Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 80942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“I assume Mrs. Volkov met with him.”
“You assume?”
“I saw the tracker moving when we were on the plane. Kill me if you like, but I had to turn a blind eye because I knew that was the only possible way to keep you alive. Thankfully, it worked.”
Fuck!
I grab him by the collar. “At the expense of disclosing Lia’s origins. At the expense of dragging her into all of this. Now, Lazlo will never let her go.”
“Who cares? She’s your wife and she did the right thing by going to Lazlo. If she hadn’t, Sergei would’ve put a bullet in your head. You won’t be able to protect her if you’re buried six feet under, Boss.”
I release him with a harsh shove, my knuckles burning with the need to drive my fist through a wall.
Or a person.
The reality of the doomed situation slams into me with a violence that bleeds through my veins.
I am alive. I am. But at what price?
Because from now on, it’ll be impossible to keep Lia out of the limelight.
26
Lia
I haven’t been able to sleep.
Every time I try to, thoughts about Adrian’s state flood my mind. Is he safe? Is he hurt?
And those thoughts kept me up all night, even after my father called and said he spoke with Sergei. Adrian still hasn’t shown up and Yan can’t reach Kolya or Fedor.
All night long, either I hugged Jeremy or I paced his room. I couldn’t go back to the master bedroom, not when Adrian isn’t there. Besides, my insides have been twisting with a weird feeling.
As if something is sitting wrong and I should fix it.
But what?
It must be about Adrian’s predicament, though aside from my meeting with Lazlo, I have no clue what else I can do. Yan and Boris—and even Ogla—are forbidding me from visiting Sergei, saying that it will do more harm than good.
If Adrian doesn’t come home today, I’m going to the Pakhan’s house. I have to do something aside from sitting around waiting for a bomb to drop.
It can’t be as terrifying as meeting my father, the Don himself, after thirty years of never knowing him. But even if it is scary, I’m ready to face whatever life throws my way.
I’m ready to fight.
To kick.
To claw.
A potent rush of energy has been whirling inside me since the moment I realized I have no choice but to step up in order to save our family.
It might not have started in the most conventional way and we’re not perfect by any means, but it’s still our family.
Mine and Adrian’s.
I cover a sleeping Jeremy to his chin and stand up. It’s early morning already and surely Yan has heard something about Adrian.
After putting on my coat, I head outside and make my way to the guest house. My feet come to a halt when I spot a shadow at the window up ahead.
At first, I think I’m imagining things again. That my mind is playing a sick game on me after leaving me alone for weeks. Is it the stress? Is that why I’m seeing people who shouldn’t be there?
The shadow, Winter, disappears from the window. I grab my wrist and dig my nails into the skin, and my lips part when pain explodes on the assaulted spot.
You know what? I’m done thinking I’m crazy. My mind does it just fine without me contributing to it, too.
I release my wrist and march to the guest house. One of the guards greets me at the entrance and I nod back as I breeze past him.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I struggle to keep my breath under control. When I reach Winter’s room, my heart is beating so loud, I can hear it in my ears.
I barge inside, and unlike what I witnessed less than a minute ago, Winter is in bed, the machines beeping in a moderate rhythm as she sleeps. The erratic sound of my harsh breathing spooks the shit out of me as I sense invisible hands closing around my throat.
Keeping my voice calm, I say, “Open your eyes. I saw you.”
No movement.
It’s as if she’s a statue. But I know what I saw and it wasn’t my imagination. I’m better now, I don’t hallucinate or let my mind take complete control of my life.
“Winter…I don’t know why you’re pretending to be comatose, but it’s better if you wake up and tell me.”
Nothing.
I yank the sheet off her body, but she remains the same, almost like the dead.
If I want to get to her, I need to use something that will provoke her.
“We’re throwing you out, Winter. We’re done giving you a roof over your head and injecting nourishment into your bloodstream when you mean nothing to us. Either a charity organization will take care of you or they’ll just leave you to die.”