Page 73 of Broken

"I was gone before you boys even really knew who I was," she said. "You could call me a ghost or you Liam, could call me Aunt Katia."

Shock and horror pushed up through my stomach. Her words rolled around in my brain as I put the pieces to the puzzle together. I had been correct in my assumptions and there was something else. Around her neck was the jewel.

She saw me eyeing it and her fingers immediately went to touch it. "An engagement gift from my husband."

"So, you were behind the break in…" I looked at Viktor who shrugged.

Val scoffed. "Father, this is complete and total madness."

Katia looked at him and then back to me. "The jewel should have been his, just like the Bratva. But we're taking all of it back, today."

"The jewel didn't belong to him because it was my father’s," I stated coldly.

"It should have been mine, all of it," Viktor roared.

With anger filled movement, he pulled out a gun just like I'd been waiting for, just like Val and I both knew he would.

Classic angry, Viktor.

"It's time for you to both die," he said calmly.

Valentin shook his head. "Father...do you remember when you sent me to Russia? To learn how to be a killer. To be a perfect soldier. Do you really think, I walked into this just to die and hand over the organization to you?"

Katia's perfectly plucked eyebrow raised in my cousin’s direction. "Maybe I picked the wrong man?”

Time was starting to wind down, and I was wondering if Nova had gotten in. Had she found Yara, yet? The next part of this plan needed to go off without a hitch.

“Never,” Viktor said, gun still pointed at us.

Katia whirled on them. “Then pull the trigger.”

“I’d think twice,” Val said and slowly held up his hands.

A small object dangled from his hand.

It was black and silver; and could have easily been mistaken for a simple key chain. It was our backup plan.

"Congratulations, Uncle Viktor," I said. "You just fucked yourself."

Viktor's eyes turned black, and he pulled the slide on his gun. "What do you mean, boy?"

"The fact that you really thought you were going to kill us and take the Bratva from me. That I was going to just show up and die...you really are getting on up there in years."

Val let out a little laugh, "Father, you brought a gun...I bought bombs."

I could see the men behind my uncle starting to look uncomfortable. They hadn't even drawn their weapons during this entire exchange. Realization registered on Viktor's face as he realized that allowing us to choose the setting for our untimely demise might have been his complete undoing.

"Viktor, you fool," Katia hissed.

"And you." I turned on her. "Since you're so smart...you should tell your husband to drop his weapon."

Her eyes seething in rage turned on me before turning back to her men and Viktor. "Lower your weapon. I have no intentions of dying today."

"Good choice," I smiled, stepping forward. "For years, my mother searched for you. She died heartbroken, wondering where you were." Katia said nothing as I yanked the stone from around her neck and shoved it into my pocket. "Now tell me where the girl is."

She took a deep breath, "Fine. But you're not going to like it."

Just as she said that, I looked over her shoulder and saw Nova standing there with her hands in the air. Her sister was nowhere in sight. I pulled my gun out and held it to Katia's head. "You're coming with us, Auntie Katia. You can tell us where you've been at all this time while you're at it. The rest of you, get down on your knees and don't even think about following us....ahht ahht!"