man, yada-yada-yada. I don’t give a fuck, Mother. I am not leaving you here with him. Besides…” She plunged the K-bar into a leather breast sheath, then planted her hands on her hips to glare at her tormentor. “If the fearsome Pakhan of the Red Bratva truly wanted me dead, I would’ve been lying in a puddle of my own blood long ago.” She cocked her head sideways. “Isn’t that right, Mr.Smirnoff?” she sneered. “You’ve had several opportunities. There was Club Extaz, then when I arrived by boat early this morning and just now, with my six open.”
“What are you talking about, Vanya?” Zafira looked between the two antagonists, ready to close quarters.
“Oh, he knew I was here, Mom, which is why he returned early from his run. He just wanted to give me enough time to get inside, so he could have the advantage.”
Her sudden movement caught him unaware. As if out of thin air, she brought the 9mm Makarov to bear, aiming it at his head for a one-shot kill.
“How’s that for a bit of magic, asshole?” Vanya backed up just out of his reach and slowly exhaled. “I cannot describe to you, in words, what I’m feeling right at this very moment. I am right on the fuckin’ edge, and all out of fucks, you cocksucker. What’s left of my patience is less than the width of one blond cunt hair.” Wearing a malevolent grin, Vanya gripped the instinctive activation guard of the laser sight on the semi-automatic and menaced the bony depression between his eyes with a crimson dot. “That, combined with a two-pound trigger pull on this bitch and I will blow your shit into the next room. So… Go ahead. Just flinch. I promise you won’t feel a thing.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare,” he mocked as he lifted his hands in pretend submission.
“Andrei? How did you know she was here?” Zafira interjected.
“It seems your daughter isn’t thinking rationally,Comare. My guess is that her mind is still clouded by the withdrawal symptoms she suffered while in rehab. One is dangerously vulnerable at this point. Any pre-existing, unresolved emotional issues tossed back into the volatile mix can be easily triggered. Whatever the real reason might be, I see before me someone who’s unraveling by the minute.”
“You got that right, motherfucker!” Vanya exploded. “I warned you to shut the fuck up! You didn’t listen!” Andrei watched as she slid an index finger inside the trigger guard.
“Easy does it,printsessa,” he said with a grimace. It had always invigorated him to verbally spar with her but this time, she reacted more violently than usual. His voice lowered into a calm, dulcet tone. “Had you done a proper investigation, you would’ve known that in a luxurious estate such as this, fishing in a seventeen-foot skiff on the lake isn’t allowed. In fact, any type of fishing in the lakes here is strictly limited to weekends.”
“That fucking prick lied to me!” Vanya seethed with anger. She had been conned.
“And who’s fault is that? It’s not mine. Hmm, never thought I’d see the day,” Andrei murmured.
“You’re not getting it yet, asshole. I’ve had enough of your condescending, patriarchal bullshit to last me a lifetime! Now, I’m going to be free of it. I want to remember this moment as being our last intimate act.” With that, she lunged at Andrei, pinning him against the wall. The barrel of the cocked Makarov rested under his chin.
“I hate you,” she sneered in his face.
“C’mon, Vanya. You got conned by a swindler looking to make a quick buck. So classic and something you would never have fallen for had you been yourself.” Not wishing to aggravate her further, he slouched heavier against the door, not offering any resistance. “Anger and seeking revenge has a way of being counter-productive, doesn’t it? Something I thought you would’ve learned after all the years by your brother’s side.”
