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“You know she’s a prideful woman.”
“So is Andrei.”
“She’ll forgive you, Bogdan, but it won’t be easy. If you truly want her, you’ll have to fight for her. I know you love her. Maybe it’s time you told her that.”
“Maybe you should follow your own advice.” Bogdan offered her one of his rare smiles. “Yes, missy, you still love him. You always have, and you always will.”
“As will you, my mother.”
“How about a pact?” Bogdan said after long moments of watching her silently.
“I’m listening.” Vanya sat up, her heart beating rapidly. She had been wallowing in self-pity for six months, ever since Andrei went back to Russia after saving her from Maranzano… and promptly forgot about her.
A nudge from someone who believed in the love she and Andrei used to share was just what she needed.
“You go get your man, and I go get my woman. The first one to say I do wins a brand new speedboat.”
“Throw in a set of hunting knives and we have a deal.”
“Done.”
A week later… The luxurious estate of Andrei Smirnoff, Chiverevo, Moscow Oblast, Russia…
Although tired after a long day strategizing with the Red Bratva council, Andrei Smirnoff was as alert as always. The vellus hair at the back of his neck stood on end the moment he stepped through the heavy oak front door into the cavernous entrance hall. A sense of unease washed over him as his instincts screamed that someone was here who did not belong, an intruder lurking within these walls.
He paused and listened intently for any sound betraying the interloper's location. Only silence greeted him, broken by the echoing click of his Italian leather shoes on the polished marble floors. Common sense argued that he must be mistaken. After all, he had deactivated the complex security system himself when he arrived moments ago. No one could have breached the perimeter fences and gained entry in that short time.
However, Andrei had long ago learned to trust his uncanny sixth sense above all else. It was that razor-sharp intuition that had kept him alive all these years. Now, it was screaming that an uninvited presence was hiding somewhere in the sprawling mansion.
Cautiously, he moved through the great room, flicking on lamps that did little to pierce the inky darkness outside the small circles of light. He strained his ears for any whisper of sound—the scuff of a shoe, a muffled breath—but if someone was lurking, they were masters of stealth and silence.
Reaching the sweeping marble staircase, Andrei drew the Glock from his shoulder holster before ascending silently, stepping lightly to avoid any creaking. At the top, he paused and surveyed the shadowy hallway calculatingly. Still nothing. Whoever had infiltrated his sanctuary was highly skilled, but Andrei Smirnoff hadn’t become an acclaimed assassin by being careless. There was an intruder somewhere in the house, and he would find them.
“You’re slipping, Pakhan Smirnoff.” Andrei cursed as the soft, familiar melody of Vanya Guzun’s voice curled around his soul. She nudged the back of his head with what he assumed was her 9mm Makarov. “Hand it over.”
Wordlessly, he held out his Glock and released it into her grasp. Her warm breath brushed against his temple.
“Or is it the memory of the redheadmalen'kaya shlyukha, whoyou had dinner with, that robbed you of your senses?”
“Jealous much, Ms. Guzun?”
“You know I don’t share, Andrei. You are mine, and it’s high time you are reminded of that.”
“Ah, you’re here to seduce me into having torrid sex with you?”
“Wrong… well, maybe later, but for now, we’re going for a short drive.”
Andrei didn’t point out that she was much too close or proved just how easy it would be to disarm her and swap places. Instead, he meekly did as instructed and descended the stairs ahead of her.
“So, you want to add abduction to your charges?”
“Listen who’s talking. The same man who kidnapped my mother twice,” she snapped and prodded him to move faster. “We’re taking your truck. Move it, Smirnoff. Time’s a wastin’, as they say.”
Once in the truck, he waited for directions. Surprise shot through him when they came.
“Take us to the Church of St. Panteleimon the Healer.” She looked sideways at him. “It is your parish, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. So, you need to confess all your sins and ask for the Lord’s penance. Am I supposed to be there as a witness?”
