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Dad has brief words with Pavel as Nikolai helps me out of the SUV. He points to the surrounding woods, giving orders, and Pavel glances over toward Nikolai, who nods once discreetly.Pavel listens patiently to Dad before he tells his men to head out into the woods and secure the location. I wonder if four men will be enough.
My stomach growls, and I place my hands over it as if to shut it up. Nikolai calls Pavel over, who quickly comes.
“Take a few men into the town and get food.”
My father frowns. “That might be risky.”
Nikolai’s smile is condescending. “Your daughter has not eaten in the last twenty-four hours. If this safe house is secure, we will be safe with two men gone.” Smiling, Nikolai’s voice softens. “We are all tired and need to replenish. A growling stomach may give us away.”
Dad nods, though the men are already making their way to one of the SUVs while the others disappear into the woods. I watch the headlights disappear down the road, and the quiet engulfs us. No one will ever find us here. I look up at the darkening sky and the branches etched against it. Will my life return to some kind of normal? I’ve been kidnapped and held against my will, threatened with death, and shot at multiple times, but the next few hours alone with Nikolai and my father will be the hardest of my life.
The inside of the small house is to be expected—barren, with a table, a few folding chairs, and cots pushed against the walls. I see a door that I hope leads to a bathroom. A hallway leads to a bedroom, a tiny utility room, and a back door. Nikolai dumps a duffel bag kept in the SUV on the floor and opens it, revealing lanterns, rope, knives, and energy drinks. He hands me a drink and my father a lantern. I place the drink down and head to the bathroom.
I’m quick about it, not wanting to leave them alone for even the amount of time it takes me to pee and wash my hands. But when I come out, they’re not attached to each other’s throats. Zakhar sits in a chair, deep in thought, staring at the blinds covering the windows, while Nikolai sits on the floor beside the other chair, scrolling through his phone. When I sit down, he leans his arm on my thigh, and I try not to sigh too loudly with relief.
Dad ignores our display of closeness, and I feel guilty, though I tell myself I shouldn’t. I don’t know why, but I picture the painting of St. George in Sorokin’s castle.
Once upon a time, I was Daddy’s little girl, and he did everything he could to rescue me. But I chose to live with the dragon instead. I want to go to my father and reassure him that I still love him deep down, but I stay where I am beside Nikolai. I open the drink, sipping it slowly as I lose my appetite.
“Any updates?” Zakhar asks suddenly.
Nikolai shakes his head. “None.”
Mercy. I put the drink down on the rickety table, and it shifts onto one leg. I have so many questions, and maybe this is the only time I will be able to ask. My heart pounds as I hunt for the right words.
“Dad?” My voice is too soft. “What happened to Mom?”
“What do you mean?” He’s not going to make this easy.
“The night she died,” I continue. “What happened? Nikolai found his father’s journals, but pages were missing.” I feel Nikolai’s hand tighten on my thigh. “What happened the night his brother died? These are the missing pieces that only you can provide.”
Dad leans heavily against the chair, and it creaks under his weight. “I’m not a traitor, Eden.”
“I know that, Dad.” My voice shakes as I speak, but it reveals my doubts. He’s kept me in the dark before, and he’ll have to tell the truth if he wants to regain my trust.
Dad fingers the blinds, separating two slats as he peers outside. Sighing, he recounts all the missing pieces as the remaining sunlight disappears.
30
ZAKHAR
19 YEARS AGO
“Yes!”Gennady slams the glass desk with his fist, and I step back. “We’ve got them, Zakhar.”
One day, he’ll break that glass top. Instead of meeting on the ninth floor as usual, I’ve been called to the penthouse. Tanya granted Gennady one room, facing the skyline and not the park, to use for an office. She disapproves of business being discussed around their children. Her concern makes me laugh. Matvei is a wild teenager, and the other two show no interest in Daddy’s business.
“Who do we have?” I ask, sitting down in the chair in front of his desk.
“The Lanzzare,” he beams. “Alexander, the crafty devil, has found a dirty secret on them.” Gennady sits down, smiling like a victor on his throne. “He’s discovered a shipping company run by aRaymond D’Artello, and the company is a critical operation. After a little snooping, we suspect the Lanzzare are skimming from us and other organizations. Everyone. Russians. Italian. Even the fucking Chinese.”
I shake my head. “Ippolit goes over our shipping records like we’re spending his own money. How could he have missed anything?”
“Some amounts are too small for him to care,” explains Gennady, drumming the desk with his fingertips. “One stray package is written off as lost or damaged in shipping. But add up all those stray packages, and you have a fortune.” Gennady chuckles. “The Lanzzare have infringed upon families that would be furious to find out they’ve been cheated, especially the other Italian families.”
I chuckle, staring at his glowing face. This is when he is happiest—when someone he hates has fucked up. “You can negotiate for anything you want with this information, my pakhan,” I reply.
“It gives us the upper hand, and I can force the Lanzzare out of Port Newark.” He leans back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. “I can force peace on my terms, old friend.” He watches me with his icy green gaze. “But I need indisputable proof, Zakhar.”
