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I dive into the first taxi that slows. I don’t even wait for it to stop before shouting at the man to drive me to the airport. “Hurry, please. I’ll pay double if you get me there in the next twenty minutes.”
The man clearly wants to ask me handfuls of super annoying questions but I don’t have time for it. He must read it on my face because in the next moment, he’s peeling down the road so fast it would have made my Russian grandmother incredibly happy to see. I glance anxiously behind me to see if somehow Derek is running behind the taxi on foot. I wouldn’t put it past him.
Almost trembling too hard to dial Alexei’s number on my phone.
He doesn’t pick up until the third ring.
“Brat?” I mutter softly. I hope that by speaking like this, I can hide how terrified I feel right now.
“Da? I am very busy right now, Katya, what is it?”
Even though he sounds annoyed that I’ve interrupted his day, just hearing his voice is soothing to me.
“Has Ms. Lagunov not called you yet?”
“She’s tried, but like I said - I’m busy right now.”
“Mama is dead, Brat.” I whisper.
Saying it out loud makes it real. It makes her actually dead and all at once, the pain hits me.
The pounding, angry headache that throbs and the burning in my lungs all seems to fade away into nothingness as the reality of the situation sinks in. “Ms. Lagunov just told me. She is with her body now, the mortician is finishing up the autopsy for formality’s sake… but Brat, she is gone.”
There’s a series of hushed, angry swearing in Russian from the other end of the phone and I know he’s likely covering the receiver with his hand in some futile attempt to shield me from his temper.
“You are certain of this?” Alexei demands harshly.
He’s always like this. Business first and emotions second.
“Why would she lie?”
“ThosedamnedItalianbastards.”
Something breaks on Alexei’s end of the phone. I don’t know if he’s punched something or thrown something, but it doesn’t really matter. “I warned those mafia pricks what would happen if they stepped out of fucking line. I warned them! Listen to me, Katya, I will handle this. You are tostay putuntil I say otherwise. I mean it. If they are making moves, I will not risk you getting in harm’s way.”
“Yes.” I mutter lamely as I try to keep myself from blubbering.
“Are you safe where you are?”
I almost don’t want to answer that. I don’t like lying to my brother. “Yes.” I mutter. I mean, I’m as safe as a person in a taxi can be.
I don’t tell him about my own murder attempt.
They have to be related somehow. The timing of it is just too perfect.
Alexei will go completely off the rails if he knows that somebody tried to hurt meandthat somebody managed to find our poormother. He would have every man in his considerable army mobilized in the hour if he knew… and avenging mother comes first.
Besides, I’m fine. Mostly. I can take care of myself.
“We are at war, Katya, do not make trouble. I will send word soon.”
Just like that, the line goes dead on his end and I’m stuck with the taxi driver and the chaos of my own thoughts as he pulls the taxi around to the entrance of the airport.
Alexei can tell me to stay put all he wants, but there is no way in hell that he can make me actually do it. He’s not going to cut me out of this situation as easily as he might like.
He really ought to know me better than that by now.
I’ve always been more of an act first and ask forgiveness later type of gal anyway.
