Page 10
A crash echoes from somewhere down the hallway, followed by raised voices that send my heart racing.
I slip through my door to investigate, and to my shock, there isn’t a guard on watch.
The tension in this estate has been building for days, but something about these shouts makes me think it has reached a boiling point.
Two guards sprint past me. One of them barks into a phone, “Dimitri has him detained.” That alone tells me something serious has happened.
Ever since my father orchestrated the failed attack, security has doubled, and everyone jumps at the slightest sign of trouble, but this is serious if Dimitri is involved.
I follow the guards from a distance, stopping when I notice a group of men gathered in front of a storage room. They’re armed, tense, and ready to fire at any moment. I catch snippets of their conversation—“Leon,” “traitor,” “tipped off Thorne.”
Leon. He’s the guard I’ve been keeping an eye on because he’s always late to his shift.
My suspicions were minimal, but apparently, the Barkovs have discovered something far worse.
I slow my steps as I try to hear more. One of the men turns and sees me, but before he can protest, Dimitri’s voice rings out from inside the storage room.
“Let her through,” he orders. “This concerns her, too.”
The men reluctantly part to reveal a cramped interior space.
I step inside, and my stomach churns at the sight of Leon on his knees with his hands tied behind his back.
He’s bruised, and there’s blood trickling from a split lip.
His eyes dart around before resting on me for a moment.
They’re filled with terror, and it sends a chill racing down my spine.
Dimitri stands in front of him while Aleksei and a few other Barkov brothers form a half-circle around them. Leon is panting, and sweat is beading on his forehead.
Aleksei glances in my direction. “Keep back,” he warns, though his tone is more concerned than hostile.
I ignore him. My gaze connects with Dimitri’s, who says, “You gave Thorne our schedule. You told him when I’d be off the property. One of our guards almost died, and you nearly handed Cecily back to that maniac.”
At first, I think he’s talking to me. All the blood in my body drains to my toes, and I start to shake my head, but Leon responds before I can.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he rasps.
Maksim brandishes a phone in his face. “We have the logs. You called a burner number, and we traced the call to Thorne’s group. You were paid to sabotage our security.”
Leon tries to shrink away, but Dimitri yanks him closer by the collar. “They threatened me,” he insists. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Dimitri’s fist clenches around the fabric. “You risked Cecily’s life.”
Leon’s gaze flits to me, and he gives me a spiteful sneer. “For all I know, she was in on it, too. Thorne’s her father.”
My stomach churns at how easily he tries to shift blame, and my blood rushes back to my cheeks in red-hot anger. Dimitri snaps his fingers, and two guards seize Leon by the arms. Leon grunts, wincing.
“You sold us out,” Dimitri says. “We hired you. Put a roof over your head and money in your pockets, and you went to bed with the enemy.”
“I can still be useful,” he pleads. “I know more about Thorne’s network. I can tell you how he plans to strike next.”
“Why would we trust anything you say?” Maksim questions.
“Look, I messed up. I only told Thorne your schedule so he could grab the girl when you weren’t around. He offered me money—enough for me to disappear afterward.”
Rage creeps up my throat. If Leon’s betrayal had succeeded, I’d be back under my father’s control right now. Dimitri glances at me, as if checking that I’m still standing, then he turns his attention back to Leon.
“You put everyone here at risk,” Aleksei comments. “Dimitri lost a good man in that attack. We can’t let that slide.”
Leon’s lower lip trembles, and his voice becomes frantic. “Wait, let me prove I can help. Thorne has men scattered around town, just waiting for the girl to step outside. I know where a few of them are hiding. Just give me a chance to fix this.”
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right now,” Dimitri growls.
Leon flinches at the lethal promise in Dimitri’s tone. “Because Thorne’s preparing another strike! I swear, I’ll give you everything you need to know. You can stop him before he tries again.”
Maksim shifts his weight from foot to foot. “He’s lying. He’d say anything to save his neck.”
Aleksei exchanges a look with Dimitri, and I sense a silent agreement pass between them. They’ve decided Leon’s fate, and my heart thuds as I realize how final this moment is.
Leon trembles and shouts, “Please! Let me go, and I’ll vanish. You’ll never see me again. Or lock me up—whatever you want. Just don’t kill me.”
Dimitri looks past him toward the guards. “Search him. See if he’s carrying anything else connected to Thorne.”
