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“Is that all?” Pyotr presses in the following silence.
“Yes, gospodin,” Maks says.
“Then I’ll get started on a plan. Gather your men early tomorrow. Alert the rest of the captains as well. I’m calling all hands.”
With a respectful inclination of his head, Maks departs the way he came.
I can see the shift in Pyotr’s shoulders already, the weight lifting off of them. And as soon as the door closes, Pyotr turns his attention to me.
“You too, Efrem.”
“Sir?”
“Go home. Get some sleep. I intend to have a plan of action in place by the time you return. And I want you back here at daybreak.”
“Plan of action, sir?” I press, too curious to go without asking.
“We’re going to kill this bastard and bring his empire crumbling down around him,” Pyotr says.
A smile stretches across my face at the news. We’ve given Mikhail far too many opportunities, too many second chances. And finally, he’s pushed it too far. Now he will see what it means to face the full wrath of the Veles.
“Yes, sir,” I agree, bending at the hips slightly before relinquishing Pyotr to Val’s capable hands. Then I exit the room.
Hope swelling in my chest, I head home. The anticipation of killing my enemy burns in my veins. Though I’m sure I won’t sleep a wink tonight, that doesn’t make me any less eager for tomorrow.
30
DANI
It took me a few hours to find the courage to face him, but as I take a cab to Efrem’s apartment, I feel a nervous anticipation, something bordering on excitement that I haven’t felt since Ben died. I haven’t had the space to feel anything but the pain and anger caused by losing my brother.
All I can do is hope that Efrem will forgive me for being so blind. I wasted weeks hating him for something he didn’t do, and now that I’ve allowed myself to accept the information, I can feel it’s true. My self-inflicted loss made these past few weeks of Ben’s loss so much harder than they had to be.
My knee bounces as I chew my thumbnail nervously as I sit in the back seat, staring out the window at the city traffic. After all the terrible things I’ve said to him, after how many times I refused to believe him, will he still forgive me? God, I hope so. By the time the taxi finally pulls up outside his building, I’ve taken my nail down to the quick.
“Thank you,” I murmur, paying the fare before slipping from the back seat.
Heart pounding, I stare up at the tall white building for a long moment. Sunlight still kisses the top, giving it an almost golden glow, but deep shadows cover the rest in a soft purple blanket as dusk comes quickly over Manhattan.
Taking a steadying breath, I look straight ahead and march inside.
The elevator ride up to his apartment is all it takes for my palms to start sweating. I can hardly stand the anxiety of facing my mistake because if I don’t get this apology right, I might not be able to fix things with Efrem. That thought alone has me second-guessing whether I’m ready to face him.
But I’m here, and I know that time isn’t going to improve my chances of success. I’ve pushed him away for far too long. Standing in front of his door, I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and take one more deep breath. Then I rap smartly on the wood.
Waiting several agonizing moments, I try to remind myself that he might be busy or unable to come to the door immediately. I listen intently for an indication that he’s there. Maybe he’s ignoring me. The possibility knots my stomach.
Then another thought hits me. He might not even be home. I’d been too anxious to speak to him while I had the nerve that I hadn’t considered he could still be working. But now that I think about it, it’s more than likely. Disappointment leaves my shoulders heavy, and I knock on the door one more time, straining my ears in the hopes that I’ll hear his footsteps approaching.
Something snicks just on the other side of his door, and relief floods me as I realize he’s about to open it. Then. Nothing.
“Efrem?” I ask tentatively when the door remains closed. “I… was just hoping we could talk.”
Is he watching me through the peephole? Did he walk away as soon as he saw it was me?
“Efrem?” My heart sinks as the silence continues to stretch painfully before me. “I… Please, I’m sorry. I was wrong…”
Nothing.
