Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
If that’s the most traumatic thing that happened to Karina, I wonder how many times Kirill was tested by his father to turn out the way he is.
If he was beaten, burned, and electrocuted at twenty-one, what else did his father do to him prior to that?
“I’m so sorry, Karina.”
She shakes her head and wipes the tears that have escaped from her eyes. “I already lost my parents a long time ago, but I thought I at least had Kirill. But he also left.”
“Is that why you tried to kill him the day he came back?”
She sniffles and glares in the distance. “I will still kill him.”
I smile. She absolutely doesn’t mean that. In fact, I think a part of her is scared he’ll leave again.
“If I kill him, you can be my guard!” She claps her hands as if she’s come up with the most genius plan.
“I’ll be your guard without that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but as I said, you have to go out first.”
“No, thanks.”
“We can just start with the balcony like this.”
“Just the balcony?” she asks with innocent eyes.
“Just the balcony is fine.”
“I don’t hate the balcony.”
“I’m glad you don’t.”
“Thanks, Sasha.” She smiles.
“For what?”
“If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known the balcony isn’t so bad.”
“Anytime.”
She slathers some jam on a piece of toast and offers it to me. “I can’t believe that Anna. She made Kirill’s plate so much better than mine. She’s always had favoritism issues.”
“She seems like she loves him, though.”
“That she does.” She stares off in the distance. “You know, she lost her son who was around the same age as Kirill due to drowning. Her life kinda went off the rails after that, and she was about to jump off a bridge. Viktor said he and Kirill were passing by when they saw her. Kirill caught her at the last second and told her if she had no use for her life, he could give her purpose. That was when he was, like, fifteen. He brought her back here, and neither Papa nor Mama liked her. Mama said he was picking up homeless people off the streets. But do you know how he forced them to accept her? He asked Papa for his prize after finishing one of his missions, and his prize was having and keeping Anna.”
Karina smiles broadly, looking awfully proud of a brother she often threatens to kill. I can’t help but mirror her smile. No wonder Anna is overprotective of Kirill. She must’ve raised him as her own son ever since he brought her here.
“We’re gonna have to steal Kirill’s breakfast every day!” she announces with determination. When she raises her cup of coffee, I clink mine against it.
Even though I want to go find Kirill, I take my time with the breakfast. Karina and I stay on the balcony for over an hour, and not once does she mention the fifteen-minute limit.
25
KIRILL
I shake hands with Igor and his son before they leave my office.
Loud music slips from downstairs in the small time frame all of Igor’s men leave my space.
This was the second night of incessant negotiation. It started last night, and when we didn’t come to a full agreement, Igor didn’t give up.
Instead, he brought his son, Alexei, and more men to convince me that we can help each other.
Yuri closes the door behind them and stands there with his arms crossed. Viktor finally moves from his statue-like position by the wall and stops in front of my desk.
“That’s a good deal,” he says.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to conclude that.” I drum my fingers on the desk. “Igor, and especially Alexei, don’t do favors for no reason.”
“Igor was friends with your father.”
“That means nothing. He’s not friends with me, and if he’s offering to back me up, there’s a price to pay. If not now, then somewhere down the line.”
“Then you can use his influence and discard him later.”
“That’s a dangerous path to take,” Yuri, who’s been silent all this time, intervenes. “Just because Igor’s unit doesn’t flash victories like Damien’s or Mikhail’s doesn’t mean it’s weak. In fact, it’s one of the strongest in the organization. Making enemies with him would be both foolish and suicidal.”
“Correct.” I snap my fingers in his direction. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and do nothing. If an alliance is what he wants…he’ll think that’s what he’s getting.”
My biggest ally, however, will always be Adrian. I stack cards on my desk and start to build my house as I pull out my phone and dial his number.
He picks up after a few rings. “Volkov.”
“Morozov.” I match his closed-off tone with a touch of mockery.
“If this is another one of your idle chats…”
“Now, Adrian. Why have you turned so heartless? We’ve known each other all our lives, overthrew our tyrant fathers, and took over their legacies. We should be closer than this, don’t you think?”