They rifle through Leon’s pockets, and one of them retrieves a wad of cash that’s far too big for a standard guard’s pay. Dimitri snatches it, flips through the bills, and tosses them to the ground. “Thorne pays well, doesn’t he?”
Leon’s face pales. “I—it’s not what it looks like.”
Aleksei snorts. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”
The guards hold Leon tight, and Dimitri lifts his chin. “We can’t let a traitor walk away, and we can’t lock you up forever, either. If we keep you alive, Thorne might use you again.”
Leon thrashes. “I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything about his next plan!”
Dimitri shakes his head. “We have other ways of finding that out.”
A rush of dread slams into me. I want to look away, but I force myself to watch. This is my life now, caught between my father’s cruelty and the Barkovs’ violence. Leon betrayed both them and me, and there’s no coming back from that.
Dimitri reaches for the pistol tucked at his side. His hand remains unnervingly steady as he flicks off the safety with a soft click. Leon’s face contorts with panic.
“Please—” Leon starts, but Dimitri fires a single shot that silences him for good.
My hands fly to my mouth as a jolt of adrenaline rips through my system.
Leon’s body slumps with his eyes still wide with shock.
It happens so fast, and I’m not prepared for the wave of conflicting emotions that follow.
Horror turns in my stomach, but overshadowing it is a grim relief that one more threat is gone.
Dimitri shoves the gun back into his holster.
The men in the room barely react. They move forward with talking about how to dispose of the body and who should clean the mess.
It’s routine. My attention narrows in on Dimitri, who is breathing just a fraction heavier than before.
He glances my way, and there’s something pained behind his eyes.
Somehow, it makes me feel better to know he isn’t completely unaffected by taking a life.
Perhaps he is still human in there, after all.
Maksim gestures to two guards. “Take care of this. We’ll inform the others there’s a vacancy to fill.”
Aleksei nods at Dimitri. “We can question the contacts we found in Leon’s phone. We might confirm Thorne’s new plan that way.”
Dimitri rubs a hand over his jaw. “Do it. Keep me updated.”
They begin clearing the room, leaving Dimitri and me standing in the aftermath.
I stare at Leon’s body and the puddle of blood seeping across the floorboards.
My heart feels like it’s lodged in my throat.
I grew up around this kind of violence. I should be used to it.
Yet the reality never gets easier, no matter how often I witness it.
When Dimitri steps closer, I take a half-step back, struggling to contain my trembling. He halts when he notices my reaction and holds his hands up. “You shouldn’t have had to witness that. I shouldn’t have let you in here.”
“He betrayed you. He wanted me gone. I guess it makes sense.” My words feel too casual for what I’ve just seen, but I’m reeling. The brutality is stark, yet I can’t bring myself to condemn it fully.
He presses his lips into a thin line. “I do what I must to protect this family. That includes you.”
“I know,” I whisper, remembering how close I came to being taken by my father’s men. Leon gave them the perfect window. Dimitri just removed that danger in the most permanent way possible.
“We’ll tidy up,” Aleksei offers. “Dimitri, maybe you should take Cecily out of here.”
Dimitri nods before he gestures for me to follow him.
My legs feel shaky, but I manage to walk with him out of the storage room, leaving the others behind to handle the grisly chore.
Guards stare at me, some with pity, some with nothing at all in their eyes.
I realize news of Leon’s betrayal must have spread.
Everyone is on edge, waiting for the next blow my father might deliver.
Dimitri leads me into a smaller sitting room, away from prying eyes.
He shuts the door, and the hush that falls is as heavy as everything else I’ve experienced today.
I inhale a slow breath, and he sinks onto a sofa, resting his forearms on his thighs.
My eyes find the faint smudge of blood on his cuff, and the sight makes me want to scrub myself until I can no longer smell death.
“That was…intense,” I manage after a moment.
“It was necessary.”
I can’t argue that point. Leon’s betrayal put me directly in my father’s sights. If he’d succeeded, I’d be gone by now. “He almost got me taken,” I say quietly, as the realization sinks in deeper. “I’d be back under Father’s control, or worse.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Dimitri declares with so much certainty I almost believe it.
A weird flutter stirs in my stomach. I shouldn’t feel safer around a man who just executed one of his own, but I do. He killed Leon for betraying them, yes, but also for putting me in danger. That kind of dedication is both terrifying and oddly reassuring.