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“So, this is where you’ve been hiding.” There’s no question in his voice as he brushes past me. A light switch flips on, revealing the deep lines in Zakhar’s face as he greets me with a strained smile. His eyes lack warmth, and there’s urgency in his voice.
“We need to talk about Gunsynnow, Nikolai Gennadyevich.”
I walk toward a small table surrounded by folding chairs, each step grounding me in the present moment. “Speak then,” I reply curtly.
Zakhar eyes Rurik’s setup of tools that, when used the right way, can cause significant pain.
“Despite your efforts to bring about a truce,” Zakhar begins, “it hangs by a thread. Gunsyn’s men have only become bolder. They’ve begun attacking the Lanzzare.”
Anger flares in my voice. “I’ll spare no one if they break the truce,” I vow.
“It will be hard to make threats,” he rubs his face, “without the manpower to deliver on those threats.”
I bite back my angry retort at his words.Who whittled away at my manpower, Zakhar?He spares me a quick glance before he continues.
“The Lanzzare don’t fully trust you either, which gives Gunsyn an advantage.”
My anger becomes darker and deadlier as I comprehend the warning underneath his words. “Your concern is duly noted,” I answer calmly.
But I can tell he’s not convinced of my sincerity.
My gaze falls on a hacksaw mounted on the wall behind Zakhar’s head. The blade is positioned in a way so that it appears to be going through his neck. The sick illusion amuses me. It makes me smile deviously, and my expression startles Zakhar as his gaze narrows hard on me, but he looks troubled.
“Slushaite menya, Nikolai Gennadyevich.” Zakhar chooses his words carefully. “Forget that my daughter is with Sorokin at his estate. Gunsyn isn’t stupid enough to make an attempt there.”
Another thought suddenly dawns on me. A searing question that I cannot help but ask.
“This is everything you wanted, Zakhar Sergeyevich.” My voice is steady as I clench my fists tight. “Did you and Sorokin conspire together? Was it you who suggested Eden to go to him?”
Zakhar doesn’t respond to the accusation, and his silence frees my rage. He may not have orchestrated it, but I know he’s never wanted me with his daughter. What is the point of getting Eden back if all Zakhar will do is take her from me again?
“Answer me, damn you!Eto moi prikaz!” I grab for him, but he’s quick, far quicker than his age.
A folding chair flies up to block my attempt and it crashes to the concrete, knocking another down with it. The noise must have been heard from outside. Rurik rushes in through the door and stops long enough to eye us before Larissa races in behind him.
“Stop it.” Larissa steps between us before Rurik can act. “Kolya, calm down. This isn’t helping anyone, including you.”
“Stay out of this, Lara,” I reply, my eyes still locked on Zakhar.
“Zakhar, leave!” she shouts, holding onto my shirt. “Now.”
Zakhar hesitates for a moment, challenging my gaze before nodding and leaving the garage. Rurik walks out with him, and I freeze, listening. But there’s no resulting commotion. Zakhar has gotten away with it again, I think bitterly. My head feels dizzy, and the room threatens to spin around me. I grasp Larissa’s hands and hold onto her.
“Eden loves you, Kolya,” Larissa speaks softly. Her soothing voice reaches me through the hate that’s settled over me since Eden left. “Eden is safe. She will be okay.”
“How can you believe that?” I snap, yanking my hands out of her grasp. “She’s being held hostage by that old bastard who thinkshe can dictate our lives, and all you can say is that she’ll be okay?”
Larissa glares at me sternly, and her patience has clearly been tested beyond her tolerance. “You must believe she’ll return when she can. And when Eden returns, you must be ready to protect her as you’ve promised. Don’t pick fights that you can’t afford to have right now.”
I take a deep breath and try to release the tension in my body. It’s useless. “I refuse to wait like a shamed coward while someone else has her.”
“There’s no other choice, Kolya.” Anxiety creeps into her voice. “Sorokin lives in a fortress. You can’t go after him.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” I stride into the next room and search for the keys to the gun cabinet. “No one keeps what’s mine from me.”
“Don’t do this,” Larissa pleads, reaching for my arm to stop. “Please, don’t.”
I feel above the cabinet and grasp the keys, holding them up for only a second before Larissa snatches them out of my grasp. I struggle with her, grasping her around the waist, and yank them out of her hand.
