“Those fucking fucking fucks!” yelled Vasiliy in Russian. “Who the fuck do they think they are?!”
The SUVs had taken us directly to his house—Vasiliy had insisted. There was an antique suit of armor at the top of the stairs and I watched as Vasiliy kicked it apart, sending metal clattering down the stairs. “Fucking fat little jumped up son of a whore thinks he can threaten us?!”
He spun to face me, his chest heaving with rage. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked in English.
I nodded. I was wearing a spare set of combat fatigues which Yuri had found for me. They were enormous and looked ridiculous, but at least they covered me and that made me feel better.
“No one,” spat Vasiliy, “messes with my family.” He said it in English and he met my eyes as he said it. There was regret there, beneath the anger. An apology for not trusting me, before. I was one of them, now, and the thought send an unexpected flood of warmth through me.
I’d never really been conscious of how much I missed having a family until that moment. And then I remembered how I was about to betray them, and I wanted to be sick.
“He won’t stop,” said Luka. “Not unless we abandon the gun deal.” His voice didn’t leave any shred of a possibility that that was going to happen. He was as stubborn and as proud as his dad.
Vasiliy started to curse again, talking about payback. Then he remembered me and sighed, shaking his head. “My apologies, Arianna. You do not need to hear this. The maids have prepared a room for you and Luka. Please.”
Being able to take a hot bath to wash Olaf’s touch off me sounded like the best thing in the world. But first, I gave Luka a long hug. “You’ll stay right here?” I asked. “You won’t go off on some stupid revenge attack?”
He touched his forehead to mine and let out a long sigh. “There will have to be retribution. But not tonight, myshka. I’ll be here.” He hugged me close and then took my face between his hands. “I never meant to let my life hurt you, Arianna. I’m sorry.”
I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes. He was sorry, and I was about to destroy him. I nodded quickly and turned away, trudging up the stairs to the next floor.
I knew that the next morning, just as I ran out on him, he’d be ready to go and attack Olaf and his gang, turning this into a full-on war between the families. Maybe, maybe he’d survive the next few days...just long enough for the authorities to arrest him. I actually started to wish that I could betray him sooner. At least in prison, he’d be safe.
Or would he? I knew that the gangs controlled the prisons. Did the Malakovs have the right influence in the right places? Was it better that Luka was shot in a gang war or stabbed to death in a prison yard?
I sighed and shut myself in the bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was luxuriously appointed. There was a bathroom with a huge corner tub and I immediately ran a deep, hot bath. I stripped off my clothes and climbed in, letting the heat soak into me. It made me feel cleaner on the outside...but it didn’t do anything to lift the deep, dark stain that was spreading through my insides.
I was lying almost completely submerged when a noise from the bedroom startled me. My cell phone ringing. It was in my purse, which had been with me in the car when Olaf had attacked us. Now the purse was on the bed—Yuri must have salvaged it from the wreckage.
I jumped out of the tub, naked and dripping. For Adam to be calling, something must be wrong. Maybe he couldn’t extract me tomorrow. I grabbed the phone and was holding it in my hand, about to answer, when a thought echoed in my head. Something that had been swimming around and around ever since the warehouse. How did Olaf know where to ambush us?
My phone had been with me in the car. And Adam had told me to make sure I kept it switched on.
He’d tracked me and guided Olaf right to us.
I fell to my knees in defeat as I answered the call.
“Hello, Arianna,” said Adam.
“You’re working with Olaf Ralavich,” I whispered.