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Guards hurriedly follow, ducking and weaving between tall stacks of white cardboard boxes stacked on each side of the dock. I’m clear of the building as one of the cars lurches forward, and the tires screech as it races out of the lot. The other driver is not so fast, and I spot a headful of gray hair in the back seat. Zakhar won’t get away from me.
I aim for the tires, and the bullets pierce the rubber as screams emanate from the car.
“Fuck! Fuck! All right, fine! Take it.”
A medium-sized box is thrown from the car window, and despite the flat tire, the driver peels off. The rim grinds against the asphalt, and by the time the car hits the road, sparks are flying from the rear.
Taras bends down and splits the box open. He picks up a bottle of pills and reads the label.
“Suka bylat,” he says. “Oxytocin. You just stopped a drug deal, Nikolai Gennadyevich.”
Disappointed and uninterested, I shove the Glock under my suit jacket. “That wasn’t him, was it?” I ask.
Taras is nervously quiet, looking forlornly toward the building. “I can’t give you an answer, my pakhan. Because I don’t know.”
I nod thoughtfully. “It’s time to play dirtier.”
3
EDEN
A sharp painin my side causes me to wince as I gradually turn, tucked in a strange bed. A ray of sunlight sneaks past the tightly closed curtains, and I place my hand over my eyes to shield it. I’m not sure if I’m ready to wake up. My brain strains to figure out what’s happened and blames it on a nightmare. But it’s real because I feel like I’ve been rolling around in hell.
I don’t know where I am.
Panic tightens my body, which makes the pain worse, as my mind races through possibilities. I know I’m not in the penthouse or Holtsville. Did the brigadiers abduct me again?
I let out a low moan and close my eyes tight, wishing I could go back in time.
My eyes close again, and I wince as the pain stabs into my side, but I stop squirming when a strong hand rests on my shoulder.
I open my eyes and find Anton standing over me with an alarmed look on his face.
“How are you feeling?” His dark brows join together in a worried frown.
“Where am I?” I ask.
He smiles as if I’m being silly. “Where you belong.”
Pain stabs at my side again, and suddenly, the memory floods back. Nikolai. Zakhar. The sound of the gun going off.
“My baby!” I grab Anton’s hand, looking frantically at him.
Anton’s face brightens with a wide grin. “Your baby is okay. As are you.”
My chest rises and falls as I rest my hands on my stomach. My heartbeat slows down and relief floods through me. I’m okay. But most importantly, the baby is okay. I close my eyes, suddenly feeling very tired again.
That was too close …
But curiosity goads me to open my eyes and take in my surroundings. The bedroom is sparsely furnished, and all I can see is a small twin bed pushed against the wall. It’s so spartan that I wonder if I’m in a staff bedroom.
“Where is Nikolai?”
Anton looks quickly away. “He’s out, but he’s been with you every night since you’ve returned.” He gestures toward the small, unmade bed. “He’s watched over you.”
“And what about …” The last word catches in my throat as pain lances into my side, refusing to come to my lips.
Anton’s face shifts to something cold. “Nikolai Gennadyevich wants to talk to Zakhar first. Even after what he did to you.”He stands back and walks toward the door. “I’ve said too much already.”
